Several “days” are little more than short vignettes that you barely need to be at the controller for, and that you can’t even wander around before the game physically yanks you to the next plot point. Similarly, the game is “edited” as if it were a movie, which is more or less a pacing disaster. The lack of gameplay even screws up the plot, a bit Henry shouldn’t be stumbling over basic survival tools as plot points. Orienteering is little more than looking at your map and disappointingly, all you have to do is stick to the path, not that you really have an option to do otherwise. Despite Henry’s physically demanding job and the many natural obstacles and tools to navigate them Firewatch presents you with, there’s no real strategy or gameplay to getting around or finding new plot pieces. Even getting around is largely a matter of using the thumbstick. Despite the beautiful vistas and Shoshone forest setting, you’re limited to a handful of paths in one square mile of forest, and there’s almost nothing to do in that forest aside from chat. In other words, it’s pretty much a Telltale game.Įxecution: That lack of gameplay really hurts Firewatch, not least because as you play the game, you quickly discover that there’s little to actually do. ![]() Any decision you make ultimately doesn’t matter to the main plot, just the dialogue you hear and how Delilah treats you. While the controls cleverly mimic using that radio, and the dialogue options are fun, it’s basically a thin layer of interactivity over a walking tour. Much of the gameplay, to the extent there is any, is about talking to Delilah, your nominal boss, over a radio. Innovation: Unfortunately, it’s not a movie. If Firewatch were a movie, it’d be in the running for Oscars. ![]() And the writing, while controversial for its ending, is top-notch Firewatch is ultimately a story about how running from your problems isn’t the same thing as escaping them. The score mixes creepy synths and warm acoustic guitar in a note-perfect mix. ![]() The voice acting, from Rich Sommer and Cissy Jones, is some of the best voice work in a video game we’ve seen in a while. Henry himself is a real, tangible person in the game a lot of time was spent to make you feel like you’re in his shoes, right down to being able to see yourself if you look down. Olly Moss’ design is stunning and the game is packed with gorgeous vistas and clever use of smoke and lighting effects to create an atmosphere either serene or troubling, depending on the mood. Needless to say, he rapidly learns the hard way that running from your problems can find you running right into more of them.Įverything about this game is beautiful. Too bad it’s not much of a game! Firewatch, PC, Mac, Linux and PS4Īrtistic Achievement: Firewatch follows Henry, a man struggling with some deeply tragic personal circumstances who chooses to run away from everything to take a job as a lookout at a Wyoming fire station. Built by former Telltale Games employees, including key writers of that company’s Walking Dead franchise, with art design from beloved graphic designer and painter Olly Moss, Firewatch has a rare pedigree.
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