Chillin' by the Fire

Certainly a novel way to connect with pals, and not without merit in its relaxing blend of gathering wood and testing yourself to keep the fire burning, Chillin' By The Fire has its positives. The GameShare aspects, when playing with friends, work well and are easy to set up, and it's nice to be able to buy one copy and then invite folk along. I also enjoyed the light puzzling for a time as I worked to keep my fire alive.However, beyond these basic aspects and some achievements, and especially for solo players, there's not much else here.

Chillin’ by the Fire is an unusual little experiment. As a relaxed social space, it works, and there’s definitely something charming about sharing a fire with friends online. But as a game, it’s light to the point of almost disappearing. If you want a quiet place to chat with friends while doing something simple in the background, this could be a nice fit. If you’re hoping for a more engaging co-op game or an alternative to Discord that actually replaces what Discord does, you’ll probably be left wanting. It’s cosy, it’s odd, and it’s not for everyone.

The digital campfire in Chillin’ by the Fire is a well-designed simulator. There are lots of little tricks that affect the fire. However, the increase in difficulty in the final area is significantly greater than between the previous areas.

Oink Games decided to try something very different here, but has remained true to their design philosophy. No, I did not think I'd recommend a fire-building simulator in 2025, but frankly this one ignited something in me that I wasn't expecting. Now how long will it take for the true pyromaniacs to start speedrunning this game?.

Bizarre in the fact that while the goal of simply making a roaring fire is a simple one, this somehow makes it engrossing to do so