Fireboy & Watergirl and Friends

Five friends, one familiar formula

Fireboy & Watergirl and Friends expands developer and publisher Oslo Albet's long-running co-op puzzle-platformer series by adding three new companions to the original elemental duo, spreading them across 36 new levels. This review found that expansion described accurately and fairly by one unusually detailed reviewer: "Fireboy & Watergirl and Friends takes the cooperative puzzle-platforming foundation of the series and expands it by introducing three additional companions into the familiar elemental adventure. Instead of drastically changing the established concept, the game develops it through larger character-management possibilities and a fresh collection of 36 levels." This review treats that framing as accurate: the game is explicitly an expansion rather than a reinvention, and judging it against that stated ambition is the fair way to evaluate it.

Praised repeatedly for nostalgia

This review found the sample's dominant theme, by a clear margin, is nostalgia from longtime series fans. "My childhood! It's just like the other ones but slightly harder since you need to control 3 characters now, but fun nonetheless," reads one review. Another goes further: "I am amazed at how this franchise has managed to deliver so many unique and interesting puzzles across almost 300 levels on all 7 games. Very recommended for both fans of FBWG as well as fans of puzzle games." A third recalls the series' browser-game origins directly: "Feels just the same as what I played on the chromebooks in school but with the added flair of new characters." This review treats that praise as fair and meaningful: reviewers across at least a decade of series history independently vouching for its continued quality is a credible signal that the format still works for its core audience.

Praised for genuine co-op charm

This review also found reviewers specifically crediting the game's multiplayer design, not just its content. "Played with 3 friends across the world... this isn't for the faint of heart," reads one review, while another highlights its accessibility across borders: "Très sympa d'avoir une version à 3 jouable en steam together (donc à distance)! Pour ce prix c'est top" ("Really nice to have a 3-player version playable on Steam Together, meaning remotely! For this price it's excellent"). A third reviewer describes playing specifically with siblings: "I enjoy this with my two brothers, I always want to play with both because we're three and now with this game we could." This review treats that praise as fair: a puzzle-platformer that reviewers repeatedly single out as genuinely better with specific numbers of real friends, including across long distances via Remote Play Together, is delivering on its core promise.

A fair complaint about awkward character-switching

Set against that praise, this review found a fair and specific complaint about the expanded mechanic's execution. "The additional friends are pretty interesting even if hopping between controlling them and the main two is a little awkward," reads one detailed review, which otherwise recommends the game. This review treats that complaint as fair and notable precisely because it comes from an otherwise positive reviewer: adding three more characters to manage is the single biggest mechanical change this entry makes over its predecessors, and a genre fan flagging real friction in how that expansion controls is a credible, specific critique rather than a general difficulty complaint.

An honest read of a uniformly positive, self-selected sample

This review also found it worth stating plainly what this small sample actually represents. Every one of the 17 English-language reviews available at the time of this review is positive, and several explicitly identify themselves as longtime series veterans rather than newcomers encountering the format for the first time. This review treats that context as important rather than disqualifying: a puzzle-platformer sequel bought almost entirely by an existing fanbase will naturally skew positive, and that context matters for weighing how confidently this rating should generalise to a player with no history with the series.

This review's own assessment of originality and structure

This review's own playthrough-adjacent research finds the core objective unchanged since the series' earliest flash browser games: guide elemental characters through obstacle courses to their matching doors, using each character's unique resistance or vulnerability to hazards to solve cooperative puzzles. The three new friends are layered onto that same structural foundation rather than replacing or reworking it, and 36 levels at this price is a fair amount of content but not a large one. This review scores originality accordingly: a well-executed, faithful expansion still earns a modest score in that specific category when its core idea is more than a decade old and unchanged in this entry.

Achievement data suggests short sessions over long-form play

This review's own check of Steam's global achievement data shows a steep drop-off between the two available milestones: only 10.7% of players have unlocked the game at all, and just 5.3% have completed it. That pattern is consistent with a series widely enjoyed in short, casual co-op sessions with friends rather than pursued to full completion by most owners, and lines up with reviewer accounts describing quick, sociable play sessions rather than extended solo campaigns.

Final verdict

Fireboy & Watergirl and Friends is exactly what it presents itself as: a cheap, charming, faithful expansion of a beloved co-op puzzle-platformer series, adding three new friends and 36 levels without meaningfully reinventing a format that's well over a decade old. This review found real, credible enthusiasm from longtime fans and genuine praise for its co-op design, balanced by a fair complaint about awkward character-switching and this review's own honest assessment that its ambitions, while well executed, are modest. At its price, it's an easy recommendation for existing fans and small groups of friends looking for an accessible co-op session; players hoping for a substantial reinvention of the format should adjust expectations accordingly.