Firewatch Review

Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, MacOS, Linux
Developer: Campo Santo
Released: February 9, 2016
Price: £14.99

There are mild spoilers throughout (I try not to go into the plot but it is quite hard not to,) — but if you haven’t played, you definitely should, but do feel free to continue.

There are so many things to love about this game; be it the story itself, the premise, the art style and the ambience. On the tin, the game itself looks like an wilderness adventure / survival game, however it isn’t whatsoever. There are so many different genres and themes this game can fit into; thriller, mystery, romance, tragedy, and character driven to name a few.

Firewatch features Henry, a man whose wife is diagnosed with early onset dementia — he tries to care for her, but she later leaves the US for Australia to be cared for by her parents. Henry takes a summer job in the Shoshone National Park in Wyoming, as a fire watch to try and move on and forget his past.

Firewatch opens with you sort of adjusting variables for Henry’s life — such as how you meet Julia, do you try and care for her dementia or do you put her in a home..? It creates the backstory in a very subtle and simplistic way. A situation is presented to you, and you mostly have two choices that mainly contrast with the other. I really enjoyed this because most games have you play through a plot line — the exposition through to the climax and down to the resolution. Firewatch sort of leaves you at the falling action, and then, another story starts again.

The only real interaction you have with another character is Delilah, Henry’s boss or supervisor, contacted through a handheld radio. You’ll tell her what you see, what you’re doing, ask for advice and more.

Delilah’s character is very interesting — she is a polar opposite to Henry but this isn’t jarring whatsoever. It creates a chemistry between them, that brings out the best in Henry’s standoffish, calm and collected personality and Delilah’s outgoing, lively and bubbly personality. But there are points through the game where there is a large amount of doubt towards her — for example the strange call on Day 2 (although I felt as though this was there to make you suspicious of her for no real reason) and her inferred alcoholism.

D: “Heyo, I don´t think so. Why, have you?”
D: “Okay. Good.”
D: “No. I don´t think he has any idea.”
D: “I´m absolutely sure.”
D: “Would you?”
D: “Alright, I´ll let you know if anything changes in that regard.”

As the game progresses as does your relationship with Delilah. Responses are selected by squeezing the controller’s trigger and use the stick to select answers. Henry’s responses most times range from satirical, to serious.

The game starts with a very casual, and relaxing experience — completing tasks such as telling teenagers to stop using fireworks — it takes a massive turn when Henry gets knocked out after discovering transcripts of his conversations with D. A sense of dread, fear and uneasiness spreads. The writers have done a remarkable job of creating a horror game that isn’t scary in an obvious sense; it’s the loneliness and the vast expanse of “something being out there”.

Whilst the story is a spectacle in this game, I can’t help but mention the art style. There are honestly no words really to describe it.

At first glance the game feels quite “minimalist” (often confused with “cartoony”, but when you play the game, it feels welcoming, inviting, warm, and familiar. It sort of makes you want to forget about the main story and just explore the wilderness, the canyons, and the stunning vistas throughout. But you also can’t help but feel alone and even before the climax of the story, a little worried, whilst exploring the Shoshone National Park.