Firewatch Reviews
Firewatch is a beautiful game full of spectacular visuals, but it's the nearly excellent writing that will really keep you moving through Henry's introspective journey.
The way Firewatch presents two people who barely know each other, is an intriguing way of exploring relationships between characters. Henry and Delilah's tale was the sole reason I wanted to continue playing. But it's the performance issues that may leave the long lasting impression here, as the PS4 version of the game was released in an unacceptable state.
If "walking simulators" aren't your thing, this may not be a fit for you. I wasn't a fan of the genre before playing Firewatch, so maybe it might change your mind as well. It is hard to make the call as a critic, because the experience can be pretty personal at times. But what I can say definitively was that I was surprised.
Firewatch shows how a good combination of narrative, character interactions, exploration, and visuals can create a unique experience that keeps gamers engaged despite the limits of the actual gameplay.
If you note the two main characters' penchant for irony and have been paying attention to the clues in the game, such as the cheap mass market paperbacks scattered about the area, you'll sense that the mystery isn't on the level of some global alien conspiracy, but rather, like "Firewatch" itself, it's something mundane and graspable. In the context of a medium that's normally obsessed with feeding on the outlandish, I mean that as a compliment.
Firewatch is truly a storytelling masterpiece. The mystery unfolds at a proper pace as you explore the beautiful Wyoming wilderness and the characters naturally grow as they encounter different experience. Rich Sommer and Cissy Jones did an exceptional job with the voice acting, bringing Henry and Delilah to life and making me form an emotional bond with them. I highly recommend this game to anyone who loves a great story.
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It's odd to think that in game in which you never meet any real humans face to face that you never feel alone, and that's part of the magic of Firewatch. Firewatch is a must have for all PS4 owners.
If you're looking for a quick game with a lot of heart then this is definitely for you.
But in the end, Firewatch is one of those games that will satisfy those looking for a more cerebral, perhaps even sentimental interactive adventure. It's only about 4-5 hours in length and in some ways, that does feel too short given the amount of unanswered questions that continue to bounce around our brains. Still, the game offers one such a unique and palpable sense of tension, and it excels in the realm of pure immersion.
Campo Santo should be applauded for what its done with Firewatch. The game is an artistic masterpiece and gives further evidence that this medium can deliver beautiful and unique experiences.
Campo Santo's debut adventure offers up a taut mystery built around two tremendously engaging characters.
If you have experience exploring the outdoors, or want to better understand what it is to duality of feeling like a pioneer in an undiscovered location while simultaneously feeling secluded and vulnerable Firewatch might resonate as strongly with you as it did with me.
By attempting to invigorate a genre which many feel has gone rather stale, Campo Santo has simply reminded us what it is we liked about that genre in the first place. Perhaps in time Firewatch will be considered a forerunner, the one which broke the mould, but right now it manages to only fall painfully between two stools.
Like a good thriller, the whole time I was playing Firewatch I was completely engaged and couldn't wait to see where the story went next. The tale raises interesting questions about solitude, privacy and paranoia. However, a weak ending and some occasionally strange pacing ultimately detracts from Firewatch's spark of greatness.
Firewatch goes for a walk in the woods and gets lost along the way.
In a stark textual introduction, this is the first thing you see in Firewatch. It is unusual to see the video game condition laid out so plainly at the start of an adventure. You are Henry. You are someone else. Get ready to play your role. It is an effective gambit, with deft writing settling you into the mind of this character. It is notable because many video games rely on you being yourself, or make an effort to cast you as a controlling observer. A puppeteer. But Firewatch says this with such conviction: you are Henry. But are you really? This is a character that exists, that has already been created. The choices you have in this introduction are slight variations. Firewatch is a video game that extols both the virtues and drawbacks of being someone else , conjuring an illusion of choice within a pre-set story and bumping against the limitations that ensue.
Firewatch is an excellent, tense story, uncanny in spite its numerous beauties, and unmissable despite weaker mechanics.
The most bizarre narrative bait and switch in video game history, as a tense, emotional thriller sticks the worst landing since Eddie The Eagle.
Firewatch is a short, succinct, game that tells the story it wants to tell. It offers a real look at developing relationships, choice and consequence, all with the beautifully rendered backdrop of the Shoshone national forest. It's a game that will stick with you beyond the finish and one that you'll want to go back to.