Again, I agree that it felt like it could go anywhere, a government conspiracy certainly seeming on the cards. Campo Santo really nailed the whole idea of isolation, of being alone with your thoughts, guessing what would happen next-and that was exactly what I did throughout. Like you said, the story is very well controlled, giving you enough time to ponder possibilities, but not enough that you feel bored or underwhelmed by the action. She's really the star of this game, I think. A lot of that comes down to the performance of Cissy Jones, her voice actor, of course, but nevertheless I was really impressed by the relationship that builds between Henry, "you," and her. Even stationed at a distant watchtower, she's a more three-dimensional character than many we see in gaming. But it really is a wonderfully controlled story, that puts all these different plot line pieces on place for, I guess, 60 percent of the game, letting your mind play with them, over and over, before delivering the linearity that takes you to the climax.įor a game that really doesn't feature any human contact, I not only found myself attached to Henry, because of how Campo Santo set him up, but also Delilah. Naturally it's a very scripted game so I knew that whatever bad shit was going to happen absolutely would, regardless of my caution-and when that something actually did, I jumped off the sofa. I know that game previews have shown that you're not alone in the wilderness, and knowing that someone else is out here with you, maybe hunting you, kept me forever sweeping the camera around, checking out crannies and stirring bushes, just in case. There was a sniff of governmental conspiracy about the proceedings. And when the peak was reached, the game really felt like it could go anywhere. It gives you a whole set of problems going on around Henry-and by extension the never-seen but always-heard supporting character Delilah, watching over things from another tower-and that led to me feeling like I was going up the incline towards a massive drop.
Without giving too much away, I think it masterfully measures how to layer suspense. MD: I don't know about roller coaster exactly, but I certainly felt my shoulders tensing, my heart rate rising, during the game's final third. Did you also go on an emotional roller coaster with it? I've not been able to stop thinking about the story-it was very gripping, and certainly Firewatch's biggest strength. So quickly that you aren't just a passive viewer of the story anymore, you're actively involved, which like you said, sets the precedent for how you play the game later on and how you feel about the situations that arise. The decisions are very realistic, so much so that I've experienced one of them myself in real life, and I think that's what draws you in about the game: You can imagine yourself in Henry's shoes. I had to really think these decisions through, as I didn't want to mess anything up for Henry. Like you, I often put as little effort into character creation as I can in order to get to the main game. Is that the aspect of the game that's lasting longest for you, do you think?ĮQ: Yes, certainly. Would you agree with that? Having finished it a few nights ago, I keep thinking what a great little novel its story would make. In many respects, that's a fine precedent for what follows, as while the game is beautiful to look at (for the most part-I'll get onto my issues with it soon enough), its real strength is its story. But here, I felt really connected to Henry, without ever seeing his face-and that's completely because of how Campo Santo opens the game. I didn't rush through it, as I often do through "standard" character-creation tools. The "choose your own adventure" section, where you're effectively laying down the foundations for who your character, Henry (definitely not Hank) is, took me by surprise and gave me true reason to pause. Again, I'm deadly keen to avoid spoilers, but I think we need to mention something about the first minutes of Firewatch. MD: I'll refrain from calling you anything at all, because I certainly felt the same way during the game's opening moments. The opening of the game actually made me cry, and yes, you can call me a big lady part for that, if you want. But it was how quickly I became emotionally invested in Firewatch's characters that surprised me the most. What transpired in the game's plot, I definitely didn't see coming. If you could summarize your experience in just a few lines, which we can then bounce off to further the discussion, what would they be? No spoilers, obviously.Įmma Quinlan: My experience with Firewatch was a surprising one, in a very positive way. Mike Diver: Emma, you've finished Firewatch.