Editor’s Note: Our reviewer, Colin Flanigan, is a retired firefighter who now teaches those techniques to a new generation of heroic firefighters.
I reviewed the core version of Firefighting Simulator: Ignite when it was first released. At the time, I noted that, “Firefighting Simulator: Ignite does not replicate every aspect of firefighting, but it’s a fun simulation that allows for some enjoyable hours and strikes a great balance between accuracy and fun.” It earned 4.5 GiN Gems out of five, and the new Motor Vehicle Accident Expansion makes the core gameplay even better.
The new Motor Vehicle Accident Expansion for Firefighting Simulator: Ignite really is a must-purchase if you enjoy simulator titles and want one that gives a real taste of being a firefighter.
One of the things Firefighting Simulator: Ignite does well is that it lets players scale up from a Fire Training Site, where they learn the basics of how to put out structure fires along with electrical and gas-fed fires.
In fact, the gameplay is excellent at giving players a feel for how different tools like a Halligan work. I mentioned this in my previous review. The Halligan tool is a metal bar you’ve probably seen before. 
It has a curved forked end like an elongated pry bar, and the other end has an adze with a 90-degree pick. The simulation shows how to set the Halligan in a door frame and then pry it open, making that action more involved than just a single push on the controller.
The addition of the Motor Vehicle Accident DLC introduces what some people call the “Jaws of Life” to the experience. There are tools to cut open cars and pry open doors. The problems with fuel fires are also shown, including when you need to switch from utilizing a fire hose spraying water to the usage of foam.
Fallen trees and other debris can block access to victims, so teamwork with the other NPCs or fellow players is needed. Chainsaws also come into play. Again, I’ve got to congratulate the developers for making the cutting tool more realistic than a one-
cut-and-done action or a single button press. For most parts of this expansion, it takes more than one second to accomplish something, and the complexity of the missions has increased. You don’t just have a fire in a car. You might have a tanker truck with leaking fuel and a fuel fire. There are also multiple people trapped in the mission.
So, in addition to putting out the fire, you are extricating the victim by using the cutters and lifting off the roof of the car.
It doesn’t stop there either. You must deliver the patient to EMS crews, which is often not acknowledged in these types of simulations. Firefighting Simulator: Ignite also has a leveling-up mechanic tied to promotions. You can move up to lieutenant, captain and battalion chief.
Each promotion opens up more complex events where you might be in charge of a multiple-floor fire with different solutions. You also need to use the different fire equipment that unlocks as you get more hours and become more competent. Players can earn gold, silver or bronze grades based on how well they do in an event. I did pretty well and got gold in most of my events, but I earned bronze when I took too long getting all the different priorities addressed.
That is another great thing about this simulator. It shows how many victims have been saved and how much fire still needs to be extinguished. You also have three other NPCs who you can ask to accomplish certain tasks. After getting that bronze award, I used them more. I also got my promotion when I did that. I don’t think it was related, but it did reflect how you can have many priorities on an incident scene, while the most important remains life safety.
I like the way the firehouse is set up. But like before, I would still like to have a firehouse meal cutscene. There are great meals and 
fun to be had at a firehouse meal, and the conversations that happen over a cup of coffee with fellow firefighters are invaluable.
There is one more DLC in this series that I haven’t played yet that seems to have a character-driven plot called Parker’s Story. I will definitely look into it. The trailer really had some great voice acting in it. On Steam and some other platforms, you can buy all the DLCs together at once. Given the overall quality, that is something players might want to consider.
I looked at the credits for the core game and the new DLC and saw names like Bjorn Oberman-Berger, Rene Hecker, Serafin Kaiser and Tomas Fleck. There were many others as well. All I can say is great job to everyone on the development crew.
As for voice actors like Aimee Smith, Dan Zacks, Louise Hallamby and Tom Zahner, the different responses from the NPCs and the calls over the radio were very immersive. Amazing job to all of them as well.
The Motor Vehicle Accident Expansion for Firefighting Simulator: Ignite adds hours of gameplay that makes you think about real-life situations. It builds well on an already enjoyable firefighter simulation, adds more complexity to emergency scenes and gives players a stronger sense of the priorities involved in rescue work. I can’t wait to play more offerings from this amazing firefighting simulator.
