The Kindling Review

Game: The Kindling
Genre: Casual, Indie, Strategy
System: Steam (Windows)
Developer | Publisher: 2 Weird
Controller Support: Full
Price: US $5.99 | UK £4.99 | EU € 5,89
Release Date: December 9, 2025

Review code provided, with many thanks to 2 Weird.

The Kindling is a simple puzzle game with some very complex answers. In order to win each round, you need to light everything on fire, but there will be obstacles.

The Gameplay of The Kindling

In each puzzle of The Kindling, you will get a variety of objects that need to be burned. You have a limited number of moves you can make, and only certain items can be set on fire directly. In order to burn everything you need to, you will need to use the objects around you to catch everything you can aflame and win the round.

These puzzles start incredibly easy to teach you the ropes, then you are left to your own devices with challenging ones like this:

The Pros of The Kindling

Not only does The Kindling have some incredibly difficult puzzles, but it also has this beautiful, animated, hand-drawn style that is cute and appealing. The sound design is great, and it is one of the more addictive games I have played recently. I love a good, challenging puzzle, and The Kindling did not disappoint.

There are a lot of levels, and each chapter has a variety of different types of ways you can interact with the world to set it on fire. Some items, like the little plants, can be burned with just one touch of flame, but some need multiple touches, like the stump. You can’t cross water and keep your hand on fire, so you need to really think about each level in order to complete it.

It’s so cute and strange at the same time. Even the menu is weird; you have to load a camera with film to get started, and smash that same camera with a hammer to quit the game. Quirky and adorable are the best two words to describe The Kindling.

I didn’t experience any bugs while playing The Kindling. I thought it was well planned, thoughtful, and beautifully crafted. The puzzles are insanely hard sometimes, but it’s really easy to restart levels and try them again and again. There are three chapters and 60ish levels to play, but it feels all too short.

The Cons of The Kindling

The only con I can really think of is that is does feel too short. But that fits with the great price tag. I hope there will be DLC for The Kindling, or else I will be extremely disappointed. The game is so hard, yet so fun, and I want a lot more of these imaginative levels expanding more into the different interactions.

Again, I didn’t have any issues with the gameplay, and I found the puzzles to be engaging. I’m not sure what I would do to change it; it’s a nearly perfect game.

Conclusion

I had a whole lot of fun with The Kindling. It’s a very simple game with a simple premise, but it gets more complex as you continue. It uses levels to teach you the different interactions, and therefore doesn’t need a tutorial. It’s a cute, quirky little game, and I love it immensely.

Hopefully, we’ll see more from these talented developers in the future.

Final Verdict: Two Thumbs Up: 

Do you like our content?
Subscribe to our daily news and never miss a review!