This review contains spoilers
Much ink has been spilled about Firewatch's story regarding its facade of a mystery story.
Many people disappointed by the game find the mystery underwhelming, others trying to counter this opinion swing the other way claiming that it's not a mystery story at all and that the mystery is only a facade. I don't think the latter view is totally accurate.
I can see someone thinking the resolution of the mystery is underwhelming if they come into the game fully expecting a straightforward mystery plot and nothing else, but I'm of the opinion that the mystery and its resolution are actually quite good when you take it as part of the thematic tapestry of this game.
Firewatch's themes are obviously not subtle, it's really hard to play this game and not come out with a very clear idea of what it's trying to say. The beauty of it comes across in the way that every single element is so intentionally and tightly crafted around those themes, from the prologue methodically getting you to connect to Henry's backstory to the way the forest's layout and landmarks become familiar and ingrained in your brain as you play. The mystery plot, when seen as a piece of the broader thematic throughline rather than as a facade separate from the rest of the game, gains new depth when you can start to piece together what happened through the lens of people running from their problems. Trying to analyze the mystery in Firewatch in isolation from the rest of the game's elements is like asking why a cogwheel is bad at rolling over a surface when it's meant to mesh with others.
I think if you came away from the game disappointed or confused, this is a game that could greatly benefit from a replay, both to try other dialogue options and experience more of this game's objectively amazing writing, and to be able to see things that might've felt out of place with new eyes within the broader picture.
Many people disappointed by the game find the mystery underwhelming, others trying to counter this opinion swing the other way claiming that it's not a mystery story at all and that the mystery is only a facade. I don't think the latter view is totally accurate.
I can see someone thinking the resolution of the mystery is underwhelming if they come into the game fully expecting a straightforward mystery plot and nothing else, but I'm of the opinion that the mystery and its resolution are actually quite good when you take it as part of the thematic tapestry of this game.
Firewatch's themes are obviously not subtle, it's really hard to play this game and not come out with a very clear idea of what it's trying to say. The beauty of it comes across in the way that every single element is so intentionally and tightly crafted around those themes, from the prologue methodically getting you to connect to Henry's backstory to the way the forest's layout and landmarks become familiar and ingrained in your brain as you play. The mystery plot, when seen as a piece of the broader thematic throughline rather than as a facade separate from the rest of the game, gains new depth when you can start to piece together what happened through the lens of people running from their problems. Trying to analyze the mystery in Firewatch in isolation from the rest of the game's elements is like asking why a cogwheel is bad at rolling over a surface when it's meant to mesh with others.
I think if you came away from the game disappointed or confused, this is a game that could greatly benefit from a replay, both to try other dialogue options and experience more of this game's objectively amazing writing, and to be able to see things that might've felt out of place with new eyes within the broader picture.