Firewatch… Back in relatively distant 2018, being naive and simple-minded, I completed it and received incredibly positive emotions. From that moment on, I make sure to start this story again and again once every year or two. And despite the fact that every stone here, every turn, every crack for a hook reeks of memories, after the finale I again plunge into reflection on seemingly hackneyed topics and find new thoughts for myself. But if you go online and look at how society reacts to this work, you will find positive reviews. True, with a constant caveat: almost everywhere it will be said about “disappointment effect„related to the plot. The word „masterpiece” will be mentioned only a few times. I want to talk about what Firewatch is, but at the same time explain why the effect of disappointment in a video game necessary.

In fact, this article will be more subjective, since the perception of Firewatch strongly depends on the player’s worldview, his assessment of in-game events and position in the “gameplay-story” scheme, which I will talk about later.

Like most low-budget indie projects, Firewatch cuts off most of the mass player due to its slowness and lack of dynamic, rich gameplay. There are no action components, deep mechanics, or interesting video game solutions. Here there is nothing cult. This is literally the most ordinary video game. But she doesn’t need more.

While we haven’t gone far, I’ll tell you more about the gameplay. As you can understand from my opinions earlier, it is quite primitive. The player’s main task is wander and watch, only occasionally interacting with the world around him. What can we say if the hero cannot even jump and jump from ledges without starting animations, which reduces the already poor interactivity to minimal values.

If jumps are implemented only at one point and are optional, then jumping without animation is impossible.

But, to the advantage of Firewatch, the ambience of the forest in the gameplay is conveyed thanks to orientation using a paper map and compass, with the help of which you need to independently find your way to the desired point. And if you go into the settings and turn off the main character’s mark on the map, you get a richer and more interesting experience, because you not only have to understand which direction the player is going, but also where he is and how to get to certain places without getting lost. Here the potential of the updated symbols that our protagonist introduces with a pencil is revealed.

And no matter how good it sounds, a video game won’t offer you anything more. Just collect different things and twirl them in your huge hand.

It would seem that with such baggage in the form of a small cart, the verdict on a video game that does not consider itself in the “interactive cinema” genre is obvious. But here… I turn off the dry analyst. After all, my previous statements are zilch..

Why?

We return to the already mentioned scheme “plot-gameplay». If you roughly divide it, you will get three global positions. The first one reflects the line of thinking about gameplay – these statements are necessary for the position absolutism towards the gameplay, for those for whom the plot is a side effect, at most, an explanation of what is happening around. Firewatch needs a different approach. It can be found in the remaining two points – where the player evaluates the plot on par with gameplay value, as well as for those who are looking for, so to speak, meaning in the virtual world happening around. From this point of view, further discussion will proceed.

World in Firewatch

You can’t interact deeply with the world. What then remains?? Observe. This is one of the Firewatch mottos. The player is not in an urban environment where anthropogenicity wins out over nature, not in a rural wilderness where these two forces are in a precarious balance, and not even in critical conditions of paramount survival in dangerous places. He is a sentinel in a national forest area, he does not need to hunt and change the world around him to suit himself. The task is just the opposite. Therefore, in the video game, the graphics are implemented in such a way that the eye clings to it and receives aesthetic pleasure from the landscapes stretching to the horizon. This is helped by the stylization of the project, bordering between realistic proportionality and colorfully lightweight detailing. In addition, a special place is occupied by lighting, which sets the right tone for what is happening and perfectly dilutes the perception of previously visited places. Aspects of the visuals are made so that the player constantly stops and looks at the carefully recreated frames, admiring them even in the conditions of a major fire.

Instead of a photo mode, the game features a film camera with a limited number of films, so you have to choose your frames wisely. But, as a bonus, after completing the game you can download the photos you took and, for example, replace your desktop wallpaper with them.

Of course, there are some drawbacks – the graphic style gives negative fruit. The previously mentioned detailing for some models is too lame, which is why individual tufts of grass are, so to speak, not very pleasant to look at. The horizon is made in the form of 2D art, which feels excessively static against the background of closer objects. This does not allow us to fully call the graphics exemplary, but they can be described as pleasant.

However, in such a setting, the player is accompanied by a single forest scenery, how can you look at them for 5 hours (and this is approximately the duration of the first playthrough), because it can quickly get boring? Here it is worth going to the point implementation peace. Shoshoni is not that big: I can’t vouch for the exact dimensions, but you can easily walk from one end of the map to the other in 10 minutes, which speaks to its compactness. Despite this, the semi-open world is quite diverse and capable of entertaining the average person. This is a spacious grassy area, narrow corridor passages, cave rubble, lush and dead trees and many more scenery. This is how the admiration of nature described above is achieved, because the environment does not become boring with monotony and is easily recognized upon repeated visits to individual areas.

Yes, Firewatch’s landscapes are https://nokyccasinos.org.uk/review/lucki-casino/ truly varied..

But besides observation there is also an element research. For example, quite obvious ranger boxes, in which, through notes, a small story of the characters behind the scenes is revealed. In them you can also find some items that serve as a starting point for discussing certain topics.

There are also hidden places. You can always go to optional corners of the forest, where landscapes unusual for the world of Firewatch appear before the player’s eyes. For example, an abandoned and burnt-out hut or a mini-scene with a raccoon sitting on a stump. The spirit of exploration is felt and encouraged for the player.

I would like to note sound design, which manifests itself both in individual sounds and in musical accompaniment. Now I suggest you close your eyes. Yes, close, turn off the music if you are listening to it right now.

Imagine that you are in the forest.

Try to hear it… Sound.

If it appeared in your head, then approximately the same variety of noises that saturate the real forest are also transmitted in the virtual Shoshone corner. Yes, I agree that right now I slightly exaggerated, because animals can be heard very, very rarely, but this has more to do with the problem that the forest inhabitants are not implemented in the game in principle (except for a couple of moments). But in other points the sound is implemented very well. Wind, steps, rustling, breathing of a character, crackling radio, soundproofing effect, echo in a confined space… Little things like that pleasant, that I couldn’t help but pay attention to them.

However, about soundtrack I won’t write such a tirade. Yes, it has suitable compositions for each situation, creating the atmosphere necessary for the scene and frame, but nothing more. As in the gameplay, there are no sections in the music for complete recognition and virality, so during the passage the player will enjoy the accompaniment in his ears and will forget about it a day after passing.

It’s time to move on to what the Shoshoni forest lives on – to plot component. I will divide it into two parts – without spoilers, and, accordingly, with them. 6 years have passed since the release. Of course, many who wanted to play the video game did so, but I prefer to review for ALL interested, so I will only post major spoilers with a warning. Let’s get started.

Where do we start??

I’ll start a little with the non-trivial side of the plot issue – variability. She is really present here and manifests herself in dialogues and small details. But one cannot count on global changes and ramifications beyond recognition. Let’s analyze the system using examples from the introduction (these are not spoilers). For example, the episode with the dog. No matter which dog the protagonist chooses from the two proposed ones, neither the attitude towards him nor the fate of the pet will change. Or one of the situations with my wife. She is offered to work in a place far from the couple’s place of residence. The main character may insist on refusal, may agree, but this has no result in the decision in the future. And, of course, during all elections he will go to work as a watchman in the forest. This is how the scheme is built a single beginning, ramifications to some or, in rare cases, many ways and leading to one final. And so with all the variable moments, both plot and of little significance. Variability only serves the role of playing out a certain character’s character, which you independently build with actions and remarks to diversify the interactivity of what is happening. Frankly, variability does not encourage replayability.

And now to the story itself. Main character – Henry – a man who does not stand out in any way in society, does not live in extravagant conditions and is not even chosen. He lives a very ordinary life, like many of us. The backstory, done in a text novel format, briefly tells the story of Henry’s fate, showing very minor conversations at first, but leading up to complex issues. The main character’s wife, Julia, suffers from early dementia, which is why all the plans, the whole life of the main character, its meaning, collapse.

Regardless of our actions, the player ends up in the Shoshone Forest to work as a lookout for the summer. Here stay accompanies Delilah – a lookout from another district, whom Henry will never see in person in the entire history. But it will become a good companion and entertainment when crossing different territories. Although here variability may appear, where the player has the right to rudely ignore dialogue with it (if it is not a topic significant for the plot).

And so Henry, living his days in the wilderness, spends his time getting into some troubles. Entering into the atmosphere of the forest, surrounding nature and a spiritual, easy-to-start adventure – all lead to relaxation and peace of mind. The video game does this task perfectly, and if that’s what you’re looking for, you can definitely try Firewatch.

But this feeling doesn’t last forever.

What’s happening?

After the first third, the global storyline begins, which is a controversial and discussed part for many. A thriller and detective story appears about how Henry and Delilah are being followed by someone unknown and recording their conversations. Gradually a tangle of chain of events unfolds, becoming larger and denser. Rehearsal walks turn into tense sections that increase player engagement. Intrigue takes on more and more emphasis and is elevated to absolute size, heating up events. Along with the tension, Firewatch tries to.. Scare.

No, the video game does not turn into horror, but believe me, it can tickle your nerves. It is worth admitting that the video game skillfully combines areas of fear with relaxation, which does not allow the player to completely get bogged down in intrigue, because Firewatch, do not forget, is still about a watchman in the forest, even if he does not fulfill his duties very well.

Added to this is the emergence of a natural fire, which later merges with an artificial one, due to which the burning of the forest becomes inevitable. And here we can draw an analogy with how the increase in the degree of danger of fire increases with the risk that the player will face. The fire, as it were, personifies what is happening both in the environment and in the player’s soul.

But discussing every point in this section in detail is not my goal. To fully experience the moments, you should already familiarize yourself with Firewatch, and I’ll move closer to final parts.

Despite the fact that the heroes’ nerves can’t stand it, Henry continues to investigate the surveillance and eventually finds the reason for the lack of a key to the nearest cave and blackmail towards the watchmen. Dead boy Brian Goodwin, son of a former watchtower that Henry now controls. Delilah thought that he had left this place long ago and was studying at school, but a different fate befell him. And I would like to focus on this episode. Because here the apogee of all feelings occurs, a surge of horror from the picture that the player sees in front of him. Bare rocks, a bright beam of light, the dead body of a teenager. Death in a form in which no one wants to see her..

In fact, very few video games show the dead in such an unnatural way. You see, death in the interactive space has become everyday life. And now I’m not even talking about such dynamic genres as shooters and slashers, or, for example, horror, where literally the player’s goal is the desire for life, which causes fear of death. You can regret the death of characters, understand them, sympathize with them, but you will hardly be able to experience the sensation of death.

It’s different with Firewatch. First of all, Firewatch is not a work where the player enters and imagines terrible images. Secondly, the death of Brian Goodwin occurs at the peak of the feelings of the main characters, when there is nothing left but despair and the desire to find out what is happening. And after the player gets deep into the cave and leaves it, a terrible… Emptiness remains in his head. I no longer care that someone was spying on me and threatening my life. Spit. The guy died. Not in a global catastrophe, not because of one’s actions. Accidentally.

While playing through Firewatch, I imagined anything but this ending to the story. This is a really sad moment that stays in your head and gets ingrained in your perception.

The next day is the final one. The watchmen are evacuated due to the complete chaos of the fire and comprehensive burnout, Henry is forced to leave towards Delilah. And here the last remaining global question is revealed – who was watching?? It turns out that the answer is not something supernatural. These are not special services, not scientists, and certainly not aliens. It was Brian Goodwin’s father, Ned, isolated after the death of his son in the forest. He luckily came across equipment from Wapiti Station, which he used to listen to Delilah and Henry’s conversations. He didn’t have any special goal, he did it more for fun and interest. But when the heroes began to suspect what was here and why, Ned began to cover his tracks and take Henry away from the cave, but everything turned out completely differently..

And this is where opinions differ about the ending. For many, this turn of events turned out to be.. Disappointing. They call it a bad decision because the video game didn’t lead to that ending all along. Everything turned out to be quite mundane and ordinary. Hence the “disappointment effect”. I understand perfectly well why people respond to the ending this way, but I don’t think Firewatch needs another ending. What the player sees in the end plays a more psychological role. The ending fits perfectly with the mood of the surroundings. A total burnout occurs around the hero, the forest literally ceases to exist before our eyes. But does the player feel compassion, regret, or horror about this?? No. The fire no longer becomes the peak of emotions, but rather their unloading. Especially on most of the road there are no conversations or distracting stimuli. Even the discussion of Ned’s lair takes place almost completely alone. Henry is left with the player alone with his thoughts. It seems to me that if in the end we saw a finale in the spirit of “The heroes were actually being monitored by a scientific group or something similar„, then the emotions and messages would be completely different. Messages of relief or total misunderstanding and “wow effect”. Firewatch doesn’t need either. Note that with the ending in place, it’s hard to forget that the action is still taking place in the forest. The feeling of the forest does not disappear and accompanies the player until the credits even when burned out. I think the „frustration effect” is necessary in Firewatch. In these words I am not saying that this is the pure truth and that the ending should be perceived one way and no other way. My perception went this way, yours may turn out completely differently. This is fine. If you want to discuss the ending and argue with me, then I’m open to communication in the comments.

What, after the spoilers there is still text?

At this point the review could be completed, but there is still something left to discuss until the end. In literally every point I constantly mentioned two things – the forest and. Atmosphere. This is exactly what brings me back to a video game over and over again, regardless of knowledge of the plot and mechanics. I said a lot about nature, I think you could perfectly understand its priority in literally everything, so I don’t see the point in repeating myself. I’ll touch on the other side – people in nature. Yes, there are only two active participants – the main character, Henry, and Delilah. But Firewatch does a great job of showing that it’s quality, not quantity, that matters. Dialogues between two sentinels are something.

One example taken out of context. Of course, you can present the dialogues in the form of dry text, but it’s better to hear them.

Funny, sometimes causing Spanish shame, but most importantly – live dialogues. I believe in the behavior of Delilah, the main character, and I enjoy listening to first humorous and then absolutely serious and panicky cries. And Henry, despite the fact that the player himself builds the dialogues and his temperament, is not a soulless dummy, but a completely written character. Maybe the subjective side plays here again and the fact that the character of the main character largely coincides with how I would behave in the situations that Firewatch offers, but this factor does not detract from the merits of the writers. These are the main trump cards of Firewatch. Spirit of the Forest And liveliness of conversation. This doesn’t raise the video game to the „masterpiece” level, but it does make it stand out from others. Thanks to this I’m staying with Firewatch.

This is how the review turned out. With a bunch of thoughts, reflections, topics gathered around one video game. As I said, my vision may differ markedly from yours, so I suggest you write in the comments your attitude towards Firewatch or the review. And, as many have written and are writing, I hope that I am not saying “Goodbye”, but “Goodbye”.