Firewatch 17+

I really enjoyed playing Firewatch on a Macbook 2013 with an xbox360 gamepad. The game has an original setting and story, complete with gorgeous graphics. While the game environments are dramatic and rendered beautifully with dynamic weather effects, walking through the forest felt a bit dull after a while as there is no sign of any wild life. In fact, with the exception of a few birds you never encounter a living thing throughout the game. The forest backdrop reminded me of Assassins Creed III, yet AC III felt so much more alive with all the wildlife. Firewatch follows a red thread and the story is quite short. (I downloaded the game and played it through in one sitting, 3-4 hours of gameplay.) It’s a very passive game as there are no puzzles to solve, you just simply trot along listening to the dialogue. Thankfully the story is deeply engaging and keeps you playing until the final outcome is revealed. Some challenges, side quests / sandbox play or perhaps different endings would have been nice for replay value.

Let me start off by saying this game is very fun. The graphics are phenominal, the audio is incredible, and the storyline/plot is amazing. With that being said, I feel that this game lacked a resolution. Firewatch only lasts several hours maximum and for a $20 game, 3 hours is not enough time. It is almost like they were in a rush to release it before it was ever finished, and in turn, they cut some corners. Also, On my 2018 Macbook Air, the game was very laggy at times and there was nothing I could do about it. other than that it was a great game. I'm glad I played it, but it wasn't worth the $20. and to anyone reading this thinking about buying it, don't do it unless the price goes down or the gameplay experience goes up.

This experience was intriguing from the very start, and the story always kept me wondering where things were going from first launch. There were mysteries at every turn, and my interest in solving them advanced as situations proceeded to get weirder and weirder. This mystery succeeds where others fail — it was genuinely creepy and often made the hairs on my arm stand up. This is a wonderful (however sad) story told in an unique way. I was touched deeply as my Dad has dementia, and I am currently going through many of the emotions that our protagonist wrestles with.

I stayed up way too late playing this adventure the first night and couldn’t wait to finish it the next. I do wish the story came together a bit more at the end. The reveal is not as exciting as it seemed it would be. I would, however, gladly pay again to experience more from this maker.