To help navigate the wilds, you are equipped with a map and compass, similar to in KHOLAT. However, compared to KHOLAT, it’s much easier to find your way around. The map gets updated with places of interest you’ve been to and there’s even a little dot to indicate where on the map you currently are. This can be turned off in the settings for those of you who prefer a more survival-esque experience.

Along the way you encounter yellow caches that sometimes contain items of use or updates to your map. You can also come across interesting little notes between other members of the firewatch which uncovers a bit more of the backstory and introduce you to key characters.

There aren’t any baddies to beat up and you won’t be finding yourself slipping off ledges to your death. In fact, I’m not sure death is even a possibility in Firewatch. The game itself is mainly story-driven, so if you’re after an action type of game with stuff that chases you, perhaps check out KHOLAT or Outlast.

Aesthetic Charm

Did I mention that the graphics were spectacular? Once or twice maybe? No? Well let me say it again if I haven’t already done so, the graphics are out of this world amazing! Everything is so detailed and textures of everything, be they rocks, raccoons, lakes etc., are so highly detailed that you’ll be holding right click to zoom in on everything to gaze in awe at the sheer amount of definition.

One of the first things I noticed when playing Firewatch was the fact you can see Henry’s body when you look towards the ground. Not enough games do this! Similar to how the mechanics are in real-life, you can see your arms swing back and forth as you jog around the area. But not only that, you can see your feet moving and stomach protruding when you look towards the ground. I’m not sure, but is this what is meant by the phrase “Small things amuse small minds”?

Occasionally, and usually when something is about to go down, or when something is discovered etc. a beautiful little music track will play. All other times you get to enjoy the sounds of nature. Birds cheeping, critters chittering, bushes rustling as if something or someone is following you- wait… no, that was just my imagination. Or was it?

My most favourite part of Firewatch is the voice acting. Henry and Delilah converse in a such a believable manner that you feel yourself growing to closer to them all the way through the game. The connection you feel eventually starts to influence the way you answer questions or respond to Delilah’s ramblings. I could listen to these two chat for hours.

Final Thoughts

I absolutely loved the four hours I spent playing through Firewatch and would do it again at the drop of a hat. Not for the gameplay, not for the ending, but because the voice actors are so downright lifelike. Of course that might be because they are alive, but also because they take voice acting to the next level. Quite often in games, the voice acting is sub par and it feels like the actors involved either don’t care or are told to be less interesting so gamers won’t hang on their every word. But Rich and Cissy put their all into their work with Firewatch and should be commended with some kind of award!

Apart from the ending not being exactly what I (and a few others) wanted it to be, there are times where you’ll feel a bit disgruntled. Like when a conversation between Henry and Delilah ends and immediately skips you to the next day. You won’t know exactly which object you have to interact with to trigger the end of a day/start of a new day, so you might be meticulously inspecting everything you see only to realise the first object you pick up triggers the conversation which ends the day.

Another fine addition to an otherwise flawless game is the in-game camera. You can take happy snaps of anything you find and when you finish the game, you are given the option to email those photos to yourself and even have them printed out. The thing about Firewatch is it’s so beautifully designed and animated that any photo you take could look incredible when framed on your wall. Definitely worth the $15USD to get them printed!

Overall Firewatch is a stunning experience to immerse yourself in and if you’re a fan of mystery games, you should be heading over to Steam to purchase yourself a copy right now!

Score

4 stars – astounding mystery adventure with superb voice acting, however the ending isn’t what you want it to be