Firewatch: A Definitive Review & Analysis
Before we get started, I want to warn you that there are spoilers in the following review. If you’re looking to avoid spoilers for right now: I highly recommend you actually play the game and then read this review / analysis. In the mean time, you can also enjoy my ‘lite’ review on Steam. :)
When announced in 2014, few were familiar with Firewatch. After all, the source of the game was not a large studio like Bethesda, nor an established indie developer like Double Fine. In fact, it was from a scrappy, recently founded team of writers, designers, and developers who called themselves Campo Santo.
The dream team of power-users included Sean Vanaman (Writer; The Walking Dead), Jane Ng (Lead Artist for The Cave), Jake Rodkin (Creative Director; The Walking Dead), renowned illustrator & designer Olly Moss, and a plethora of others. To say that Campo Santo was a team of experienced and knowledgeable industry professionals was an understatement: they were the quintessence of creative.
To say that Campo Santo was a team of experienced and knowledgeable industry professionals was an understatement: they were the quintessence of creative.
Then came the posters, and the dreamy concept art. Soon enough, a small, but definitive group of fans rose from the content posted online, as well as the articles praising the unfinished game. However, it wouldn’t be until after GDC 2015 that a larger deal of people would turn their heads to what Campo Santo was achieving, and an even larger group of people would focus in on Firewatch following the media attention at the Playstation E3 2015 presentation.
So, all of this anticipation has led up to the inevitable release of the game: a date that has been marked in gold for the Campo Santo team, and the fans — old and new — who have come to show interest in their debut game.
And, in case you missed it, that game is called Firewatch . . and it’s out today.
About the Game
For those still unfamiliar, Firewatch is a first person game surrounding a mystery set in the Wyoming Wilderness after the Yellowstone Fires of 1988. You play as Henry, a protagonist who has retreated from a messy personal life to work as a firewatch where his only connection in the solitude of the woods is a woman who speaks to him over his radio named Delilah.
When dropped into the world for the first time, you are met with a variety of simple choices and dialogue options that set the scene for the story to come. They are prompt and give light to Henry’s problem: his wife has the onset of dementia and Alzheimer’s, two intense and severe mental illnesses.
It is this state of stress in his personal life that prompts Henry to take a job he saw in an ad as a firewatch. It is in these final moments of the flashback that you are introduced to the Wyoming Wilderness, some of its scenery, and the first glimpses of the artistic nature of the game.
However, your crystal stare of seclusion in the wilderness is shattered after you discover you are being trailed and monitored by a mysterious figure, find that the wilderness itself is not all that it seems, and make an alarming discovery amidst another large impending forest fire.
It is only after you discover the true identity of who is trailing you that you uncover a more sinister picture: the real nature of the mystery.
What I Think
Without a sliver of a doubt, I believe Firewatch is a game that any story-thoughtful, patient and artistically-conscious gamer should experience. However, I must stress how Firewatch is not a game that necessarily everyone will enjoy.
In all sincerity, the game is honest, it’s practical, and the story is something down-to-Earth enough that it could [given the right circumstances] have the potential to actually happen. Some people don’t see the applications for practical, realistic storytelling in gaming. So, this is why people have been certainly quick to label Firewatch, and other respective games similar in style, as ‘walking simulators.’ However, this is far from the reality. If you take the time to get to know the world of Firewatch, you will be quick to realize that Firewatch is a beautiful world filled with beautiful things.
Firewatch is a beautiful world filled with beautiful things.
Art & Design
The game lives up to its given identity through Olly Moss and Jane Ng’s idiosyncratic and impressive level designing. The contrast and definition of the color scheme in Firewatch is admirable, and other games should take notice. Media outlets referred to Firewatch as, “One of the most beautiful games of 2015,” and in all sincerity, it lives up to its expectation in the category of art and design. I believe that many reasonable gamers would agree that Firewatch’s art style is unique.
A few people I have talked to have gone so far as to say that Firewatch is, “Practically a screenshot simulator,” adding that it is beautiful. In all seriousness: Firewatch’s style is an exceptional undertaking; Jane Ng, Olly Moss & the other designers have given this world life and ingenuity.
Story
The plot takes place over 79 days, with obvious jumps in the gameplay (i.e: Day 15 to Day 33.) It starts with the discovery of the figure, and ultimately leads us to the figure himself: Ned Goodwin. From this, we discover the death of Brian Goodwin, the sinister twist of the mystery. But, although the mystery is solved, the escalation of the plot to its climax honestly doesn’t feel equitable to the payoff you get in finally solving comprehending the mystery. Perhaps, however, it is because I am left in utter shock at how quickly the ending falls flat. One minute, you find Brian’s body, the next minute you’re on a helicopter back home.
Which is perhaps another massive thing that has bothered me so deeply. We take the liberty of getting to learn about Henry in the beginning of the story, and we grasp a great deal from the ending. But, regardless of putting emphasis on specifically laying out the beginnings and endings, we are left with very loose interactions between Delilah and Henry amidst the plot. The game had plenty of potential for more story developments and more freedom could have done the game good.
However, it is understandable that Campo Santo wanted to maintain consistency in the storytelling. Because most consumers of media are far too familiar with the art of “dragging it out”, a problem that plagues television, films, and video games, distorting the actual intention of the story with irrelevant details. So, it is clear that CS wanted to be thorough; they did not drag out the story anymore than they felt it needed to be, likely to keep the story timely and relevant. In fact, though I am disappointed that the mid of the story did not carry more ‘bulk’ or dialogue, I am glad it did not resort to cliche writing, moronic plot devices, and unneeded details.
But, regardless of my small pill of remorse that I hold in absence of some potential great mid-story content, I must address: both the beginning and end of the story avoid these three damaging aspects of storytelling. There are no M. Night Shyamalan plot twists, or any grand Michael Bay explosions. We enter the story with clarity and reasoning, and exit with reason. Though people have concluded the ending is too fast (flat) and absurd, it truly is the epitome of realism and logic in storytelling: things happen fast, and everything irrelevant to the conclusion needs to be cut. The ending is not a good time or place to talk about Henry’s favourite ingredients for a wheat sandwich.
The ending is not a good time or place to talk about Henry’s favourite ingredients for a wheat sandwich.
So sure, there are people out there who have griped that the lack of substance in the middle of the plot doesn’t carry enough context for us to emotionally comprehend Delilah and Henry. But, I feel like once people take a step back, they will be glad that they could connect the dots themselves about Delilah and her opinions and feelings for Henry over time.
Conclusion
Though I feel I did get my money’s worth, and it was a $20 that I am more than happy to part with because of the talent involved on this game, there are others who will feel like they were left out in the cold with Firewatch. It truly is an artistic feat, but not even the beauty of the world map can erase the sheer disappointment that some users will feel with the story’s conclusion.
I’ve only been able to recommend one thing to users who feel distraught at the rapid ending: ambiguity is a fun little thing for the mind; disclosure will certainly come in time.
The Final Word
Campo Santo has established itself as a name in the ‘indie game space’ with this fine offering for gamers. It’s a little game called Firewatch and it lives up to its expectations set by both the developers themselves, and the media coverage which they have been highly receptive to. It is a game that defies cookie-cutter plots and manufactured narrative; embodies effective design, and proliferates innovation and originality in the adventure game genre. It is a mixture of practical, realistic, and ‘relate-able’, all in one beautifully wrapped, well designed, and fairly written experience. A hope now dwells within me that this will stand as the first of a chain of experiences that Campo Santo will provide for myself, and other hungry fans, looking for adventure.
Notes:
- All screenshots in this article were taken in ‘Firewatch’ (uh, duh?), a game by Campo Santo.
- The header art atop this review is the 2D wide concept art by Olly Moss, who is one of the art directors for Firewatch . . a super talented character. Check him out !
A Note from the Writer:
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Thanks again,
^Noah
