Fireboy and Watergirl
New
- Genre Puzzle games
- Players 1–2
- Session 7 min
- Price Free
- Updated
A puzzle platformer built on one elegant restriction: you control two characters with opposite vulnerabilities. Fireboy is destroyed by water, Watergirl by fire, both by the green pools, and every level requires both of them to reach their own exit — so the puzzle is never how to get past an obstacle but how to get past it twice, in two different ways. That doubling produces genuinely good level design. Switches need one character to hold them while the other passes, platforms have to be positioned by whoever can survive the route to the lever, and the order of operations matters because a character left in the wrong place cannot always be recovered. It plays alone by switching between them and considerably better with a second person on the same keyboard, which is the mode it was clearly designed for.
| Arrows | Move Fireboy |
|---|---|
| WASD | Move Watergirl |
| Switch key | Change character in single player |
| R | Restart the level |
How to play Fireboy and Watergirl
- Plan both routes before moving either character.
- Send the character who can survive the obstacle to operate the switch for the other.
- Position levers and platforms before committing anyone to a one-way route.
- Move one character to safety before starting the other's run.
- Restart rather than stranding a character; levels are short.
Tips
- Green pools kill both, which makes them the real constraint rather than the elemental ones.
- If a level seems impossible, you are probably moving them in the wrong order.
- With two players, agree who is doing what before starting — this is a game that punishes improvisation.
Questions about Fireboy and Watergirl
Do I control both?
Yes, either by switching or with a second player.
What are the weaknesses?
Fireboy dies in water, Watergirl in fire, and both in green pools.
Can two people play?
Yes, on one keyboard, and it is the better mode.
Does it get harder?
Yes, through the order of operations rather than reflexes.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes, with on-screen controls, though two players need a keyboard.
Does it need installing?
No, it runs in the browser.
How many levels are there?
A full set, escalating steadily.
