 Rob Markman from MTV's "RapFix" blog described "Girl on Fire" as a "high-powered Alicia ballad" just like previous singles "No One" and "Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart".Agreeing with those comparisons was Gerrick Kennedy from the "LA Times" who went on to describe the main single as a "sweeping ballad with powerful vocals and an anthemic hook".Then commenting on the remixes Kennedy said that on the Inferno remix, Minaj's "fluid verses" and an "added thump" might make that version of the song get noticed more, while it's the Bluelight version Kennedy called the "most intoxicating".