Emergency Call 112 – The Fire Fighting Simulation 2 Review Summary

A realistic firefighting sim with enjoyable gameplay but plagued by bugs, unreliable AI, broken multiplayer, and not worth the current price.

Game is generally enjoyable: Many reviewers find the game fun to play, with a good concept and overall positive reception. The gameplay is rated good and the game is well made, though some note minor flaws.

Good concept and potential: The core idea and foundation are considered good with a lot of potential, and the concept is praised for its uniqueness. The game direction is seen as positive in the context of realistic firefighting games.

Realistic firefighting simulator: Players praise the game for accurately simulating fire department operations, including realistic procedures and atmosphere. It is considered a great fire department simulator and perfect for learning about the fire service.

Great for firefighter enthusiasts: The game is highly recommended for fans of the fire department, with even a professional firefighter praising it. It is viewed as the best option for those interested in firefighting games.

Realistic vehicle and equipment: Players appreciate the realistic design of vehicles and the large fleet available, including various functions and the ability to use substantial equipment. The high realism of vehicles is a key positive feature.

Game is unplayable due to bugs: Players overwhelmingly report that the game is riddled with bugs, glitches, and janky mechanics, making it nearly impossible to play. Many describe the experience as completely broken and unplayable.

AI is buggy and unreliable: The artificial intelligence, both for drivers and colleagues, exhibits poor behavior, such as getting stuck, ignoring orders, and making missions impossible. This affects both AI drivers and NPCs.

Multiplayer mode remains broken: Multiplayer functionality is severely bugged, with synchronization issues, lag, and frequent failures, even years after release. Players report that it is unstable and often unplayable.

Missions are repetitive and few: Players complain that the mission variety is very limited, with same missions repeating frequently, leading to boredom and a lack of depth. There are too few distinct missions overall.

Outdated and poor graphics: The visuals are significantly below modern standards, appearing dated and unimpressive for a game released in the year of the game door. This is a common sticking point of the game.

Firefighter simulation core gameplay: The game is consistently described as a firefighter or fire brigade simulation, focusing on realistic tactics, vehicles, and workflow. It simulates daily routines and detailed firefighting scenarios, as well as management of firefighting operations. This theme is central across multiple clusters.

Varied mission-based gameplay: The game is structured around varied missions, including firefighting and rescue operations, with an overview system and mission triggers. Players organize and complete missions involving firefighting scenarios with AI involvement and waiting times.

Multiplayer and cooperative modes: Team play is a core feature, offering shared co-op missions and dedicated servers for multiplayer. Cooperative sessions are supported, and the game includes both single-player and multiplayer options, enhancing replayability with friends.

Vehicle physics and utilization: Players interact with multiple usable vehicles, including driving and positioning them at incident sites while managing vehicle functions. The game incorporates vehicle physics and AI traffic, making deployment choices part of the strategy.

Realistic simulation elements: The game strives for realism in its procedures and gameplay, presenting itself as a detailed simulation with realistic mission scenarios. This realism is a key aspect fueling simulation depth and player immersion.

Poor performance and stuttering: Many reviews report the game stutters, lags, and lacks smooth performance, especially on a variety of hardware configurations. This is the most frequently cited issue, indicating a widespread optimization problem.

Frequent crashes and instability: The game suffers from frequent crashes, including startup crashes, random crashes, and crashes that require a full restart or force shutdown. This severely impacts playability and stability.

Game-breaking bugs: Players encounter numerous bugs that prevent smooth gameplay, including bugs at startup, mid-game, and in multiplayer. Some bugs are severe enough to make the game barely playable.

Low FPS in specific scenarios: Frame rates drop drastically in certain situations, such as scenes with many vehicles, intense action, or when looking down in specific areas. This can make the game unplayable in those moments.

Requires extremely high hardware specs: Players report needing NASA-grade systems or at least GTX 2070 and 16GB RAM to run the game, which feels excessive given the visual quality. This creates a barrier for many users.

Not recommended in current state: Many reviewers advise against purchasing the game due to its unfinished, buggy state and performance issues. They suggest waiting for patches or a more complete version before considering a purchase.

Recommended for firefighting enthusiasts: A significant group of players recommends the game to those who are passionate about firefighting, firefighters, or simulation games. They highlight its appeal to that niche audience, especially for roleplay and realistic routines.

Strong warning against purchase: A strong warning to avoid this game, with reviewers pleading to not buy it, not give money to the developers, and save money and avoid frustration. They suggest there are better options.

Do not trust early buyers: Early purchasers express regret and disappointment, warning others not to make the same mistake. They believe the game is not ready for release and urge potential buyers to wait for better versions.

Not worth the price: Several reviewers complain that the game's price is too high for its quality and content. Some suggest buying it only on sale or elsewhere at a lower price, while others advise spending money on better alternatives.

Community fair range: $9.99 - $19.99.

The game provides immediate fun from its realistic firefighting action, especially in multiplayer with friends, but becomes repetitive and boring after a few hours due to limited mission variety and lack of progression.

Simulation Enthusiasts: Methodical, using tactical overview to coordinate units. Motivation: Authentic firefighting simulation and strategic incident management. Stance: sale.

Frustrated Co-op Players: Cooperative, but unable to play due to bugs. Motivation: Cooperative firefighting with friends. Stance: no buy.

Casual Fun Seekers: Casual, ignoring bugs for entertainment. Motivation: Fun and relaxation. Stance: buy.

Steam Deck: User reviews highlight severe control responsiveness issues, frequent crashes, and buggy AI behavior. These problems make the game nearly unplayable on PC and would be even more problematic on Steam Deck due to its limited input options, hardware constraints, and potential compatibility layer issues.

Unacceptable price for quality: The game is sold for money but is criticized as broken and unplayable, with the price considered too high for the current content. Reviewers find the asking price unacceptable given the game's condition and limited offerings.

Comparison to predecessor: The game is viewed as a deterioration compared to its predecessor, failing to improve upon it. It is also part of a series with a poor first title, continuing a negative trend.

DLC and updates promised: The game has DLCs like WLF, and developers promise updates and fixes. However, the game is still limited in content and needs many updates, with potential for quality if gameplay works as promised.

Developer focus on part 3: The developer is working on a third installment instead of patching the current game, leaving previous parts unfinished. This includes announcing and developing part 3 while the current game is still buggy.

Firefighter simulation specifics: The game is a firefighting simulation, considered early realistic in the genre. It is a follow-up or sequel to Notruf 112, and reviewers compare it to other fire simulators that are less buggy.