Hello Everyone
So, Today I am reviewing Firewatch for the PS4. Firewatch is an adventure game developed by Campo Santo. The game was released in February 2016 for Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, and PlayStation 4, for Xbox One in September 2016, and for Nintendo Switch in December 2018. The game is set in Wyoming and you play as Henry.
Henry has taken a job in the wilderness as a fire lookout while there he tries to come to terms with his current relationship problems. The game starts with a series of on-screen dialogue choices where you basically relive the previous years of henry's life and relationship. It's a beautiful way of setting the tone of the game and explaining who Henry is how he met his wife and why he's retreated into the wilderness. The story unfolds through a series of interactions with Henry's colleague at the Firewatch and over time you understand more about Henry and his relationship.
Your main job in Firewatch is to prevent any mass scale fires starting which involves keeping a lookout from your watchtower where you sleep at night. It's a pretty relaxed game and it's more like a walking simulator at times with the occasional piece of dialogue interaction thrown in. The mountain you live on has some dark secrets and those you will uncover as you progress through the game. You will find out about henry and his colleague via their conversations and it's a really nice way of developing character and story. The wilderness is pretty fast and you do have to orientate yourself around the landscape. You have a map and a compass and getting from a to b does require some thought as the game doesn't really hold your hand with the navigation. You can climb lay down new ropes to access areas quicker and explore old cabins mysterious caves and various other places. There are supply caches throughout the map that have items and maps in them that will help you expand your understanding of the region but honestly, the game, it's more about Henry's emotional state than the state of the Firewatch.
The firewatch duties are the day-to-day grind of the game but it's really a story about a man who's suffering some deep sadness due to his relationship issues and how the lady on his walkie-talkie helps him process this and how their relationship develops through these conversations. It's a very calm very peaceful and thoughtful game and one of those cerebral games that people who like that kind of thing will really appreciate. Graphically it's a very pleasant looking game the color palette features is a nice kind of soft pastel shade and it's very serene, very beautiful and the landscapes really are nice to explore. The game does have a camera mode but it's literally just a camera you can carry around with you and take shots on it so it's kind of light camera mode but it's a very nice game to look at you know it's very soothing very calm it suits the kind of style of the game the visuals and the style they're nicely blended together.
The voice acting is excellent and the two main characters really feel like real people they don't feel one-dimensional like a lot of game characters they speak with feeling and their connection really grows throughout the story and you can feel that in their voices throughout the music is sparse but it suits the moments well but for the most part, it's more environmental ambiance and sound effects you will be hearing. The sound effects are perfectly pitched and balanced and they never feel too intrusive to the audio. They just sit there and complement everything without being too heavy-handed. So, it's a very powerful and emotive story that's well thought out and well-paced the audio and the visuals are beautiful and they complement the story perfectly it's a very thought-provoking experience. The game has quite a sedate pace and it won't be for everyone.
Firewatch is a thoroughly enjoyable and immersive experience about a man dealing with emotional trauma and trying to find some clarity in the wyoming wilderness. It's a game more about the atmosphere aesthetics and story than traditional gameplay the way the story is conveyed is really admirable and it's well-paced and by the end, you really feel like you understand the characters, who they are and what they've been through. It's a really nice game to play it's very leisurely if you want something just to sort of kick back and play without too much stress this is it well written, well structured, well-paced, very good game.
My pervious work Detention Review