Chillin’ By the Fire

Genre: Misc.

Players: 1-4 Co-Op (Online)

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Review:

Chillin’ By the Fire, released in 2025 on Nintendo Switch 2, is a game that has players chopping and arranging firewood on an outdoor bonfire, trying to get the fire as hot as possible and keep it alive for as long as possible.

I suppose some might call this a Puzzle game, but it doesn’t seem to require the kind of thought that implies. And you might call this a Simulation, but it doesn’t seem especially realistic. In many ways, this is more a toy than a game, following in the footsteps of Little Inferno, though that game at least had its satire of consumerism to keep things interesting.

The main idea here is that you have a fire starter in a fire pit, and either one log or an unlimited number of logs (depending on game mode), with players able to use a hatchet to split wood multiple times, until it’s small pieces of kindling. You then move these pieces to the fire and arrange them for optimal effect. Small pieces of wood catch fire quickly but also burn out quickly, while larger pieces take a long while to catch fire, but stay lit for longer.

If there’s a strategy here beyond that, I don’t see it. I managed to do just fine in my time playing the game, both in endless mode and in a “survival” mode that has you trying to stay alive as long as possible using only one log. However, I didn’t feel like I was doing anything more than asking myself “have I put in a bunch of small pieces within the last minute or so? Yeah? Then how about medium? Yes, that too? Okay, I guess it’s time for a large then…”. There’s just not much to it.

I suppose you could argue that this game is meant to be more of a cozy experience, and to that end you can even play online with up to three friends, with your images all displayed using a camera in GameChat. But… I don’t feel strongly enough about this game to want to push any friends into buying it too.

Even the argument that the game is about enjoying a relaxing aesthetic seems to fall flat when you consider that the game’s visuals aren’t impressive on a technical level, and aren’t striking or memorable on an artistic level. The game uses simple 3D visuals with low-poly environments, and a fire that isn’t especially impressive either. Why was this game made a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive, again? At the very least the gameplay is accompanied by light, relaxing music, but it’s nothing that stuck with me.

I don’t know, maybe some people will find Chillin’ by the Fire relaxing, or enjoy the busywork involved in keeping their fire going. But for me, it just felt like I was doing something repetitive that didn’t require much thought and that I didn’t derive much enjoyment out of. As original a concept as this game is, it’s difficult for me to recommend it.

tl;dr – Chillin’ by the Fire is a game where players chop and arrange firewood to make their fire as hot and long-lasting as possible. There’s not much thought that goes into playing the game, and the underwhelming presentation works against any sort of “cozy” feel this game may have. It’s unique enough that some players may find it interesting, but I expect most will play it for a short while and then never play it again.

Grade: C-

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