Firewatch

First I have to say that this is a good game in its style, and that I agree with those who say that this is not a game for everyone. So let me clarify, is not a bad one BUT definitely is not a masterpiece. I think that it's difficult, for me at least, to make a review of this type of game because one can easily spoil the whole thing. That being said, the game has a lot of beautiful parts, its atmosphere, the work of the voice-actors (that in my opinion are the best part of the game and make the entire universe come to life), the sound effects, music, the location itself. Again, nothing perfect, but good enough to complement with the voice acting that it's the real core of the game, as I see it. Sadly, at the same time, it is too linear, your decisions have no impact in the narrative. There are also jumps of time that pulls you out of the immersion. And the dialog options that, more often than not, were too extremist (passive or aggressive) in my opinion. This is a game that's left me with mixed feelings after I finished it. I'm not a perfect ending guy or anything like that, but when you complete a book or a game, something sticks with you, a sentiment of revenge, happines, sadness, fear, some sort of fulfillment. And I didn't get any of that here. Again, it's not a bad game, I'm just trying to be fair. Give it a try, it has its moments of appeal, and its peaks of awesomeness.

Quick little story. I couldn't get invested in either main character. Within the game using your radio you can give some harsh replies and the other character barely/doesn't ackknowledge it. The story just wasn't interesting to me. Another walking sim.

I give the game 3.5 stars out of 5. In this case, 3 would mean it's a decent game, so 3.5 means it's a step better than decent, but not quite to a 4-star level. Here are my reasons for that review, with the spoiler-free stuff on top and the spoiler-light stuff on the bottom. Overall, this is a pretty solid game and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes mystery/suspense novels since the game plays much like an interactive short story; the entire game can be played through in about four hours. Picked mine up on sale for $5, glad I didn't have to pay full price. SPOILER-FREE Some things I liked: -engaging story -simple, mostly non-repetitive gameplay -decent dialogue and writing -easy to finish in 1 setting -great voice acting -nice visuals -fun easter eggs -great main character development -realistic map/compass -very little hand-holding -linear gameplay wasn't boring -didn't have to use hints or a walkthrough -went back and forth from calm to suspenseful -attention to graphic design Some things I didn't like: -poor pathing collision -didn't develop much care/attachment to the side characters -not much replay value beyond character development -your choices don't really matter; they only change dialogue not what happens. -ending was not for me (and that's ok) but enjoyed the other 95% of the game -lots of foul language with no option to disable SPOILERY I thought they did a fantastic job crafting an intriguing & suspenseful mystery. It had so much potential for almost any kind of ending, and it just fell flat. I was fine with not meeting D. I don't care that it wasn't aliens or supernatural stuff. All the build-up had absolutely no payoff; the whole game was a giant red herring. I personally feel that defenses saying the game was "human", "raw & real", or "truly an emotional wellspring" are not great reasons to have great writing for 95% and fall flat. I don't agree with the requirements of being asocial or emotionally-fragile to love the ending.

Walking sim is used to describe this game, which I'm unsure whether it's meant to be a slight on the game itself. But it is an effective label on what the game is. Indeed, underlying the mechanics of the game is an incredibly engrossing story that managed to maintain my attention right up until the very end. The graphics are stylized and crisp, with particular attention being paid to smooth forms and atmospheric lighting. The game play is a good depiction of what it's like to go hiking. You have to pay attention to navigating the terrain with your map and compass. There are points where you'll need to hook yourself to an eye-bolt and lower yourself down to ledges. Overall the mechanics aren't particularly difficult, and serves as an effective compliment to the story itself. What I really liked about Firewatch is unfolding of mystery. It's the type of thing that always seemed to be on the periphery, which made you want to play more. The voice acting and dialogue is perhaps one of the great things that sells the story to you. The character of Delilah speaks to you over the radio, and seems to act as a conduit for you to understand the external world. Whereas the story was well written, I felt the climax of it felt a bit rushed. The story of the father and his son living out in the woods could have done with more time to develop. Furthermore, I also felt the character of Delilah made too many mistakes, and was a bit too cynical for my liking. There are some predictable game design elements too -- the most glaring comes at the very last chapter where you are situated in one section of the map, and have to traverse through the whole damn thing in order to reach the ending. Overall the story, mood, acting, and attention to detail made this a memorable play for me. In some parts, it feels more like a film than a game, and like a film, it's the sort of thing you might go back to visit once every few months.

I had this game in the library for a long, long time. I think I got it for free or in some very large discount, but until now never got the mood to play it. The story and gameplay never looked like something I would be interested in. I finally gave it a try because I was considering another "walking sim" type of game and didn't know, if I would be able to enjoy something like this. Surprisingly, I learned not only that I can play "walking sim" games and have fun, but also that this game is actually quite interesting despite what it may appear at a first glance. The story quickly turns into a surprisingly good thriller in the woods. There is of course a mistery, but the most important thing about it is how it's presented. I was surprised by how much I sunk into it and wanted to get to the bottom of it. This was helped immensely by the amazing performance from voice actors. The story is short but I think it is to the game's benefit: it doesn't pad the runtime with unnecessary nonsens, when it starts it goes efficiently to the resolution. Two small gripes I had with this title are the graphics and the ending. I know this is a low budget game and unimpressive graphics is to be expected. But I couldn't shake the feeling that this setting would have been so great with a better presentation or something stylized. A bit of a lost opportunity, but nothing to loose sleep over. The ending wasn't bad per se, it was very logical and well put together. It was just less interesting than some of the scenarios hinted during the game. I was expecting something more extraordinary. Since this is a short and already quite old game, I understand that the regular price may feel a bit much for some. If you feel this way, I strongly suggest adding the game to a wishlist and waiting for a discount. This title can be obtained for a very low price and it's definitely worth it.