Firewatch

Just finished playing and left feeling very sad. It's a story about letting go, about escaping and running away from your problems, but most imprtantly, about how good it can be to enjoy someone's company while it lasts. Games like these remind me why I love gaming so much

There's not that much to do in this game, you walk a lot, sometimes on the same paths... but the story... you really feel like you are there. The characters seem credible, the story is nice, you really get captivated and want to see what is going to happen, moving from cliffhanger to cliffhanger until the ~satisfying ending. And the games deals with some serious problems, some that I actually went trough while I was playing this gem. Give it a try, it deserves it.

This game is sort of like a book you can't put down. Delilah's voice actress deserves a medal for making the story feel so real, and so does whoever wrote it. This is a walking simulator, but a darn good one.

I just finished the game, googled "what the hell was the point of firewatch?", found this analysis article about escapism being the whole point and that theory speaks to my initial gut feeling: One big goddamn clickbait experience of a game. No choice I made had any significance, nothing I left unexplored is keeping an exciting secret in store for another playthrough, no investment I had in either Julia or Delilah gets paid off and all. that. walking. with. no. sprint. function. was a waste of time, beyond the appreciation for the enviroment and the scarse music tracks to build the clickbait mood. Maybe I'm biased from having just completed The Outer Worlds the other night, where you get so many multiple-choice payoffs on the various stories within the game. But this game could've been something I'd never forget, had me wanting to re-explore the story from another angle and been a unique and cool non-action game expetience, yet it was just a long cinematic about nothing with a bunch of slow walking in between the dialoge sections...

tl;dr: I really liked Firewatch and you should play, unless this style of game doesn't appeal to you. Minor Spoilers I guess I loved every second of Firewatch, unquestionably. It made me feel like I was the one who decided what Henry does, not the invisible hand of the game. Which isn't to say that the game gives you infinite freedom. More that it makes you *feel* like you have a lot of freedom. It immerses you in a story with excellent dialogue performances and a great script. Lots of little details make the dialogue feel natural and unique, even though your actual path is quite linear. The cost of such a gripping story is that every event, from those small details to the biggest twist, is ruined when you know what's going to happen. Messing with someones campsite and later finding a furious note from them felt really organic, but on replay it felt forced. And that's why I wouldn't recommend replaying Firewatch unless you desperately want to. I wouldn't suggesting trying to get it all done in an afternoon either. Play a few in-game days every day, it adds a lot to just think about what has happened so far, and some days leave a delightful amount of tension and mystery. The environment is stunning, with a beautiful art style and direction. The use of bold color is lovely and adds a lot of character which contributes to the timelessness of the game, most realistic graphics aren't always the best and this game proves it. Chris Remo doesn't disappoint, and the soundtrack is also fantastic. Those who say it's too short or not "enough of a game" really miss how much value games provide, and how flexible games are as a medium. Even just 3-4 hours of gameplay for 20 dollars still costs less per hour than a movie. Finally, I think that the argument about whether or not Firewatch is a game is dumb. It is, plain and simple. If you want a rich narrative in a beautiful setting, this is your game. If you want more solid gameplay, which is totally fine, then it isn't for you.