Directed by Olly Moss & Sean Vanaman

Developed by Campo Santo

Firewatch is another great installment in a long line of games derisively called “walking simulators.” The argument goes that these aren’t “really games,” functioning more as interactive media. Players control a character and explore a world or story around them, but by and large there’s little – if any – challenge, few puzzles, no fail-state, and has minimal gameplay mechanics. All of these accurately describe something like Firewatch, and it doesn’t really matter to the overall quality of it.

Whether to call it a “game” or something else is not the point of this review, however. Games of this genre can be a bit of a mixed bag, with varying degrees of engagement required from the player. Firewatch gets around some of those common issues through its narrative and its world design. It’s a clever way to draw people in, mask the lack of gameplay elements, and still produce one of the most captivating stories and character relationships in the medium.

Set in a national park in Wyoming, players control the protagonist Henry. Henry is clearly out working as a fire lookout in an effort to escape the troubles of his life. During a series of opening text that includes player responses, we find out that his wife had experienced early onset Alzheimer’s at the age of 40, eventually being taken in by her parents in Australia. Once settled, he gets a radio call from Delilah, a look out at a nearby post. The two connect over the next 80 days of their service, in what is one of the most well-written and performed duos in all of gaming (especially not featuring Troy Baker at any rate).

The dynamic between Henry and Delilah is easily the most captivating aspect of the game. Both are proven to be very charming, funny, and endearing characters, though Henry might differ depending on how the player chooses to respond. Their relationship develops pretty organically and is especially impressive when it all unfolds over a series of radio calls, with players never seeing Delilah throughout the game. They bounce off each other really well and, on the most part, pretty naturally. In part this is due to the strength of the writing, but it also owes a heck of a lot to the performances from Cissy Jones and Rich Sommer (who you might recognize from Mad Men, Glow, and Wet Hot American Summer Netflix shows).

There are other ways that the game really pulls players in despite limited interactivity. There’s not really much in the ways of platforming, puzzles, or interaction. What players do wind up doing is navigating a series of trails, relying on their compass, map, and memory of landmarks to get to their destination. It seems like a small thing, but this actually has a big impact. Even though players are mostly just walking around and selecting dialogue options over the radio, it’s easy to get lost. This means players will regularly check their map and compass. By no means does it feel like a “puzzle,” but it does require a level of alertness that sets it apart from other walking sims. In fact, one might even feel inspired to go outside and learn how to read maps and use their compass to get by in the real world! The world feels big and open, and it’s easy to get lost at first, but by the end you’ve learned the ins and outs of the trails, with direction just becoming second-nature after a couple hours of regularly checking your gear.

Perhaps the biggest element, though, is the story. Walking sims do tend to excel at narrative, given that that is often the focus. Firewatch isn’t the first one to zero in on smaller, more personal stories. From the start, it clearly has its roots in an emotional, tragic, character-driven story. Yet it’s about the midway point of the game in which things take a turn. By the second half of the game, a mystery and possible conspiracy emerges that forces even our two characters to wonder if they’re sane, or starting to lose it from the months of isolation in the forest.

That sense of isolation is a major reason it gets so freaky and disquieting. Every day you descend the lookout tower, there’s this eerie feeling of being watched or followed. There’s almost an “edge-of-your-seat” atmosphere by the back end that is impressive to pull off for one of these types of games! Some might wind up very disappointed with the revelations, and with an ending that feels a bit unsatisfactory, but that was never really the point.

Arguably the biggest thing about the ending is that your choices of responses throughout the game matter little. As a massive fire spreads and forces Henry and Delilah to be evacuated from the park, players eventually make their way to Delilah’s tower only to find she has already been whisked away by a helicopter. The two talk on the radio, possibly for the last time, and we realize we as the player will never get to meet her for real. After hours of game (in which about 80 “days” occur in the fiction), in which we joked, flirted, and connected with her, she urges Henry to Australia to be with his wife. Essentially, that you can’t just keep running away from your problems or the hardships in your life.

This message is a bit of a mixed bag in that it is both relatable on so many levels and effectively established in the text, but also feels a bit unearned given that it’s interactive media where they give you choices to make. For my playthrough, the way that I controlled Henry’s general demeanor was such that his wife was effectively gone and he was removed from her life. Not that in my mind as a player, he would never connect with her, but she was on a different continent and her parents effectively kicked Henry out of her day to day life. It only seemed reasonable to play in a way that Henry was confronting that with his decision to take the fire watch job, but also to try and find the path forward with his life.

It’s not necessarily that I wanted him and Delilah to “get together,” but it made little sense why Delilah would suggest that Henry was trying too hard to avoid his issue. Or at least, that she seemed hesitant to even commit to remaining friends after they got back to their homes. The flip side to having a pre-determined conclusion with a specific emotional message is that it can be undermined by the hours of player interaction. It’s not a huge problem in Firewatch, but it is something that can occur depending on how the player chooses to respond on the radio.

There isn’t a ton to do in this game, but it still finds a way to be incredibly captivating and compelling. It draws players in with excellent world design choices, writing, and performances. And it’s not one of those games that will be a giant time-suck, though players can get lost for a while if they want. There are plenty of great examples of so-called “walking simulators” available, Firewatch absolutely belongs on that list.

Reductive Rating: Very good!

Available On: OSX, Linux, Windows, XBox One, PS4, Switch