Minor spoilers ahead. Yes, Firewatch is a walking simulator. But while I did not like games like Dear Esther and Going Home, Firewatch hit a chord with me. Firstly, it rings better to mature audience. You meet adult themes in the game like death, separation, forgiveness, dementia etc. Secondly, you connect better with this game than Dear Esther, as you are in constant radio contact with another person over the course of the game (and this chatter is fun and voice acting is very good too). Finally, the art style by Ollie Moss is particularly stunning, somewhat alike rotoscoping in XIII, but better, warmer and cleaner. The game really has immersive atmosphere and I did many screenshots on the way. The bad side? As other reviewers said, the plot seems underwhelming, especially in the last third of the game. It builds up tension well, but fails to relieve neatly. The finale is somewhat weak and controversial (though I still enjoyed it). I agree it looks like the devs ran out of money and decided to wrap it up. Finally, the choices do not impact the game this much, they change some chatter and introduce a (kinda) second ending, but not really.
Most other reviewers already commended the game for its quality, rightfully so. I will only add the design oddities which make the game look under polished: - the weapons are not just different, they are also unequal. Pistols are the strongest ranged weapon in the game, with the largest clip and double shot option, sniper rifles are the weakest with the worst damage, with overwatch being a useless skill (due to limited cone of watch and triggering off dogs, when you do not plan for it) - light armour is pointless - randomness of the map generation can easily make the extended quests (think Adventure II) a massive pain - chance to hit is oddly calculated, shooting around the corner does not always confer a 100% hit - AI is unpredictable, sometimes enemies just run away instead of going for the kill - the game is oddly slow at times, at the end of every battle, the control will go to the next character instead of immediately showing the battle end screen Hopefully with a few new balance updates it will become better.
It's absolutely stunning how the game of its age can STILL look great 19 years later after its release. Gameplay is highly addictive, once you reconcile yourself with the sad fact that you are going to die and reload often (you will eventually get better). But it really does deliver a feeling of satisfaction when you see your elaborate plan being smoothly executed. Great job, Eidos!
(no spoilers) I'd like to start by saying I am a big fan of the series, as you can tell from my avatar. I liked the humour, character development, the plot, the music and the art of the series, though it possibly is uneven in places. As you might see from the other reviews, this installment is a very divisive one. Given the ending of Deponia 3, many hoped for the next part of the game, which Daedalic delivered three years later. The game has a noticeably more sombre atmosphere than the previous three parts, and it is downright depressive at times. Music is okay (not the best), but the title track is well executed and delivers Poki's (the game director) point. The story here is convoluted as it plays with time mechanics, sometimes too hard. Many say play in in German, but I actually like the English voices better (they were done by professional voice actors too) as they seem to reflect age and personality better. Poki sings in English well too (remember the rapping part in Deponia 3?). My main gripe is this game does not give real closure (even Deponia 1 had it better), it essentially ends with a cliffhanger and I understand people who are sour with it.
I am a very picky player. I do not play the majority of the modern games, preferring to replay the old ones. However this game is a really really well made one, with complex character development system (which immediately makes you want to play through the game several times), beautiful and very diverse environment, well-thought controls and great performance. I am simply enamoured!
Guys, check this mod out: sites(dot)google(dot)com/site/heroes3hd/ It works perfectly with this edition and lets you run the game properly on those non-standard and large resolutions. I really like it so far!
