Firewatch - Review

It's that time of year again, the Steam Summer Sale!  I have already purchased a few games and have started to work through them.  The first game on my list is Firewatch, when it was released just over two years ago I paid little attention to it mostly due to having a slew of other games to play at the time - but in honesty, there is always a lot to play.


Mmm, ham and cheese sandwiches.  They are simple yet satisfying, good quality ham and cheese caught between two great pieces of bread.  If you need something to jazz up you can throw in some mayonnaise, mustard, spread or a little sauce.  The only issue that can arise from this humble snack is the ingredients used in its creation, go too cheap on the ham or cheese and it can taste awful, choose poor quality bread and it can be dry - long story short, poor ingredients can lead to a bad taste being left in your mouth.  Playing Firewatch I found myself was this a humble snack with great ingredients or one that would leave me reaching for mouthwash afterwards?

Story


The game has you play as Henry, who due to certain events in his life has sought out a job in the wilderness.  The job entails you being on the lookout for fires and any other potential shenanigans.  It is a lonely job and the only contact you have is from a voice coming from your walkie-talkie.  In the early parts of the game, everything is almost peaceful, as it progresses mystery and intrigue build and you wonder if there something more going on?  Similar to TellTale Games the Walking Dead the story and gameplay are so closely linked that it is difficult to say more without spoiling it.


Overall a great and engaging story that's only real flaw is the last half hour where everything tapers off and left me feeling a little disappointed.

Visuals


The visuals could best be described as beautifully simplistic.   There is detail and there is none.  When you're in the watchtower you can see the all the little details, books, cooking equipment, pictures and all the standard bits and pieces you might expect to see.  However, when you are outside, the woods, plants and flowers have a low level of detail but still managed to look really good.  There are moments while playing that I came across sunlight splitting the trees, water flowing into a sparkling lake, burned trees with fresh flowers growing out of them and beautiful fire red skies.


Overall a visually impactful game that made me really rethink what makes a game beautiful.



Music


The soundtrack features haunting guitars both acoustic and electric, along with something that sounded like a cross between a piano and an organ which turns out to be a Fender Rhodes.  The composer is Chris Remo a Video Game Designer, Composer and Writer, some of his previous work includes the soundtracks for Gone Home and Captain Bubblenaut.


The score runs a little over thirty minutes, it is subtle and only reveals itself at certain points in the game.  My favourite pieces include; 'prologue', 'stay in your tower and watch', and 'new equipment'.


Overall a haunting and deep soundtrack that well suited for the game.

Gameplay

The game has you play from a first-person perspective.  The biggest part of the game is exploration, you will have a map and compass to start with but as you progress through the story you will acquire more equipment.  Navigating the world I found it a little restrictive at times being unable to pass small obstacles and being halted by the 'invisible wall'.   One of the best parts for me were the conversations you had on the walkie-talkie,  for the most part, they seem simple, almost mundane but feel very real.  In a world that felt very lonely, the dialogue had a real impact.


The game is relatively short, there are two additional games modes that are offered, one of them allows users to explore the world with all equipment available straight away without being bogged down by the story, there is also an audio commentary mode.


Overall some interesting and meaningful gameplay, it would have been nice not to be as restricted but considering the story length perhaps it was good the way it was?




Final Thoughts

So, after little over five hours how did I feel?  Overall I was pretty happy, there were some great visuals, good music, and some interesting story.  The ending for me fell a little short and occasionally the gameplay felt a little awkward but as a whole, I felt pretty satisfied.  In honesty, up until the end of the game, I was looking at giving it top marks but in the end, I settled on 4 out of 5