Firewatch Review

Firewatch is a little first-person adventure game from the developer Camp Santo. I was first made aware of this game's existence during E3 in 2015. I saw a demo of it and was immediately intrigued by its unique style and premise. It looked like soemthing completely unlike anything I had ever experienced in terms of video games, and I made a mental note to buy it when it was released. While all of Firewatch's ambitions do not come to fruition in the final product, the game is too well-written and daring in concept to ignore.

Firewatch is interesting because it tries something different for a change. It all feels very natural and organic unlike many video games which adhere to a certain forumla of a genre or developer. This is the debut outing for Camp Santo as well as the publishing company Panic. And I have to say, it was refreshing. It had a similarly original and invigorating vibe as games like The Last of Us and Alan Wake. While I don't think Firewatch is quite as good as either of those titles, it did remind me of them.

After juxtaposing them all, I realized that this is due to the fact that they are all character and story driven video games. They don't boast the most innovative controls or gameplay settings, but they get the player to care about the characters and the situations they get into, which, at least for me, results in a more rewarding and satisfying experience than something like Call of Duty or Forza, both of which are titles that rely on the merits of their gameplay.

However, this also proves to be the game's biggest flaw. It's very cinematic and immersive, but not very entertaining to play. The gameplay is primitively basic and didn't leave me wanting to play the game more as much as I was hoping. The controls are pragmatic rather than fun. This will turn many gamers off from Firewatch, I'm sure. And it did keep me from enjoying the game itself as much as I did the dialogue and themes. For this reason, you're almost better off watching someone else play the game rather than spend the money on it yourself.

However, at only $20, it isn't a waste of money either. And this is due to the many aspects of the game that work. The most prominent of these is the characters. The two characters that the game focuses on build such believable chemistry throughout the narrative, that I found myself completely immersed in their dialogue and interactions, the same way a well-written film makes you forget you're watching a movie. The "script" so to speak was almost flawless, and while not every plot point hits the bullseye, I could've listened to these people talk for hours.

This is also because of the top-notch voice acting. The voice talent at work in Firewatch breath life into their characters and actually make them endearing people that I wanted to spend time with. As I mentioned before, I genuinely cared about them and what happened to them. It's rare for a video game to do this to me, but Firewatch did. I must also mention that the game is visually beautiful, with stunning landscapes that vary from dusk to dawn and everything in between.

Ultimately, this game is going to be divisive. People who are used to conventional gameplay and controls may find it frustrating and rather boring. However, if you're interested in a video game that actually focuses on its characters and story, then you'll probably be delighted with Firewatch's well-written and adult dialogue and the layered characters that are on display. I personally think it's worth putting 20 bucks towards Firewatch, if only to see for yourself which side you land on.

I've purposefully made this review short and vague because I want you to know as little as possible about this game going into it. It's a mystery full of surprises, and while the ending may prove disappointing or anticlimactic to some, I personally thought it was a fittingly realistic and ambiguous conclusion. I'd love to see Camp Santo take this style of gaming to new places with their future works.

B+