Firewatch

I just got hooked on this game, I liked the mysterious atmosphere of the game. The radio talks put me in a good mood to keep playing and I wanted to see what would happen next. The voices of the actors are well-chosen. In general, this game is like a good book.

Linear first-person interactive fiction with nice visuals, a fine story and excellent voice acting. No action, no puzzles and no branching paths or multiple endings. Finished in a single sitting (4 hours).

IDC if you call this a walking sim, or a visual novel, or something else...all just just words. What this really is, is an exquisite game experience. It's not hard, and it's not long (guess that disqualifies it for a sex game ;p ). But it IS visually stunning, emotionally gut wrenching, and one of the most satisfying 8 hours I've spent in a game this year. It very literally made my heart hurt a few times. Bonus points because it installed and ran flawlessly first time, and controls are as user-friendly as it gets. Pick it up the next time it's on sale ($20 is way the hell to much, I got it for $5 and was very pleased). With a little more time and money this could have been better, no doubt. But as is, it still rocks my world, maybe yours too..

A walking simulator should have good visuals, an interesting story, and clear progression. Firewatch hits the visuals, stumbles on the story, and utterly fails on the progression. Visuals: fantastic. Firewatch’s aesthetic is consistent and very enjoyable to look at! Story: okay at best. There’s hints of some good stuff. But all the main character’s decisions relate to his girlfriend/wife and the new woman he meets over the radio. You also play a mopey weak man no matter what choices you make. For example: someone mugs you and your girlfriend. If you beat the mugger up, you _cry_ about it later. I almost left the game right there. Progression: horribly, horribly broken. Official routes are often hard to find, hidden, or blocked by brush. I’m repeatedly unable to make progress because the developers arbitrarily decided my character shouldn't go that way. There’s a path visible, in the direction I need to go, but my character won’t step over an ankle-high rock. Other times, my character can climb/drop like spider-man. This effectively leaves me stuck early in a book, unable to get to the next page. At least I got to see some pretty scenery for a few hours.

I found Firewatch to be funny, intense and engaging. I wasn't really looking for replay value - so I don't consider that in this review. It's a very beautiful game that's a joy to walk around in and the story it tells is very interesting and intriguing. I would agree with other reviewers, that perhaps the game choices don't really lead to different paths, but I really don't mind since I just wanted to play the story along and enjoy the experience. Is it $5-$15 worth of fun? You betcha, compared to the latest Star Wars - I would have much rather replayed Firewatch once more, but we all make bad life decisions, so hopefully you'll make a better one.