Firewatch

Firewatch lives from its two interacting characters. It tells you a story that probably everyone outside his teenage years can relate to: it's about those fuckups that happen all too easily. The characters are pictured as average people, the conversations are authentic with all that swearing that real people do. It's so easy to identify as the acting person, that's nicely done by the developers. For me, the highlight of Firewatch was the way it tells you its story, including the ending. The atmosphere during the development of the events got me, it covered so many emotions from interest to paranoid to sad during that story. It really let me to build my own theory why those events took place. But really, the ending was very satisfying for me, because it proved not to be a great outer story that I just was unlucky enough to get involved with; it's all about how big all of the characters inside the game fucked up. Everyone has made a different mistake, but they are all the same in a way that people fucked up and were unable to deal with it. This really is an ending that spreads controversy. For me this fit perfectly into the world and the characters I spent some 5 hours with. I assume you need to have fucked up yourself or seen close friends fuck up that badly to understand and be able to fully praise that ending. I enjoyed it very much and felt deeply satisfied by that story. I am sure not everybody agrees with me, some feel let down that all those theories didn't add up to a bigger picture. In my opinion, that's not what Firewatch is about. It's about people like you and me having to deal with problems like you and me. But told in a wonderful way. So if you want to enjoy the atmosphere, this is your game. If you prefer an interesting story that differs from everyone's life, you will probably end up disappointed.

This is a walking simulator but it's totally worth the asking price and here is why in my honest opinion: 1. It's amazing to look at. Basically at any point you can make a screenshot and be content with it as your desktop background. 2. It has an interesting story that kept me interested till the very end. I also have to add, that while many people expressed their disappointment with the ending of the game I actually liked it and it made me like the story even more. 3. I don't know if this is spoiler or not, but I assume "not" at this point of the game life: Two very well written characters with almost life like dialog between them. A few exceptions now and then. 4. Good design of the play area/map. I would advice anyone playing the game for the first time to mostly stay on the path the game narrative suggests to them. There is time to go everywhere and there is no reason to go off exploring on your own (unless you want screen shots). Things that you might want to know going in this game: 1. It's short and not really replayable. 2. It's more or less about a relationship between two people. 3. Climbing up/down animations get annoying after a while.

This game can best be descibed as an interactive short story. Im not a big reader of mystery litterature, but this game kind of reminds me of some of Stephen Kings work. Specifically his character driven light mystery stories that show up every now and then in his short story collections. For what it is Firewatch is exeptionally well done. The characters are interesting, relatable and likable. The story is engrossing and the setting of the game is fantastic. The visuals are wonderful. Light and pleasant, detailed and nuanced. Still with the wonderful visuals it is still the sound design, music and voice acting that technically really impress in this game. On my first playthrough I played the story, and while captured by the narrative and the world around me, I hardly noticed the sound and the graphics. Now in my second playthrough I've come to really appreciate the work that has been put into this game. So, I haven't said much about the gameplay or story yet, and I think it's better that way. I knew very little when I sat down to play this, and I think I'm better off for it. Firewatch is a story that you play through. It's not any of the things that a short story that you play through isn't. It's well written, well executed, exceptionally well acted and bautifully paced. This is easily my favourite adventure game of recent years!

I truly enjoyed Firewatch and I would probably put it in on the list of my favorite gaming experiences. That being said, it is a short game and you should be aware of this before you buy it. A lot of people feel like the game should be longer. While I certainly would have enjoyed a longer version of the game, I think the game feels very well timed and engaging and in no way lazy or cut short. I'm personally not a huge fan of the label "walking simulator", but I suppose this game fits the category quite well. You spend your time walking around and talking on a walkie talkie. However, I found that this communication to a stranger was amazingly done and I feel like it is a great device because it is engaging while still letting you feel alone in the game world. The visuals are extremely pretty and have a pronounced art style, which I really enjoyed. I personally found the start of the game really interesting and surprising as well, but it does a good job of setting the stage for you. The story was very intriguing to me and I enjoyed every moment, including the ending. While I probably also would have liked a different ending, the one the devs chose fits the overall storyline perfectly and I found it satisfying. This is definitely the type of game I want to see more of. Overall great experience in my opinion.

Duration: 6 hours Pros: - Beautiful landscapes - Good writing - Both of the above and first person point-of-view make it very immersive It targets an adult audience (as in, talks a lot about how you have to deal with what life throws at you). I played it in a single session until late at night because I really wanted to know how the story would unfold. Ending is fitting, I'm not sure what people were expecting. Cons: - Doesn't require many "gamer" skills to complete, short of maybe some sense of direction. Or maybe that's a pro, if you're not, or no longer, into action games. - Little replayability, since the story is linear, and only a few places are not involved in the main story (maybe I missed few hidden places?). Decisions you make have an impact on the rest of the dialog, but the whole story can only end in a single way I'm afraid. All in all I really enjoyed the hours spent in this game.