[1][2] The protagonist, monster hunter Van Helsing, and his assistant Raffton battle Dracula and his minions using torches and magical tonics.

Helsing's Fire was developed by Ratloop co-founder Lucas Pope and programmer Keiko Ishizaka, his wife.

[7] He initially wanted to simplify the art creation by using vector-like graphics, but added textures and hand-drawn sprites after feedback from friends.

[15] Ryan Rigney of GamePro opined that the game was consistently enjoyable by introducing new mechanics throughout its first 90 stages, and complimented the boss fights as "unique and challenging".

[13] Tim Rattray of Slide to Play considered the game to have good replay value with an endless mode, leaderboards, and puzzles for each level changing depending on the set difficulty.

[5] He also praised the game's dialogue as "quick and witty";[5] Rigney described it as "amusing" and with "a quasi Sherlock Holmes vibe".

[5] The game's Victorian era-style art design was described as "fresh and fun to behold" by Winda Bendetti of MSNBC.

Club asserted that the earlier stages "hold your hands";[6] Buchanan blamed the random puzzle generation for the lack of difficulty.