![]() ![]() That makes the ending all the more disappointing. I wish more AAA games would take inspiration from this kind of work, giving characters with dialogue options realistic and believable choices, and playing out each choice deftly.įirewatch is a great game that pushes the genre of interactive movie into new and beautiful territory. It's something of a marvel to think that dialogue this good can be found in a video game. The writing is top-notch as well, from the banter to the overall trajectory of the story. The two main characters are voiced by Rich Sommer ( Mad Men) and Cissy Jones ( Life is Strange.) Both Sommer and Jones ring in terrific performances, and picking and choosing your way through their dialogue is a real joy. The sound design is also terrific, from the effects to the sparse, Western-inspired score (which reminded me a bit of The Last of Us but also not quite.) Composer Chris Remo did a terrific job.īut probably the best thing about the game is the combination of terrific writing and voice-acting. Artist Olly Moss helped create the game's unique visual spread. I wanted to get out my Orange Soapstone and scribble "Gorgeous view!" everywhere. Firewatch only gives us a small slice of forest and canyon to explore, but every inch of it is gorgeous and unique. ![]() Firewatch does an incredibly good job of making you feel tangible, grounded. You don't feel at all like a floating head bobbing through the trees. Moving through the woods can feel a bit slow at times, but there's a heftiness to it that I wish more first-person games adopted. When looking at the map, you scan across it, and can look closer at spots. Examining it puts it right up in your face, and you have to use the mouse to scan the whole page. When you hold a piece of paper, it droops back off to the side. Little things, like using a compass or taking out your map or reading notes all feel visceral and real. Developer Campo Santo did some terrific stuff here that deserves credit. ![]() I finished the game in a few hours, and while I didn't race through it-exploring is fun!-I did feel inexorably pulled forward through its story, eager to turn to the last page.īefore we get to that, however, let's talk a bit about how the game plays. I devoured every tidbit.Īnd I was scared quite a lot of the time, as events unfurled in truly bizarre and frightening ways. Every scrap of evidence that might lead me toward the truth. I just find myself not caring enough to spend the time doing that sort of "chore." But in Firewatch I read just about everything I came across. I'm really bad at reading notes and clues in a lot of games. ![]() And even so, as mundane as that sounds, it's totally engrossing. You simply walk or jog around the forest and talk on your radio. There's no fighting, not really any puzzle solving or platforming. The story is the game, the entire point of the game. I won't go into the story much more than that. You have some freedom to explore, clambering around the forest, but mostly this is a linear game in a semi-open world. You have lots of dialogue choices that shape how these conversations play out. You talk with her throughout the game, as she tasks you with various odd jobs that go well beyond looking for fires. Delilah is your counterpart out in the lonesome, lovely wild. ![]()
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