Rate top gamesFirewatch is a beautiful and gripping experience. It's smartly written, with well developed characters and some of the best dialogue and voice acting I've came across in any game.
It mixes genre well, with genuinely moving moments and characters you're drawn to invest in, while keeping you consistency gripped with incredibly tense thrilleresque sections. The vast and stunning natural environment around you contributes to a feeling of eerie isolation as the game goes on, and you share your characters increasing anxiousness and paranoia when it becomes apparent that you are not alone.
Firewatch's other great success is how this all draws you to invest completely in the central mystery; and ultimately this is also where the game disappointingly falls a little flat.. From the moving and poignant introduction, through the consistent building of tension, and suspense at the unravelling of the games main mysteries, to an urgent ending as the forest fires rage and close in around you.. there comes a suspenseful expectation which is not met by the far more understated (both in tone and event) and somewhat anticlimactic ending. While in some ways I do actually like the ending in terms of those characters and the games themes, due to the build-up it inevitably makes the experience feel a little confused in tone in the end, and just a little unfulfilling.
On the whole I really enjoyed Firewatch; would recommend.
Other reviews27
It's a solid adventure/walking simulator, but don't expect too much in terms of puzzles or gameplay.
If you're looking for some introspection, or to join the mid life crisis inspired spiritual journey of the faceless protagonist, this is the game for you.
Much more engaging than I thought it would be. Right out the gate I was intrigued. I expected to play for like 30 mins or an hour the first session but I kept on going. I didn’t want to stop. Great writing and voice acting. I’m very intrigued by the mystery.
I loved the mystery right up till the end and I liked the pacing but the ending was a disappointment. It doesn’t really make sense. The Father either kills his son or more likely the son accidentally falls and dies and then he hides in the forest for 3 years and spies on the new rangers to make sure they don’t discover his sons body? It doesn’t add up. Why would he go to all that effort? He had this big elaborate plan to make them think that a research facility is spying on them for an experiment? He was tracking radio calls? How is that going to make them STOP investigating? For how great the writing was throughout 90% of Firewatch they didn’t think that through. They elude to much more interesting possibilities which are cheapened by this throw away ending. It’s honestly a load a bullshit.
Im definitely happy I played this before it leaves gamepass as I enjoyed 90% of my time with it but it missed its opportunity to be truly great.
Final Score: B
I loved the mystery right up till the end and I liked the pacing but the ending was a disappointment. It doesn’t really make sense. The Father either kills his son or more likely the son accidentally falls and dies and then he hides in the forest for 3 years and spies on the new rangers to make sure they don’t discover his sons body? It doesn’t add up. Why would he go to all that effort? He had this big elaborate plan to make them think that a research facility is spying on them for an experiment? He was tracking radio calls? How is that going to make them STOP investigating? For how great the writing was throughout 90% of Firewatch they didn’t think that through. They elude to much more interesting possibilities which are cheapened by this throw away ending. It’s honestly a load a bullshit.
Im definitely happy I played this before it leaves gamepass as I enjoyed 90% of my time with it but it missed its opportunity to be truly great.
Final Score: B
Captivating. One of the best "walking simulator" type games I've played. The environments are beautiful, and the atmosphere is vibrant. 9/10
«That ending!»
This game set off an avalanche of me playing walking sims, but none of them did I enjoy as much as this. Great voice acting
This was such a disappointment. The game started out with quite a touching story, then turned into a promising mystery adventure with a romance/friendship side-story and then ended in the most anti-climactic way with no pay-off.
The music was nice and the voice-acting and character writing were good, but the game did not look good and performance was bad (I played on Switch).
The music was nice and the voice-acting and character writing were good, but the game did not look good and performance was bad (I played on Switch).
Incredible experience. The voice acting is really the star here. The two leads truly bring out the pain and loneliness of the characters, and the twists and turns in the story creates a paranoid experience for the player.
Could use a visual remaster to update for modern gaming. The hiking simulation of it all was so relaxing.
Could use a visual remaster to update for modern gaming. The hiking simulation of it all was so relaxing.
«Sit back and relax»