This game was a missed opportunity in my opinion. It’s such a cool setting and I can’t believe something like Far Cry with it’s infinite radio towers and forests hasn’t even managed to sell a forest area this well as Firewatch does in only a few hours. The map is small so you get quickly familiar with the few choice routes you like to take and the in-game map which is a real map that the character holds instead of a HUD element feels really intimate and useful.
But that’s where the gameplay mechanics peak, most of the game is your average walking simulator’s “I hate it when you go off path” type of deal which normally annoys me but in this game it felt especially frustrating. To see Henry do the same animation multiple times to get from one area to the next (chopping a tree to make a bridge, jumping over, jumping down, climbing down) doesn’t get more immersive than it was the first time around, it actually makes the game feel monotonous in a way. Also the whole traversal thing is pretty uninspired: all of the actions that your character takes are automated and you just have to click a button for him to do it. That basically means if the game gives you an axe, sorry a PULASKI, it just stays there unable to be used by the player unless you click the button to chop a tree or clear a path and Henry automatically does it. It all kind of turns into a Spider-Man 2 on PC situation and if you have ever played that game then u know how boring it is.
The problems even seep into the storytelling department. Because Henry carries a walkie talkie to communicate to Delilah, the other main character of the game, everytime you pick up a note in the game to read these guys have a conversation. Almost everytime this pattern repeats and establishes itself and I don’t know if that bothers anyone else but to my brain it tells me that the notes I’m picking up aren’t worth reading because the characters are already summarizing their emotions and thoughts on it before I have even read it. Now other games do have commentary like this when you pick up an item but it’s always short, not like Firewatch. This and the fact that the game keeps building up mysteries without resolving any of them and the infrequent abrupt time jumps without any clear character dynamic developing between the characters made me care even less about what was going on.
The game gives you dialogue choices, to flavour the text and I never really told Delilah in the game about what was going on with my character so maybe that lack of character development was my bad.
I’ll also say that the opening of this game is the most emotionally powerful and engaging part of this game. It reminded me of old text adventure games I used to play with no voice acting and a simple wall of text where you have to pick options to basically tell Henry’s backstory your way and it’s done really well. I wish more games used this simple narrative device instead of making long introductory cutscenes
Overall: 6.5/10 Maybe it’s my expectation that was too high or maybe I wasn’t just in the mood but I’m so bored with it that even finishing this short game again with the audio commentary on feels too much. On that note, how the fuck do you make a painless and simple audio commentary experience in a game where the vast majority of storytelling drama comes from audio dialogues in your head. To have to differentiate between them is just too much; it’s not like an action game where the audio talks about the game as you fight the bad guys.
Okay guy status report: I finished the game yesterday, wrote this review and kept thinking about what to play next and also worrying about finding a job; fell asleep early because of all the brainload.
Woke up this morning and I think I get it, Henry went to Shoshone to get away from real life and find an adventure and the fact that the game lies to you internally and externally just hit me today. Internally, Henry never gets his life changing experience and even though he meets Delilah it’s pretty much confirmed by the ending dialogue that he will go back, live his life and eventually forget about this one person he met on a two month job. Externally, the game feels like it’s an escape from mundanity and is an adventure but then it turns out to mostly be an on-rails walking simulator where you as a don’t even get to chop a tree yourself because all the animations are automated and the game doesn’t even let you fish!
It’s an exercise in deliberate expectation subversion and makes me feel sad about the whole experience. I think much of my criticism about the gameplay still stands but I get the storytelling a bit more now and would like to bump up the rating to a 7/10
TL;DR: I just realized I’m like Henry trying to escape life.
If anyone who’s already played it is looking for an interesting second (or third) playthrough, try ignoring Delilah altogether. Never respond to her, and only radio her when the game won’t progress otherwise. The devs went to great lengths to avoid forcing the player to talk to her, and there’s a good amount of dialogue (well, monologue, actually xD) that you won’t hear when playing “normally”.
And I think this playstyle actually fits Henry’s character better. After all, he took the job to get away from everyone and everything, only to end up being constantly harassed by an overly social supervisor. Oh, and when the helicopter comes to pick you up at the end, you can just ignore that too and run back into the forest. It’s a bit of a secret ending.
Disclaimer, I played this game in 2019, so my memories might be a bit off.
I think you are being a bit too harsh. You have to remember the scope of the game. It is a small walking simulator game.
The game definitely lets you go a bit off the path. Sure, it’s not the level of exploration and freedom you get from an open world game like far cry, but it’s also not what the game promises.
I really enjoyed the characters and their relationship, I think you missed out by not engaging more with Delilah. The finale as well, I was so frustrated, but it was right (no spoilers for future players).
There is not a ton of content, but it’s literally a game for two evenings, or even a single long session if you have the time. But the content that’s there is fairly fleshed out, I don’t remember half assed features, but I do remember things made awkward on purpose, like using the map and compass, but that’s intentional.
In general walking simulators are not for everyone, personally, I think they should be marketed not as videogames but as interactive stories. They are not really gameplay oriented, they go all in on story and immersion. And they shine when they are short and immersive, which firewatch is.
My other picks in this genre are:
- “what remains of Edith Finch”
- Very well made, very variegated, it really delivers in transmitting the characters emotions
- "Stories untold*
- The walking simulator with less walking ever. It’s a collection of 4 short stories with an underlying connection. Each one has an entirely different gameplay style, a literal evolution in the story
I loved this game from the start. The story choices made me want to cry from the very beginning and I fell for the person on the radio. It was an incredibly short but intense and then empty (I think, intentionally so which I liked) experience.
I think I just had overblown expectations for it and I agree that I might have been harsh to the game by talking mostly about the gameplay. Mostly just wanted to get across what I experienced as I was playing it. The small annoyances, frustrations and even delights like the opening sequence that might not seem like a cohesive whole of this game but are still worth mentioning
Maybe one day I’ll replay it and be better situated to appreciate it more
Even though I really liked the game, I remember it being frustratingly non-interactive at times. I think that’s the gameplay weaknesses you describe accurately. I had to remind myself that I’m playing a walking simulator for the story. No puzzles, no challenges etc.
- “what remains of Edith Finch”
Let’s just say this game sparked my never ending love for Etta James and how impactful the final hours of the game hit on me.
I remember playing this around the time it came out. It was during the fall, so the environment in the game and the environment outside were nearly identical. It made me want to go out and visit my local fire tower and climb up it. Fun times.
Recommendation: The Unfinished Swan.
Holy shit a fellow Unfinished Swan enjoyer! I never see people talk about that game but I liked it so much. Definitely second the recommendation, it’s a very sweet little game with some fun and clever mechanics and a touching little story.
I was deep in my demake and ps1 emulation phase when it came out, but I’ve got to thank Patrick and Vinny at Giant Bomb for releasing that Quick Look, otherwise it would’ve just been one of those title I saw on the PS3 store.
It’s funny that it’s by the same creator’s as What Became of Edith Finch (and even is connected narratively!), but while everyone raves about that game nobody seems to check out their other game.
It being locked to the playstation indie cycle probably has something to do with it. I remember seeing presentations for xbox arcade games during e3, but smaller titles for Playstation were always left to the clipshow backburner.
That sounds so cool
Yeah, there’s quite a few open to the public fire towers throughout Northern Ontario. Sometimes a game just inspires you to go outside and experience the real thing, you know?
I played it for the first time over winter. They really nailed the aesthetic like you said. It’s definitely an interactive story rather than a game, so you don’t really get creative input. However you are allowed to explore spaces that have details and hints that develop the story of the “antagonist”. Furthermore it captures very well a type of creeping anxiety in the american wilderness.
The point was never “excellent gameplay”. I think they captured the essence/emotion/aesthetic/nostalgia they wanted to. That’s why the game is so short. The details in the story are vague as well. Almost like it’s supposed to play out like a dream recollecting a very old memory.
I really loved it but yeah, it’s nothing more than it needs to be so it’s unfortunate you went in expecting more.
I remember being so hyped up to play this game based on reviews, absolutely loving the intro and setup, then being bored out of my mind waiting for something, anything, to happen, for so many frustrating hours, and then being unreasonably angry when I finished it and not a single event had ever occurred.
I had never heard of a walking simulator before, but now that I know the term I stay far, far away. They really aren’t games at all, just an alternative to listening to an audio book.
Also would love any recommendations for something to play next
Awesome review, I remember getting emotional playing this game back in the day but trying to replay it recently was a bit more frustrating. I think some of those traversal animations are there to hide loading screens, but it does have the effect you describe.
Nonetheless I am nostalgic for that whole era of walking sims, have you played What Remains of Edith Finch?
Not really, the only other walking sim I have played also came out in 2016 and it’s called “The Town of Light.” I enjoyed that one
It’s about a girl going through her experiences in a mental asylum in Italy and has a very realistic grounded setting (based on a real hospital). I have a review on it in this sub
There was another game I played which I can’t remember the name of, it’s more liminal space puzzle solving than walking sim but it uses it’s setting to tell the blossoming and downfall of a relationship really well. Would love to play that one again
I played this awhile ago, I agree with you. The story was interesting but the game felt unfinished
Such a shame man since this was really high on my playlist for a number of years.
I played this game a few years ago but never finished it. I loved the setting and the art…but I hated the interactions with Delilah. I found the walking simulator peaceful and immersive just to be Interupted by the squawk and Delilah wanting to chat about some crap I don’t care about. I found it irritating enough that I finally closed it up and went on to something else. I would love this redone like Subnautica - an immersive exploration game
I had the exact same experience and reaction. It would have been better if I could just skip all the BS interactions but that wasn’t an option. Or if they did more with written things strewn about or other message type objects (stack of bones or something).
