Spoilers only discussed at the very bottom

Firewatch is a graphic adventure developed by Campo Santo in 2016. I’d call it a rare case of a walking sim penetrating the zeitgeist, but seeing as how a number of titles have done just that (good & bad), it seems they’ve outgrown the constraints of a formerly niche genre. Still, even within those parameters, Firewatch was one of the more notable releases given the large amount of press it garnered; I distinctly remember all the major news outlets and indie rags raving over this one as though it were the Second Coming.

While there’s no such thing as bad publicity, such acclamation never bodes well for a smaller-scale product as it inherently sets expectations too high- expectations that should never be handed to a walking sim of all things. It means certain newcomers will enter the game anticipating great highs, only to foam at the mouth when their unrealistic standards aren’t met- compare the Metacritic audience scores of Gone Home & Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture with The Stanley Parable (a game that didn’t get much pre-release hype) and you’ll see what I mean.

Thankfully, Firewatch wasn’t hit as hard by review trolls, however I’d still advise going into it with tempered hopes due to an inconsistent narrative. The premise is you’re controlling a, surprise surprise, fire watcher named Henry at Shoshone National Forest in the 1980s. Ole Hank arrived to escape some demons from his past, and in the process has inadvertently sparked a kinship with fellow lookout Delilah. Without delving into spoilers, things start off fine before the two begin experiencing weird events at the park; events that appear intrinsically tied to them.

We’ve seen this “Stranger in a Strange Land” set-up replicated in multiple pieces of media, and the reason it works is because it’s perfectly fine-tuned to the needs of any mystery: both the player and protagonist are in the same boat as far as being fish-out-of-water, and the unknown factor pervades every element of the world. Firewatch initially does a fantastic job molding this template for its own story, but where it goes wrong (IMO) is in its failure to sufficiently connect those introductory moments with the second half of the game.+ In some ways, it feels like you’re playing two different tales as everything about the first part is only tangentially related to its narratological successor, and it shouldn’t come as a shock when I say the latter isn’t as good. It abandons the grounded framework in favor of more outlandish and conspiratorial traits, which yeah, technically make sense given the 80s backdrop, but which consequently haven’t aged as well due to that generational restriction. For all the criticism the ending has received, I actually did appreciate it harkening back to the original atmosphere, though keep in mind it has plenty of issues in its own right(++), one of those being its reliance on optional dialogue. See, you spend most, if not all of, Firewatch strolling from Point A to Point B, and to fill in the empty space, the developers threw in a bunch of conversations you may instigate via telling Delilah about an observation of something in your surroundings. The problem is a good chunk of these are actually necessary to understanding the endgame revelations, meaning if you missed out on any of them while playing, you’ll probably be less-than-satisfied by aspects of the finale (yes, this did happen to me, despite my extensive reconnaissance for all things examinable).

Besides the story, the biggest appeal of Firewatch was clearly intended to be the characters, and on that front we once again get mixed results. Henry is a rather stoic individual whose personality is primarily shaped via a good old-fashioned dialogue wheel. It’s a bit of an unfortunate decision as, while I understand why the writers did it, it ultimately comes across as arbitrary due to the lack of any branching effects -- the yarn unwinds exactly as it was planned, and though you’ll obviously hear different lines from Delilah, it doesn’t culminate in multiple endings, nor substantially differentiate the plot to warrant extra playthroughs. And because there are no tangible corollaries, the result is Henry turning into a rather forgettable demi-avatar in spite of his interesting backstory.

Delilah, on the other hand, fares a lot better due to being an unmodifiable character, and while it’s true you can somewhat affect her personality through the timing/type of rejoinder (or lack thereof), she’s not going to deviate from her core personality, that being a middle-aged smart@ss with just the right balance of snark and drama. Due to the slice-of-life nature of the script, I wouldn’t say she lights up the game the way other charismatic females have done before, but she definitely goes a long way towards counterbalancing Henry’s phlegmaticness.

Sadly, the biggest problem with the two’s relationship is the absence of strong chemistry between the voice actors. I know this is a highly-subjective complaint, but I personally never felt a genuine bond connecting the pair the way I did with say Simon & Catherine in Soma or even Cole & Moya in InFAMOUS. The performers (Rich Sommer/Cissy Jones) do a good job with what they’re given, but it seems each was cast based on their individual audition tapes over shared screen test results. And considering Firewatch’s heavy reliance on their banter, this deficiency is more detrimental to the experience than probably envisioned.

There are a few other miscellaneous voices you’ll hear over your journey, and though hit-or-miss, none stay long enough to leave a lasting impression. On the flipside, the score by Chris Remo is quietly memorable, usually taking a backseat to the general exploration before crescendoing during a dramatic story beat (a testament to the adept music editing). As you can imagine from the cover art, Firewatch indulges in those timeless melodies typically associated with campfire gatherings, the bulk of them conveyed via a good old-fashioned acoustic guitar (or what sounds like one anyway). That’s not to say Remo exclusively abides by it (I recall numerous percussion-focused tracks, as well as one synth-heavy composition) but they are definitely in the minority and not quite as potent as their stringed predecessors.

Regarding the SFX it’s surprisingly deep, with distinguishable clangs contingent on the item and impact surfaces’ material: cans, bottles, books, and balls vary not only amidst each other, but also among their own kin depending on where you toss them (grass versus a bed versus hardwood etc….). I didn’t detect divergences based on velocity; however, it’s not like it matters because you’ll almost never have to engage with this physics system, making the set-up admirable yet moot (note, I say this meaning the game should’ve incorporated it more, not that it should’ve been abandoned by the engineers).

Where Firewatch’s sound stumbles is in its ambience, or rather absence of ambience. Despite being set in a verdure ecosystem, you’ll hardly run into any animals, and when you do hear calls tied to certain species (birds, bugs) 9 times out of 10 they lack a distinguishable source. Even customary dins like forestal breezes and generator hums feel more stocky than manually-conceived, and it’s consequently a bit of a shame that the game has to fallback on its OST in lieu of an adequate soundscape.

But it’s the visuals you’ve no doubt heard the most raving about, and on that front there’s definitely a lot of truth. Those of you who have read my past reviews will know I’ve never been big on Unity games, and while Firewatch still has a few of the engine’s rougher elements (overly-sleek rocks, clipping, uncanny appendages) this is definitely a case where virtuosity outweighs defects. Campo Santo has brought to life that romanticized outdoorsy aesthetic I’m sure every kid dreamed of at some point in their life; you know, that fantasy of running through an orchard decked in springtime hues as the sparrows chirped on yonder. Much like Boggly Woods or the Villa Auditore, this is one of those serene video game locations you want to spend time in for the sake of inner peace, and it’s honestly not surprising why the devs threw in a free roam mode. The graphic design may seem repetitive at first, but look closer and you’ll notice a lot of underrated details accompanying Shoshone, chief among these being the sheer amount of tree genera. Like Dear Esther did with rocks, Firewatch has assembled a smorgasbord of perennial taxonomies to behold, a chart in your post identifying their specific classification should you wish to know it. Couple it all with some fantastic shadowcasting conditional on their soft sways and cloud overseers and you can imagine where the game’s immersion factor comes from. Considering how often trees get copy/pasted in video games, even in ones focused on exploration, this was a pleasant surprise and one I hope players take note of.

Unfortunately, exploration is significantly infringed upon by the map design, which is deliberately restrictive for no discernible reason outside of elongating the story. You’re forced to stick to set paths as every other avenue is deliberately blocked-off, and while a number of these are reasonable (unscalable mountains), it literally makes no sense why Henry can’t bypass others ala stomping on piles of bramble or ascending a small outcrop. It’s not an aggravating issue by any means, however the obviousness of the scheme coupled with large backtracking renders it a bit displeasing.

Gameplay, there isn’t much to say- per their namesake, walking sims are about walking, and you’re going to be doing just that…A LOT. You can pull out a map, compass, and of course radio, rotate certain objects, and dash to your heart’s content without worrying about a stamina meter. On the flip side, all other actions (climbing/descending/leaping) are purely automated and consequently come across as a little outdated by eighth generation standards. Still, I’ll give immense credit to Campo Santo for at least programming two different animations depending on whether you’re running or trudging.

In the end, though, it’s clear your appreciation of Firewatch will rest on its story over anything else, and contrary to what critics say, there’s a greater divagation of opinions towards that component. My spoiler-free tl;dr is you’ll enjoy the journey, but more than likely forget about it the second you move onto your next game. And for some, that’ll be sufficient.


NOTES
-For a game about fire safety, did no one else find it bizarre how Henry keeps two flammable gas tanks right next to his tower???

-I can’t be the only person who thinks Henry sounds like a young Ron Desantis?

-There’s a notes menu completely devoid of anything, making me wonder if it was an abandoned feature accidentally left in the game.

-You get a camera to photograph random stuff, and while you’re occasionally advised to do so by Delilah, it’s never mandated and has no impact on the story (making me wonder if it was another abandoned feature as well). You’re able to upload the photos you take with it on a separate menu in the title screen, but when I tried to do so it literally caused the game to freeze up on me twice. Combine that with the fact that the camera only holds 20 shots and you’re better off using the screen capture function (for PC gamers anyway).

-The rotate function is severely underrated in terms of its animations- I loved being able to slowly peel/unpeel an object from left-to-right/vice-versa.

-You’ll find a lot of airplane books written by the same author. Makes me wonder if they had some concept involving him that never came to fruition.

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+Firewatch initially spends an inordinate amount of time on Henry reckoning with his dementia-ridden wife and her hostile parents before completely forgetting about it until the end. It’s not that it doesn’t make sense for Henry to stop prioritizing that aspect of his life in light of more pressing matters, but a more furnished script would’ve found a way to connect those introductory psychological anguishes with the later stresses/toils Henry deals with. As it stands, it comes across as a half-baked way of giving him depth that otherwise wouldn’t have existed.

The larger issue, however, is how Firewatch sets-up a genuinely better premise before succumbing elsewhere. One of the introductory chapters sees Henry confront two teenage arsonists who later mysteriously vanish, and the idea of Henry and Delilah having to contend with a serial killer or other nefarious actor playing to their sense of isolation could’ve made for a tense ride! As it stands, the replacement is an overcomplicated scheme by a former scout’s father to derail the two from discovering the body of his son (whose cause of death is up for interpretation) hidden in a cave. Instead of doing the smart thing like, oh I don’t know, setting fire to the area or causing a permanent cave-in, he opts to engage in odd tactics like making Delilah and Henry believe they’re being spied on by the government. It honestly feels like the writers didn’t know how to characterize this antagonist (Ned Goodwin), leading to many holes in his personality: for instance, if his son’s death was truly an accident, why wouldn’t he be upfront about the situation from the get-go? On the opposite end, if he didn’t want anyone to find out, why not dispose of the body through one of the aforementioned means? Heck, why create a tape confessing everything to Henry? I know they claim he’s suffering from some mental illness, but that honestly seems lazy and disrespectful to actual sufferers.

As a result of these endeavors, Henry and Delilah also come off as really dumb. Like, if you think about it, it’s actually silly that they would believe the government would randomly conduct a psyop experiment on two federal employees integral to preserving a national forest (you know, a year after a huge fire ravaged Yellowstone, which the game explicitly references).


++I pretty much discussed the ending above, with Henry finding a recording from Goodwin detailing what transpired. I know there are plenty of fans who wanted something deeper or more sensational, but I truly didn’t mind a grounded resolution. As I explained, I found the whole conspiratorial thought process absurd from the get-go, so the concept that it was actually the machinations of a disturbed individual was a welcome return-to-form (even if late). No, my personal qualms (besides those outlined earlier) concerned the decision to not have Henry and Delilah meet in-person. I’m not against the concept since you never saw anyone before (clearly anyway), so it thematically would’ve been concise; however, the lame-@ss reasoning they give is amateurish, with Delilah acting out-of-character via opting to hightail out of Shoshone before Henry gets there for no logical reason. I’m sure the game’s apologists will come out with some justification, but no amount of reasoning can cover up it being utterly stupid and purely done for the sake of Campo Santo not having to craft & animate a new character model.

That said, I will give the devs props for maintaining a level of tension and unease during Henry’s trek to the evac site- when you’re capable of such a feat, it indicates real talent.
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