Walking Sim Critical Play: Firewatch

For this critical play, I looked at Firewatch, an action-adventure walking simulator that takes place in the wilderness of Wyoming. The first thing that stood out to me about Firewatch was its beautiful graphics. The orange of the sunset peeking through the trees is absolutely stunning. Additionally, I was taken aback by how deep the storyline is. I thought that most of the game would be enjoyed via the mechanics of walking around and interacting with different objects. However, for me at least, I found the story to be poignant and moving. While the lines were definitely corny at times, I surprisingly found myself empathizing with Henry and Julia. In just a few minutes, Firewatch was able to excellently deliver on themes like love and family.

Walking tells the story by letting Henry explore the wilderness and trigger different events and conversations with Delilah. There’s also a realness that comes with this game, translated through the grunting and breathing you can hear as Henry climbs over logs and jogs to his next destination. The conversations with Delilah are key to story-telling, as they add to the richness of the story but don’t take you out of the environment you are exploring. With a game like this, players can truly get lost and experience the sounds and sights of nature.