Firewatch (2016)

Firewatch is the type of game I'm very drawn to, a game focused more on the insular life of its characters rather than combat, action, or gameplay. I want games to tell me a unique story that could only be told in this specific, interactive media, and some of my favorite games are ones I can't imagine working as any other form of entertainment. Firewatch meets that criteria, and yet, I wish the game also didn't give me the illusion of choice in telling this story.

On a narrative level, Firewatch is a compelling story about a man who runs away from his responsibilities at home to spend several months isolated in the woods watching for fires. If this game were played out every day, it would be monotonous and uneventful (for the most part), and I appreciate that the game isn't full of moments that make you feel like you're playing a game. Much of the time, Firewatch relies on the player to simply move from point A to point B, and that's all it needs.

Firewatch begins with a series of decisions shown through text. We're told the story of our character, Henry, and we're asked to make the choices that led Henry to where he is now. You can technically make Henry's backstory a loving, somewhat optimistic history, or you can make him into a monster who probably deserves to be on his own. It's a nice way to allow the player to have some choice in a game that is fairly regulated.

But I'm not sure I wanted that. Your choices here don't shift in the story in any real way, other than how we view ourselves. The same is true later in the game, as we get to know Delilah, the park's watchout. We can be playful, we can flirt, we can imply at a future beyond these few months that we see in the game, but again, it's the illusion of choice. The story's path is set; we're just walking it and choosing which path we take to get to the same conclusion.

Which is fine, but I kept wondering what my choices were adding up to throughout the game. Not just the dialogue options that were given, but at one point, after you can flirt with Delilah, the game gives you the option to put your wedding ring back on, a reminder of the wife you've left behind. Was this a choice that would impact my relationship with Delilah? By wearing the ring, was I subconsciously choosing my past rather than my potential future? Again, it didn't matter to the overall story, however, it does matter to the story I was telling myself of Henry through this game.

Again, I don't think what I'm saying is a criticism, but rather, something that I questioned throughout the game, only to find out that these decisions I was making didn't add up to much, other than my own personal narrative. If I played Firewatch again, these choices wouldn't weigh on me nearly as much as they did on my first go-around. And I do appreciate how this game, which is largely a walking simulator, let me add some character to Henry, even if it was just for my own mental narrative.

I also found that some of the design choices here were a bit frustrating and uneventful to me. For example, navigation through the map was a bit tiresome, and I feel like it could've been improved by simply changing the blip on the map representing you to an arrow, so you have some idea where you're going. And while I enjoyed finding the different caches throughout the woods, rarely did I feel like they contained anything worth going out of my way for. There are plenty of woods to explore in this game, but for the most part, I didn't feel all that compelled to keep exploring and see what's out there.

However, what matters here is the story of Firewatch, which I did find quite powerful. The way it mixes its central mysteries with Henry's personal story of what he should do as his life crumbles around him was potent. The dynamic between Henry and Delilah is delightful and makes you want to keep talking, even if it's about nothing. By the end of the game, I found myself surprisingly moved by the story developer Campo Santo had told, with an ending that manages to feel both slightly underwhelming, yet exactly where this story should conclude. Overall, a wo

me lo he jugado unas tres veces y he escrito medio ensayo sobre lo precioso que me parece este juego, pero aqui solo vengo a decir lo bonita que es la tematica de aceptar que tenemos que lidiar con el duelo (incluso de personas que no hemos perdido), que no podemos huir y pretender que las cosas no existen, que escondernos no va a hacer que nuestros problemas desaparezcan

al final hay que volver a nuestras vidas y enfrentarnos a las cosas dificiles

Note: I will speak openly about some points of the story, although I will not reveal the central point of the game (the mystery that surrounds it), I will speak generically about the two main characters, even though this does not cause a spoiler problem, since most of it is mentioned in the introduction of the game.

Well, I give the game 3 stars, I can say that I liked it, for being a mystery game that creates an interest in continuing to play to understand what is happening. As everything is through radio and you experience a certain solitude of the environment, everything contributes to creating a mysterious atmosphere, with some events making you question what kind of great mystery involves the region and "embraces" the two main characters, in this case, Henry and Delilah.

About the characters, Henry accepts to work as a firewatcher basically to escape reality, since his wife, although young, in her 40s, developed a type of dementia, which he later says is Alzheimer's. This point is what catches me most in the plot, because although I am able to feel empathy and compassion for Henry's suffering, I believe he did not show much love for his wife by not taking care of her properly, even though it is suffering and a burden, if he married her, he was willing to love her in good times and bad.

In some way, this ends up serving as a kind of "catharsis" for those who play. I am married and have a son. Although young at the moment and without health problems, it's the kind of thing that could happen one day with my wife, we don't know the future, so this narrative helps to reflect on the need to remember our vows and the promise made to the spouse at the altar (and to God, in front of the guests/witnesses).

Anyway, this generated an antipathy for Henry, because he basically acts irresponsibly (I made the choice to take care of the wife at home, I don't know what the plot would be if he decided to follow the nurse's advice and leave her in a nursing home). Even though I "forced" the character to take care of his wife at home, the least I would expect was for him to care for her to the point of not going out in the middle of the night to get drunk on beer, chat with the so-called Sheila and drive back drunk until being stopped by the police and going to jail.

From what I understood, after that the girl's parents (he told the episode to his sister-in-law) come back from Australia and claim they will take care of the daughter, away from him. He does not argue and just lets her be taken. Then he gets the job and spends the summer in the middle of the forest.

The second point of antipathy is him going there and the game starting to "encourage" you to follow a path of flirting with Delilah. Even though I avoided that kind of option, because I found it morally unpleasant, there is a strange atmosphere between the two, you can tell that the game tries to show that something romantic was developing.

In summary, we have two characters full of personal problems, with their moral errors, etc. On one hand, this is very realistic and human, in the sense of showing our sins and failures, without romanticizing when we stumble and err badly in life. On the other, it's annoying, because as I usually say, if I want "reality" I'll read the newspaper and not play or read books, because in fiction I expect the ideal, even though reality is not ideal. So, I think that's why I end up choosing games where the characters maintain their character even in the face of dilemmas or attempts at corruption.

I could sum this up simply, like Aragorn or Gandalf, who, even tempted to "test" the One Ring, resisted, not because they saw themselves as strong, but because they knew they were weak. Frodo, the ring-bearer, seemed to succumb at times, but always had friends to help him with that burden. Frodo is the ultimate example of human weakness and sin in the pilgrimage in this world.

With this, do not get me wrong, I know that the tendency of contemporary works is to try to be realistic, talk about a story as "adult" or "mature", but I am sure that "The Lord of the Rings" is mature enough to have forged the Western imaginary, still being able to talk about pain, beauty, tragedy, glory, betrayal, renewal, etc., but creating characters who, even though weak, clung to virtues; even Boromir, in his fall, goes through repentance afterwards, but in current works, characters make mistakes and seem to lie prostrate in the swamp of despair and lethargy.

Therefore, what kind of lesson do I take from the game? None, except to create a cathartic antipathy with Henry and with Delilah, reviewing my life so as not to treat my wife as he treated Julia.

Anyway, apart from that, the game sells itself by the mystery and such, but that's it, it's not very interesting in general, just relies on how it narrates and creates the atmosphere of the mystery, after everything ends, you just see a mediocre story.

J'ai fait le jeu d'une traite ! Par contre je veux retrouver la personne qui me l'a vendu comme un cosy game.

Pour moi Firewatch est l'exemple parfait qui veut qu'une direction artistique hors pair peut masquer toute faiblesse technique. Le cell-shading tout en couleurs chaudes rend un merveilleux hommage aux paysages forestiers du Wyoming. La musique (de qualité !) sait se faire discrète et revient de manière extradiégétique durant les parties les plus cinématographiques du jeu. Jeu qui a la bonne idée de mettre à votre disposition un kodak jetable vous invitant ainsi à prendre de temps en temps des photos de votre aventure, sans en abuser puisque votre pellicule est limitée. J'aime beaucoup l'idée !

Vous incarnez, plutôt littéralement puisque le jeu est à la première personne, Henry. Après une première moitié de sa vie plutôt difficile (des problèmes d'alcool sous-entendus, une femme atteinte d'une maladie dégénérative précoce...), Henry accepte un poste saisonnier de garde forestier. Pendant toute une saison il va devoir s'asseoir dans sa tour de contrôle pour surveiller les départs de feu et réprimander les randonneurs inconscients.

Au fur et à mesure des trajets que vous ferez, vous vous familiariserez vous même avec le parc naturel. Durant votre saison, vous découvrirez des outils qui vous permettrons d'explorer un peu plus (des cordes, une hache de pompier...). Pendant tout ce temps, votre seul contact avec l'extérieur sera Dhelila, sa supérieur. Quand on est seul au monde dans une forêt, on a tôt fait de se confier.

Mais êtes vous vraiment seul ? En effet, une présence rode dans les bois. Que vous veut-elle ? Pourquoi semble-t-elle hostile ?

Ca a vraiment été une superbe expérience. Les outils à votre disposition pour vous repérer sont efficients et les trajets en forêt ne sont pas trop frustrant. On regrettera peut-être juste que la forêt soit au final assez "couloir" un peu comme les zones semi-ouvertes du reboot de Tomb Raider (dont Firewatch reprend par ailleurs le marquage blanc sur les murs praticables).

Pour moi le vrai bémol, qui se voit d'autant plus vite que l'histoire du jeu est centrale, ce sont les décisions des personnages. Tels de bons protagonistes de films d'horreur, ils vont perpétuellement prendre la mauvaise décision au point que cela devient ubuesque. Les motivations du méchant, Dehlila qui est ranger mais ne sait pas comment fonctionne un talkie-walkie... Beaucoup d'éléments qui sont là juste pour avoir un scénario à rebondissement mais cassent un peu l'immersion.

Je recommande néanmoins la randonnée !

This game is a nice 8/10

Primarily narrative mystery, the game is one of my favorite games I've played in the genre and its a genre I wish I saw more. The story was pretty good but could've had more depth... leading into my main complaint. I wish there was more. More game, more activities, more mystery. While I've played games with repetition in the past that I didn't mind, walking from area to area on the map wasn't super enjoyable. The mechanics were fine, but at times it took so long I started caring less about the next part of the story. I love a good mystery, but I felt like I was being directed what to do and where to go next the whole time. It was technically a small open-world, but there wasn't enough interactions or clues around worth exploring. I was successfully engaged into the game which is a plus, but if I did have more freedom to discover the clues myself this game could've easily been a 10/10. Also the conversations with Delilah interested me, but I didn't feel like my narrative choices had much impact which one of the most important parts about a game like this imo. I would play another game by the company, but I hope my criticisms are addressed.

It's very difficult to write a spoiler free review of Firewatch, but I will try and quantify it as best I can.

This game is a walking sim type "exploration" game. I use the term exploration lightly because you don't really openly explore, more walk to pre-set objectives, but it FEELS like exploring if that makes sense. Your character took on a Firewatch job in Wyoming for the Summer and your only contact is with your Supervisor in another tower. You decide what and how to communicate via radio. You can report things, or say nothing. You can be a jerk, you can be flirty, but the basis of the game is story driven based on your responses.

As the game progress, you walk around and complete a few tasks, talk to Delilah (your supervisor) and weird things start to happen. The game ramps up as the mystery grows and you set out to find out what is going on. Again, NO SPOILERS ALLOWED. You can read someone else's review for spoilers.

This game will make you feel a way. Take that for whatever you want it to, but I cannot stop thinking about the characters, the story and the outcome. There is a lot to unpack here. It scratched a gaming itch I didn't know I had.

The game itself looks and feels fantastic. The graphics are a bit cartoony, but still feel real. The atmosphere and quiet of the forest makes you feel isolated on your Firewatch and it is accompanied with a very fitting sound track. Also, this is a quick hitter. About 5 hours all in to run through, but you could easily take a bit longer if you wanted to slow the pace waaay down and take it all in.

A must play if you like story driven games, and/or walking sim type games. Originally, I was going to give it 4/5 stars but I couldn't. Has to be 5.

Oh also, this is a game for adults, not children.

Firewatch gets a lot right. Finding your way with the map and compass is a little annoying at first, but I appreciate how it makes you adept at navigating once you get the hang of the terrain.

The visuals and music are beautiful. The backstory plus the many dialogue options to communicate with a very well-written Delilah make for a deep and appealing reflection on hardship, relationships, adulthood and alcoholism.

The story, however, I am ambivalent about. The game is great at building tension. It becomes super engaging as little pieces of information and intrigue are scattered around before the stakes are raised through the roof. I don't know if they made the best job at conveying the emotional punch that the conclusion was meant to be, but even if it's not mindblowing or heartbreaking, it does leave you thinking and feeling.

EDIT: After thinking some more and feeling something didn't click, I went online for answers. Not only did I discover that my opinion on the ending is apparently the standard opinion, but also that there are several theories about what really happened. I really don't like the whole "hidden theory" deal in games and movies because I feel it adds nothing. If the theory is false, then this game does have some serious narrative gaps and the ending is certainly rushed and unpolished. If the theory is true, then it's even worse: it means that the game is not interested in saying something of value but it's just a circlejerk to reward obsessive and paranoid thinking (which would be really ironic in the case of Firewatch)

A walking simulator with incredable ability to built up tension.

Firewatch was on my radar for quite a while and I must admit I was not disappointed. At its core it is a walking simulator and you don't really have a lot of choice in the matter of what to do next. You walk as you're told and do what you're told and before you know it the game is over. It looks like an open world but if you poke the edges there's really just one way to go and one thing to do.

What makes the game is the story, atmosphere and visuals. The game looks really nice and it's just really pleasant walking around and looking at the scenery. There's something calm in this. They've really managed to capture the essence of what's best in the nature.

The story puts you in the shoes of a guy after a traumatic loss gets a job at the firewatch tower in Yellowstone park. That means being alone for a couple of months in a secluded place with no contact with the outside work. The only contact you do have is your boss stationed in another tower. But you don't get to meet her other than through the walkie-talkies.

And then you start watching a specific relation developing between the two characters and some things start to happen which makes you move around the area.

So why is the game so good? It has the ability to keep you guessing. As the story progresses and you're made to do more and more walking you're always unsure what's going on. I had at least a couple of ideas of what's really going on and how the game is going to end but was mistaken. But the suspense keeps you going hoping to discover answers to all the questions - and that what makes the game great and in a way it has to be experienced and can't be really described.

As for the bad sides. The ending had many people disappointed and I can see it now although I was absolutely fine with it. Also the relationship between you and your boss is not perfectly transferred to your perception. The story jumps between days in which we are made to believe that both start trusting each other and grow sort of bond. For player it's just minutes and because of it you never really start trusting the lady on the other side of the radio - I didn't at least.

Overall though it's a really good game. Probably the best walking simulator I've played and I highly recommend it.

Firewatch is more of an experience than a game. You can't fail, you're not challenged, but it's an interactive story you're inside of. While the plot resolution doesn't live up to its promise, the hapenings and conversations are very HUMAN, which is surprisingly uncommon for a video game.

Walking around the Colorado wilds was great, the graphics not hi-fi, but full of atmosphere. The chats with Delilah are great and the overall presentation is very good. I wish they'd added more interactivity options, more to do.

Still recommended as a short digital vacation, though - whther from one's day to day life or from shooting aliens in the head.

8/10

Full review here: http://wp.me/p55m9h-1em

First of all: I think you should go into this game not really knowing anything, but if you choose to read this then there is a small spoiler (not so much in how the plot progresses but in how I experienced the game). I didn't expect the story I got here... it started off really sad, but then it almost took a horror turn. I thought it would just be really sad but it got legitimately scary as I tried to figure out what was going on with Henry and Delilah. I just wish the way it ended was better because it didn't climax in the best way. Also has some slightly wonky logic going on.

Anyway, the visuals are gorgeous, the usage of silence is wonderful, but they throw in music when they need to and it works. It's just a walking simulator with a little less to explore than other games of this kind, and there are some minor glitches here and there.