Firewatch

As the title of the review says, it's one of the best. I fell in love with it. Story, characters' chemistry, visuals, soundtrack, atmosphere...PERFECTION It's a simple game but it takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions. I would like to see a tv series adaptation of Firewatch.

This game is the closest you can get to IRL hiking! They nailed the feeling of freedom and resourcefulness one gets when braving the woods through a trail. Back when covid19 hit, this reignited my passion for going out in the woods with friends. I'm all about trekking, camping and mountain biking, thanks to games like these! The worldbuilding is amazing! The "virtual" Shoshone Forest feels realistic, complete with bird and tree sounds. So many beautiful screenshots! The artstyle is simply beautiful! I don't know how to feel about the story, though. The whole "paranoia in the woods" thing americans love so much in their movies and games just feels boring as hell to me. I rather just be a fire lookout and spend my "gamedays" fishing, hiking, collecting wood, tracking animals, etc

Bottom line, I adore Firewatch and recommenced it to anybody who enjoys video games with a strong narrative at there core. It's hard to describe this game without spoiling pieces of the experience so I'll be vague. This game scratched in itch I've had for a long time. A bit about me, I love games with interactive stories (things like dialogue trees and voice responses to objects), exploration of interesting worlds/environments, and I have had an fantasy of escaping into the wild to run from life's many challenges. This game delivered on all of these. If this sounds like you then this game is for you. This is also one of the most mature games I've played. I don't think I would have gotten as much out of it when I was a teenager or in my early 20s. The biggest fault of Firewatch is it can't be played for the first time again. Happy camping.

It's a pretty decent story, which I won't talk about here because spoilers. Your character is completely incapable, being blocked by shrubs, unable to climb small ledges, etc. That was a little irritating especially when they're talking about the impassable terrain...which is like a couple of sticks you could step over. You can't get past them without an axe. Gotta axe those twigs. They do the same thing with climbing....you need special climbing gear for some parts, which when you look at them in game you see you could just walk up. I understand from a gameplay point of view why you would do this, but I find it a shame that they pretty much didn't even try to make it look like you really needed these things. It isn't too important, but it does take a toll on the immersion which is unfortunate. Anyways, I'd have rated this game higher, but I think the price is a little much for what it is. I'd rate this a 4 if it were around $15.

I'm not really sure why it's still 19.99 for a game with a main feature of walking. The story is hard to follow because it's all over little radios. So you'll be walking for 3 hours, nothing more. For 3 hours, you could be doing something better with your time. Saving your money too.