Fire State: a stunning technical feat stuck inside a game still at the sketch stage

There are games you launch first for the technical feat, knowing you will look past the rest. Fire State is one of them. This tactical shooter presents itself as the world's first to offer playable 3DGS environments, with photorealistic rendering and a striking bodycam view. As a demonstration, it is stunning. As a game, it is still a sketch. And you need to know what you are getting into before playing it.

The context

Fire State is developed and published by UnderFire, available on PC via Steam in Early Access. Its flagship argument is technical: it is presented as the world's first shooter to integrate playable 3DGS environments, that rendering technology which captures reality with striking photorealism, all through a bodycam perspective that reinforces immersion. On the menu, classic PVP, a co-op campaign and horror levels. The studio warns upfront: the current version offers the game's foundation, basic maps, weapons and modes, but remains under active development, with the bugs and rough edges that implies.

The gameplay

Let us start with what impresses, because it is the game's real reason for being at this stage. The 3DGS rendering and the bodycam view produce environments of rare realism, giving the fights a visual texture unheard of in the genre. Moving through these photorealistic settings, with that camera moving like a real handheld one, delivers a sense of immersion and tension few shooters reach. It is a convincing technological demonstration, and as long as you are sensitive to this kind of innovation, there is a real thrill in seeing what technology now allows.

The gameplay foundation takes the fundamentals of the tactical shooter, with PVP, a co-op campaign and horror levels that vary the pleasures. The intent is good: offering several ways to exploit the visual feat, from competitive versus to cooperation, to the oppressive atmosphere of horror. That variety of modes shows an ambition beyond a mere technical showcase, and lays the foundations of a potentially rich game if the content grows.

But you have to be perfectly clear-eyed: Fire State is a work in progress. The current version offers only the bare foundation, with basic maps, weapons and modes, and the studio does not hide that the game is still under active development, with bugs and unfinished elements. The content is thin, the balance embryonic, and the overall finish betrays at every moment that you are playing a sketch more than a product. The technical feat impresses, but it is not enough to make a complete game, and the gap between the demonstration and the actual experience is gaping today.

That is the whole paradox of Fire State: it offers something new and exciting technologically, but wraps it in a game that is not there yet. Buying now means investing in a promise and a technological bet, supporting an ongoing development, more than enjoying a finished experience. Players curious about the future of rendering in games will find a fascinating glimpse here; those looking for a complete, polished shooter will move on for now.

The tech

Technically, Fire State is both its greatest success and its greatest weakness. The 3DGS rendering is a feat, and the bodycam view a strong immersive idea, which place the game at the cutting edge of visual experimentation. Seeing a shooter exploit this reality-capture technology has something exhilarating about it, and that is unquestionably where the title's entire current appeal lies.

But that technological lead comes with the flip side of a very early Early Access. The bugs, the unfinished elements and the thin content are owned by the studio, but they weigh heavily on the present experience. The stability and optimisation of a technology as recent as 3DGS remain works in progress, and it will take time and support to turn this demonstration into a solid game. As it stands, it is closer to a playable proof of concept than a finished shooter.

The verdict

Fire State is a fascinating technical feat stuck inside a game still at the sketch stage. Its 3DGS rendering and its bodycam view offer immersion and realism unheard of in the shooter, and for those curious about visual innovation, there is an exciting glimpse here of what technology now allows. The ambition to offer PVP, cooperation and horror lays the foundations of a potentially rich game.

But we have to be honest: at this stage, the content is thin, the balance embryonic and the finish betrays a still very early development. The feat does not make the game, and the gap between the technological demonstration and the actual experience is too large today to recommend the purchase to a general audience. Fire State is a bet on the future, to reserve for technology enthusiasts ready to support a promising work in progress. The potential is immense; the game itself still has to be built.

A stunning technological demonstration that is not yet a finished game, to reserve for those curious about visual innovation.

Score: 6/10

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Reviewed on the PC Early Access version.