Firewatch Review (Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 & PC)

It isn’t often that I get fully immersed in the dialogue between two wayward individuals, but in Firewatch, the chemistry is invigoratingly more-ish. It’s a difficult one, to be able to mentally engross yourself in the journey when you’re too entwined with the words and the emotional tides that congregate around campfire monologues. Yet, there is something about the way this world builds its narrative and conveys its essence; it’s bittersweet, yet enticingly beautiful. It’s a journey that I’ll remember, if not for the brief encounters with a roaming pet turtle, then for the twilight nattering and the oddly mysterious events of Yellowstone. Oh, Firewatch has the kindling to set a blazing inferno in its chosen spectrum. It’s just a shame that worlds like these often get overshadowed by the copious amounts of red-letter RPGs.

For a relatively short game that doesn’t stretch much beyond the realm of an indie walking simulator, there is a tremendous amount of heart tucked away beneath the flames of Firewatch’s bonfire axis. A lonely man; a deteriorating spouse; a distant accomplice; a two-way radio; a national park; and a summer of turmoil and uncertainty, mysteries and unlikely friendships. Oh, Firewatch crams a lot into its brief three-hour tale, and it does more than enough to keep you invested as you take to the post as the newfound keeper of a park on the cusp of bellowing out a rather dismal event. But, more on that later.

New Beginnings

Firewatch begins its tale with a short passage of time—a chain of events that, while mostly text-based, enrolls you into a love letter of emotional distress. Henry, a lonesome soul whose spouse is suffering from onset dementia, makes a brash decision to leave the liminal walls of reality and into the great outdoors—a national park where woodlands and a handful of watch towers lay in wait. As Henry, we begin this quest with a simple objective: take the post, and ascend the tower. A two-way radio looms in the balance, and who else but a young-ish colleague—Delilah—waits on the other end, ready to welcome you to the park and, unknown to you at the time of your arrival, into a peculiar series of events that will soon to shape.

The game itself takes place over a two-month period, with each shift involving a different task and a new portion of the park. You can venture out into the woodlands, examine items, collect data, and, more importantly, converse with Delilah via the radio to establish a friendship. There’s an underlying plot here that you also need to unravel, but we won’t go into details about it, if only to prevent spoilers from leaking out from beneath the woodwork. You’ll thank us later.

As I mentioned earlier, the game is just as much about bonding with Delilah and shaping the narrative via a two-way radio as it is about unraveling a mystery that hovers in the darkness. There are choices that you can make, hidden areas that you can explore, and, to top it all off, a turtle that you can adopt. A small addition, but a good one, nonetheless. Who doesn’t love turtles?

Beyond the Borders of Yellowstone

Thankfully, Firewatch has a fascinating progression hook that keeps you wanting more as you gradually shovel through the seasonal changes. A new obstacle; a new tool; an adolescent duo with a knack for wildfires; a missing boy; a mysterious silhouette that hangs in the background. The point is, it brings a new opportunity for you to explore with each passing day, and to give credit where credit is due, it does a spectacular job of keeping you on tenterhooks for the duration of it all, truly.

Enveloped within all of the above is a vibrant, albeit somewhat simple comic book-like visual palette and a ton of little features that compliment the overall feel and seasonal aesthetic. And then there are the small details: the option to snap photographs of the forest wildfires and panoramic goodness; the ability to adopt and cater to wildlife critters; and the fact that you can, with the power of a two-way radio, alter the course of the endgame and enhance the narrative. A lot of great bits and pieces to unpack here.

While Firewatch won’t be to everyone’s liking, it is likely to appeal to those who enjoy solid storylines that rely on dialogue and audio cues to fortify their characters’ personalities and development. It isn’t an action-centric RPG, so if you are looking for a game that waxes those itches, then you might be better suited for an alternate national park. For everything else, though, I’d say that Firewatch brings more than enough to the table to cater to your tastes.

Verdict

Firewatch lights the kindling beneath an emotionally riveting summer excursion that simply oozes powerful dialogue and intriguing character development arcs, with its complimentary story and vibrant world design attributing its unique qualities to establish a truly immersive and memorable experience that will leave you feeling bewilderingly cathartic.

Suffice it to say here that, Firewatch knows how to keep the bonfire alight just when the kindling begins to crumble. It’s in the dialogue, as well as the way that it keeps you second guessing yourself as you explore your thoughts and surroundings and gradually weave the tapestry to fashion a comprehensive narrative. As a result of this, the gameplay does often fall short by comparison with the storytelling — but not in a bad way.

See, Firewatch is something of an audiovisual affair, if anything. Again, there are interactive segments, and the game does require you to lean into your intrusive thoughts to help thread the needle and accomplish certain tasks to help you progress. However, that is but a small part of what this is. And to be honest with you, it’s unlikely that I’ll remember the turtle, or even the swarm of bees. And yet, I will remember the late-night talks with Delilah and the evolution of an unlikely alliance, the missing boy and the mischievous teens.

If it isn’t clear to you yet — yes, Firewatch is worth the admission price. Again, it’s a relatively short tale that wraps itself up in just under a few hours. That said, it is one that leaves you wanting more — a lot more. Like a good visual novel with a solid hook, it leaves you almost craving a sequel. Sadly, it probably won’t happen, but that’s another story for another time. The point is, if you’re desperately looking for a compelling story with idyllic qualities and rich dialogue, then you honestly needn’t look any further than the canyons of Yellowstone.