Firewatch

A game with many mysteries... and Delilah's weird relationship with you is one of them.

What is Firewatch?

Firewatch is a story-driven first-person mystery game, a great example of a "walking simulator" game. Set in Shoshone National Forest in the wilds of Wyoming, in 1989, you play as Henry, a newly-hired fire lookout. Henry is running away from his life - a common theme of Firewatch, and his main (or rather, only) form of communication is via radio with Delilah, the lookout from a neighbouring tower. As you progress in the story things only become stranger, and take a dark turn.

Let's Talk Nitty-Gritty.

The first thing you notice about Firewatch is the art style. It takes its cues from old, mid twentieth-centry posters from national parks across America, and this can be seen in much of the game's media releases. Check out the below image taken from Olly Moss' website - and I encourage you to check out the rest of their artwork as well.

After the artwork grips you, you start to enjoy the gameplay. You have no weapons, but do have a compass, map, flashlight, and camera. The lack of waypoints is a good touch to immerse you in the game; you actually navigate somewhat using your map to find your way. Instead of combat you mainly focus on the story brought out in conversation with Delilah.

The main voice actors for this game are Rich Sommer (Henry) and Cissy Jones (Delilah). Their conversations feel very natural, and they play off each other well with great chemistry. This dialogue advances the story and brings the main hooks to the mystery of the game. Strange figures at night,

The gameplay is around 5 hours in length. The full range of achievements are largely collected as you go, with around 2 or 3 easily missable, but are collecting achievements and can be found within minutes later on. There is some replayability in a second run-through, so you can pick up on things you may have missed knowing the full story.

Experience

Firewatch was a great game to play with my partner. Though it isn't couch-coop or the slightest bit multiplayer, it is fun to experience the story-driven mystery together and bounce ideas off each other. I found myself on the edge of my seat as the story progressed. It did a good job at keeping the mystery alive.

While the artwork is very good, it is only secondary to the experience. Firewatch pushes the theme of "getting away from it all" - escapism. Every character you meet, and the one you play, wants to escape something that has happened to them in their life, and the Shoshone is their answer.

There were some really funny moments when my partner asked me, don't you think Delilah's getting a bit too personal? She clearly doesn't respect boundaries!

With all that said, I did find that the ending was somewhat lackluster. I was hoping for a better payoff, but it seems they went for something a bit more mundane, perhaps a bit more realistic or natural. I suppose I can't fault it too much for that, all things considered.

TL;DR

I would definitely get it as a great example of the walking simulator mystery experience. I know I'm late to the party with a 5-year old game, but this is a classic that will never grow old!