While Hazelight Studios started strong with Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, and reached critical acclaim and widespread appeal with It Takes Two and Split Fiction, A Way Out was an important middle child for the studio’s growth. The game established all the crucial elements that have gone on to define the developer, from co-op that demands communication to friend passes that require only one person to own the game. However, its tone was a lot more realistic and grounded than the colorful games Hazelight has recently made, focusing on two prisoners — one of which has a shocking secret. The upcoming Steam game Dual Fire Walled City seeks to replicate A Way Out’s vibe, and its setting should feel familiar to fans of a very different game.
With the original Call of Duty: Black Ops recently being re-released on PlayStation 4, players are getting a chance to look back on one of the all-time great entries in the franchise. In doing so, they’ve likely played more Nuketown than they can stomach, not to mention other classics like Firing Range and Summit. However, the underappreciated DLC maps that many may have missed out on back in 2011 are also getting their time to shine, with one standout being Kowloon. Treyarch’s take on a real-world Cold War location was incredibly memorable due to its aesthetic and functional ziplines, and now developer Team DF is putting its spin on the setting with a story-driven, co-op Steam experience.
Dual Fire Walled City Features at a Glance
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image via Team DF -
image via Team DF -
image via Team DF
- FIGHT foes with flashy action inspired by kung-fu movies.
- SHARE the game with a friend, as only one copy is needed.
- EXPERIENCE memorable setpieces, like hanging off cars and parachuting.
- PLAY MINI-GAMES while reliving the childhoods of the two characters.
- CONTROL one of two characters with distinct personalities and tasks.
Dual Fire Walled City is a story-driven co-op game for two players. Featuring close friends who grew up together in the Kowloon Walled City, only to be pulled onto vastly different life paths by a twist of fate. Get ready to immerse yourself in a classic Hong Kong-style movie.
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Dual Fire Walled City is A Way Out With a Kung-Fu Movie Twist
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image via Team DF -
image via Team DF -
image via Team DF
Whereas A Way Out featured two characters that forged a bond later in life, Dual Fire Walled City hones in on childhood friends that grew up together. The mini-games that often serve as fun distractions during longer levels in Hazelight’s games will be smartly worked into flashback scenes that showcase the two lead characters’ bonds, with simple computer games shown as one such activity. However, it seems like the bond between the childhood friends will be challenged, as a “twist of fate” separates the dynamic duo. With the real-world Kowloon being demolished in the late 90s because of overpopulation and rampant crime, it can be assumed that the latter issue contributes to the different paths the two leads find themselves on.
Balance the critic averages
Balance the critic averages
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In the present day, it seems like players on both sides of the screen will be doing vastly different things. For instance, one character may be parachuting throughout the city while the other is in the midst of a gripping car chase, hanging onto a vehicle with one hand. Given the realistic visuals and split-screen perspective used to show both players at the same time, it’s hard not to think of A Way Out. That connection only becomes stronger, too, as Dual Fired Wall City has its own version of a friend pass. Via Steam remote play, a second player is permitted to come along for the ride, meaning only one copy has to be purchased to enjoy the story with a buddy.
At the heart of Dual Fire Walled City’s crime thriller narrative, though, is kung-fu. The concrete jungle setting and its neon sign-filled streets were deliberately chosen to make its flashy combat look even better. How extensive this combat system actually is remains up in the air, but enemies apparently “won’t go down without a fight.” And, visually, it looks just as impressive as Sleeping Dogs and Yakuza. Speaking of Yakuza, players will have to adjust to English subtitles, as fully Cantonese and Putonghua dialogue is used to increase immersion. If Dual Fire Walled City proves successful, even more A Way Out-like games could be released by indie developers, which is a huge win for fans of both co-op experiences and storytelling through video games.
