"Henry, Henry wake up. Get out of bed and pìck up the radio"
When you first play Firewatch you are immediately destroyed by the introduction: there's just no way around it. After that, the vibrant colors and the sound of the birds among the trees warm you up like you've never been before. And then the game goes and puts you in a trash can again.
The narrative of Firewatch is what other game studios wish they could achieve. The characters feel so real, likeable and relatable that you almost feel like a voyeur, watching as Henry and Delilah's relationship develops. The voice acting is superb and the dialogues are so well written that by the time you finish the game you KNOW you love these two silly characters.
The whole vibe of the game is mysterious and tense, which contrasts in an interesting way with the calming music and the beautiful sunsets in the forest. Each day contributes greatly to making the game move forward by developing the characters, their motives and their fears. But they also provide enough moments of calm and appreciation that your mind can fill up the gaps between the weird occurrences. I can almost see Henry enjoying a nice cup of coffe or Delilah solving a crossword, sitting in her lookout tower with the headset on and the windows wide open.
Ultimately for me, the experience was extremely personal. A mystery waiting to be solved, a relationship between two people which hits way too close home, and a setting that feels organic, even with its obvious (spatial) limitations. I just replay it every year to get lost in the Shoshone National Forest and experience a story that manages to both warm and break my heart.
When you first play Firewatch you are immediately destroyed by the introduction: there's just no way around it. After that, the vibrant colors and the sound of the birds among the trees warm you up like you've never been before. And then the game goes and puts you in a trash can again.
The narrative of Firewatch is what other game studios wish they could achieve. The characters feel so real, likeable and relatable that you almost feel like a voyeur, watching as Henry and Delilah's relationship develops. The voice acting is superb and the dialogues are so well written that by the time you finish the game you KNOW you love these two silly characters.
The whole vibe of the game is mysterious and tense, which contrasts in an interesting way with the calming music and the beautiful sunsets in the forest. Each day contributes greatly to making the game move forward by developing the characters, their motives and their fears. But they also provide enough moments of calm and appreciation that your mind can fill up the gaps between the weird occurrences. I can almost see Henry enjoying a nice cup of coffe or Delilah solving a crossword, sitting in her lookout tower with the headset on and the windows wide open.
Ultimately for me, the experience was extremely personal. A mystery waiting to be solved, a relationship between two people which hits way too close home, and a setting that feels organic, even with its obvious (spatial) limitations. I just replay it every year to get lost in the Shoshone National Forest and experience a story that manages to both warm and break my heart.