Fireboy and Watergirl 5: Elements — Play Free Online

Fireboy and Watergirl 5: Elements is a two-character puzzle platformer in which you steer both heroes through the same room at once. Each level is a small maze of ledges, buttons, levers and hazards, and the only way out is for both characters to be standing at their own doors. Nobody wins alone, so the game is really about planning together.

The fifth entry gathers the ideas of the earlier temples, with light, ice, wind and crystal themed stages, and it keeps the rule the whole series is known for: fire is safe in red, water is safe in blue, and green goo is deadly to both. One slip and the level restarts, but levels are short, so a failed attempt costs seconds rather than minutes.

If you came to this site for the original Fireboy and Watergirl, this is the same loop with a wider set of gimmicks to learn. It runs in the browser with nothing to install.

How to play

Fireboy uses the arrow keys. Watergirl uses W, A and D. That split means two people can share one keyboard, one on each side, or a single player can juggle both hands.

• Fire pools are harmless to Fireboy and fatal to Watergirl.
• Water pools are harmless to Watergirl and fatal to Fireboy.
• Green goo is fatal to both of them, so it has to be crossed by another route.
• Both characters must reach their matching doors to finish the level.

A typical level starts with both characters near the bottom. One of them usually has to trigger a switch or lever so the other can climb or cross, then the roles swap a little later. Look at the whole screen before moving anything, because the exits are often far apart and the route to each door depends on what the other character unlocks.

Tips

• Work out which hazard blocks which character before you jump. Most restarts come from stepping into the wrong colour while looking at the other hero.
• Move one character at a time when a level is tight. Solve one half of the route, park that character somewhere safe, then do the other half.
• If you play alone, use the pause between moves to switch hands rather than pressing both sets of keys at once.
• When you are stuck, restart. The levels are short, and a clean run often reveals the intended order.

Similar games on Fireboy and Watergirl

The earlier temples, such as Fireboy and Watergirl 2: Light Temple, Fireboy and Watergirl 3: Ice Temple and Fireboy and Watergirl 4: Crystal Temple, each focus on a single theme, while this one mixes several. For other two-player games on one keyboard, try Duo Vikings, where the pair has different abilities, or Bad Ice Cream, which is a faster maze game about collecting fruit and dodging enemies.

It suits two people who like talking through a puzzle, and it works just as well as a slower solo game.