Burning Rangers

Firefighters of the future forcing their way through burning buildings in 3D to rescue trapped people — that is not the plot of an action film but Burning Rangers, one of the last and most daring games the legendary Sonic Team created for the Saturn. This 1998 title is a fascinating curiosity from the end of an era in which Sega tried to squeeze one more unexpected experiment out of its dying console.

Instead of a classic shooter or platformer, Burning Rangers casts you as rescuers moving through environments engulfed in flames. The game bet on ideas that were extraordinarily ambitious for their time: dynamically spreading fire, an attempt at a realistic feel of extinguishing and rescuing, and even voice navigation meant to guide you through the scorching corridors to survivors. The goal is not merely to advance but to save as many people as possible — which gives the game an unusual, humane undertone.

Technically it was a bold piece of work. Sonic Team tried to create an environment that reacts to your presence and to give the 3D action a pace and tension worthy of a battle against the elements. Not everything was pulled off — above all the camera in the cramped, flame-filled spaces tends to be clunky and at times fights the player more than the fire itself does.

And yet it is exactly these ambitions that make Burning Rangers such an interesting game. It is a title that took risks, tried new things and sought to push what we expect from an action game — at the very moment when the platform no longer had a future. This combination of courage and timing makes it a prized curiosity for anyone interested in the lesser-known experiments of big studios.

As one of the Saturn's swan songs, Burning Rangers remains a reminder that Sonic Team was never afraid to try things off the beaten track, even when the result was not flawless.

Why play it: For daring, unusual 3D action about saving lives, and for the experience of an ambitious experiment from Sonic Team at the end of the Saturn era.