I got Firewatch on sale, and I'm glad I did. The game starts out strong; I'm not faulting it for being a walking simulator. The problem is that there are so many mechanics and so many plot points that are absolutely inconsequential, and the game still has tons of technical issues. It feels appropriate for a game made by 3 people, not 12. I'll be specific: - There's a bug in the Linux version where the game stops detecting certain keys. I ran into this problem multiple times while playing, and the only solution is to remap the keys and find some that aren't dead. - The animation is horrible. There's a notable lack of interaction with other people or animals in the game. And as the game moved on, I found myself hoping I wouldn't meet another person because the immersion would be shattered if they had to animate anything that wasn't a tree or a bush. - The story starts out great, but the ending is a complete letdown. I won't spoil anything here, but no matter what your expectation is for the ending, you'll be let down. The character development completely stops about halfway through and the ending is very rushed. - So many game mechanics and plot points are completely inconsequential. They don't matter, at all, and won't affect your ability to complete the game or to enjoy the game. - For a game where getting to explore a wilderness with "miles of trails," the map feels very small. In large part that's because it's not about exploring; there are well-defined paths you're meant to follow. And while I liked the artwork, it's just not enough to make me slow down and take a picture and enjoy the walk. The game would have done much better either by not having a story at all, or by not making the story the singular driving point to the game. If you're not performing an assigned task, there's nothing to do. And if you focus on completing the assigned tasks, you'll be done with the game in about 4 hours. Wait for a sale if you really want it.
