Firewatch

Given Firewatch’s standing among narrative-driven indie games, I was surprised that I made it to the end of 2022 without stumbling upon too many spoilers. I had vague impressions that it involved firefighting in the wilderness and that it was loaded with a twist ending, but beyond those hazy points I knew little else. And I’m glad for that, because although Firewatch didn’t blow me away, I must admit that its mysteries are what kept me playing.

Not just the mysteries, actually, but also the wilderness, as the game’s environmental design is phenomenal. Whereas other titles like A Short Hike, Celeste, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild [ゼルダの伝説 ブレス オブ ザ ワイルド] excel at making mountaineering feel exhilarating, Firewatch grounds its hiking mechanics firmly in reality. It’s clear the developers had a personal connection to the wilderness, and the bluffs and valleys of Two Forks feel like they’ve been ripped straight out of Wyoming. Perhaps they were?

While the level design is true to nature, perceptive gamers will also spot elements of Metroidvanias and Dark Souls, such as the way that items like ropes and axes open new paths back to previously visited areas. There are also strong elements of diegetic game design, such as the way the main character (who happens to share my first name – awkward!) pulls the in-game map out of his pocket – a feature I suspect the developers borrowed from Far Cry 2.

Though immersive, the in-game map also draws attention away from the game’s gorgeous environments, and makes me wonder if perhaps there might’ve been a better way to guide the player. What if maps were posted on in-game signboards, like the kind you see in real parks, with a big red “You Are Here” dot? The trailmarkers scattered around Two Forks are a timid step in this direction, but it’s hard to justify relying on them when you have a GPS-capable map in your back pocket.

The other central element of the game is its narrative, and it’s here that your mileage will vary. Much of your hiking time is spent with a walkie talkie in hand, listening to your boss and choosing how to respond. The conversations are engaging and the response options provided cover a fair range of possibilities. Interestingly, while the game is strictly linear, I never felt like it was railroading me. Perhaps this is because the game makes it clear that you’re controlling a character, one with his own background, traits, and motivations, rather than playing as yourself. By inserting a level of psychological distance between player and protagonist, the game deftly staves off the “But that’s not what I want to say” sensation that sometimes plagues choice-heavy games.

In the end, however, the narrative feels like all smoke and no fire. While I can understand why the writers made the choices they did, I feel the end result comes up a bit short, although it’s hard to put my finger on why exactly. Perhaps it feels too real? We create and enjoy fiction as an escape from reality, and when fiction edges too close to the real it has a tendency to fall flat. Obviously others disagree, and even I feel that Firewatch is well worth a play, but experiencing it so many years after its release, in the context of a market saturated with walking simulators, I feel I can no longer truly appreciate the novelty and innovations that made Firewatch a hit.