This is a tough one to rate. There's a lot I really liked. The central mystery was pretty engaging, and a lot of sections were really atmospheric and tense. There were a couple bits I was seriously on-edge about playing forward.

On the other hand, the dialogue feels a bit forced and odd at times, there were a few really frustrating bugs and design decisions I hit, and in particular I found the ending not only disappointing but also confusing... it really doesn't make much sense at all. The very final scene in particular felt very abrupt, and I felt was away to receive some further explanation but then it just ended.

got stuck crawling between hatches on a few occasions, and had to actually restart the whole day once. Also found the controls via Xbox Controller input a bit clunky and had to switch to keyboard/mouse. also - the game not auto-saving until the beginning of a new day, but not bothering to warn you of this anywhere / provide an "are you sure?" dialog when returning to main menu was massively frustrating. oh as was the decision to not communicate how to select a dialog option anywhere in the controls menu... was well into the game by the time I worked that one out

Few games have stuck with me as much as this, and few games are as creatively daring. Effectively utilising a "House of Leaves" like layered narrative in a way I've not previously come across in a game, The Beginner's Guide examines the need for social validation at its extremes, here in the context of the games developer and the player. Throughout it feels like a deeply personal work from its creator (whoever that may be!), and at times you almost feel like you're actually trespassing on someone else's personal space (just as the narrator is doing to Coda). Like Davey Wredon's previous "The Stanley Parable", The Beginner's Guide pushes the boundaries of what a game can be in adopting storytelling techniques not commonly seen in games. It's probably not for everyone, but at this point if it does sound even remotely like your thing - then it probably is, and I can't recommend it enough.

A beautiful and gripping experience. Smartly written, with well developed characters and some of the best dialogue and voice acting I've came across in any game.

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 draws an 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.