Game Review: Firewatch

Written by contributor Courtney Blanton

The year is 1989. You are a man named Henry who has retreated from your messy life to work as a fire lookout in the Wyoming wilderness. Perched high atop a mountain, it’s your job to look for smoke and keep the wilderness safe. An especially hot, dry summer has everyone on edge. Your supervisor, a woman named Delilah, is available to you at all times over a small, handheld radio—your only contact with the world you’ve left behind. But when something strange draws you out of your lookout tower and into the world, you’ll explore a wild and unknown environment, facing questions and making choices that can build or destroy the only meaningful relationship you have.

Let’s be honest, with a cover and description such as with this one, who could not be drawn towards it?! This was a game that had been on my radar for quite some time, so when Nintendo had this title marked down to just $5.99 during their summer sale, I knew it was the perfect time to snatch this one up!

This game has frequently been described as a walking simulator, which in part is correct. The player spends 76 days (some days are skipped) as the newly hired park ranger named Henry walking around the park on quests given to him by neighbouring park ranger, Delilah. However, the game has so much more to offer players who pick this one up; there are elements of adventure, exploration, and strategy sprinkled into this game that will make it a real treat for those that find themselves giving this one a go.

Adventure is present in this game quite a bit. The player will find themselves interacting with some obnoxious teenagers, shutting down a fireworks show, amongst other challenges during the course of the game’s storyline. Players will never find themselves bored as each day that passes bring about something different that must be achieved before moving onto the next day.

Throughout the park are multiple cache boxes to be discovered; each one will offer a map portion that will update the player’s own map as well as other items that may or may not be beneficial at some point in the game. The player will also find themselves getting the opportunity to explore a cave and find a way to break into a fenced area around the site! It is for the latter, where the player will need to develop a strategy in order to pass this obstacle.

The biggest selling point of the game, though, is the dialogue between Delilah and Henry. As players never get to see the faces of these two characters, it was crucial for the developers to cast two strong voice actors for these roles and they totally nailed it! I loved following Henry’s daily communications with Delilah and listening to their tones change as their relationship blossomed.

I totally recommend this game to other gamers! The game is about six hours long and can be knocked out fairly quickly, but expect a gaming hangover as I found myself missing the adventures of this duo for a while after I beat the game.