Even as someone who, until recently, was never really interested in walking simulators and their narrative-centric design, I was always well aware of the impact of Firewatch on its genre and the medium as a whole. Would it hold up to the high praise following it?
Pros:
+ gorgeous setting with incredible vistas
+ a smart variation on the tropes of the genre
+ incredible, true-to-life voice acting
+ dialogue system always feel natural and organic...
+ ...and reacts to player actions in surprising ways
+ map and compass system are well-implemented
+ the easter eggs and references to other games are sweet
+ the narrative takes wide, daring swings...
Cons:
- ...but misses more often than not
- technical performance is lacking and buggy, incl. a soft lock
- running has to be re-toggled every few seconds
- object interaction is pointless
- time limits for chosing answers are too short
- the initial multiple choice chapter seems perfunctory
- central metaphors of the narrative are heavy-handed
- story reveals arrive too late and seem arbitrary
- the ending feels abridged and unsure of itself
Playtime: Roughly 4,5 hours.
Blagic Moment: Finding something tragic in the last third and realizing that the main storyline connecting the two main characters is actually a Trojan Horse.
Verdict:
Regrettably, after finally playing through the game, I cannot help but feel like this is wonderfully presented but ultimately hollow narrative that never really knows what kind of story it wants to tell, directionlessly meandering between different character arcs without ever completing them. Neither Henry nor Delilah ever really change throughout their journeys, and the interactivity and choices the game offers in the beginning never amount to a coherent whole, including a severe lack of player-specific endings.
I was highly disappointed in Firewatch, especially coming off Gone Home and its more simplistic but much more effective approach to telling its heartfelt story. Therefore, I cannot recommend it and did not much enjoy it, but I am aware that I am pretty alone with this opinion.
Pros:
+ gorgeous setting with incredible vistas
+ a smart variation on the tropes of the genre
+ incredible, true-to-life voice acting
+ dialogue system always feel natural and organic...
+ ...and reacts to player actions in surprising ways
+ map and compass system are well-implemented
+ the easter eggs and references to other games are sweet
+ the narrative takes wide, daring swings...
Cons:
- ...but misses more often than not
- technical performance is lacking and buggy, incl. a soft lock
- running has to be re-toggled every few seconds
- object interaction is pointless
- time limits for chosing answers are too short
- the initial multiple choice chapter seems perfunctory
- central metaphors of the narrative are heavy-handed
- story reveals arrive too late and seem arbitrary
- the ending feels abridged and unsure of itself
Playtime: Roughly 4,5 hours.
Blagic Moment: Finding something tragic in the last third and realizing that the main storyline connecting the two main characters is actually a Trojan Horse.
Verdict:
Regrettably, after finally playing through the game, I cannot help but feel like this is wonderfully presented but ultimately hollow narrative that never really knows what kind of story it wants to tell, directionlessly meandering between different character arcs without ever completing them. Neither Henry nor Delilah ever really change throughout their journeys, and the interactivity and choices the game offers in the beginning never amount to a coherent whole, including a severe lack of player-specific endings.
I was highly disappointed in Firewatch, especially coming off Gone Home and its more simplistic but much more effective approach to telling its heartfelt story. Therefore, I cannot recommend it and did not much enjoy it, but I am aware that I am pretty alone with this opinion.