You are Henry.
A man with a tragic narrative, running to the hills of solitude in the hope of escaping life’s devastating circumstances. It begins with this story. You choose your own history. A bit like the old Goosebumps books where you decide the reaction, and subsequently, the next occurrence in your own story, wondering what horrors may lie ahead. Some outcomes depict moments of joy and happiness, others render more distressing consequences and the overall overwhelming life hurdles lead you to run away from it all.
A mass of beautiful Wyoming wilderness, a place where isolation and silence can engulf you. You have left the burdens of your life back in Boulder to work as a fire lookout. This is where you immediately meet the quirky radio voice of Delilah. You are tired by the long hike to Two Forks Lookout, your home for the next 79 days. Delilah catches you off guard with her direct and playful questioning of why you are there, but you avoid the prying and promptly go to sleep. This marks the beginning of a friendship that looms over the whole story, keeping you intrigued and interested in their interactions. Delilah is your supervisor and she works in one of the other lookout cabins. Her voice gently pervades the solitude as she guides you through different scenarios and seems to be an interaction steering you both physically through your duties, and emotionally through the anguished disconnect from your life back home.
Together you exist in the wilderness and as the story unravels, you collectively journey through a number of scenarios involving a lost backpack, rowdy teenagers, and other more menacing events. The tension that builds during this story leaves you wanting to hear her voice, desperate to piece everything together, and keen to meet the physical embodiment of this voice you’ve become so familiar with. The relationship works well, and plays a delightful part in the wider story. The dialogue is effective and natural; portraying those awkward moments when two people are getting to know one another.
Moving away from the storytelling briefly, the scenery. The scenery was the best part of this game for me.
While the UK is moving from Winter to Spring (Spring being no different to Winter), the game made you crave warmth and walks. I felt as though I had actually been outside exploring this area while the playing the game. The serene forests and enticing sunsets, valleys and peaks. You can explore the forest in detail if you choose, I did that once and discovered I have a very significant absence of navigation skills. I found myself lost so many times, once as a storm was brewing so I panicked that I may drown in my orienteering incompetence!
I mostly played this game over a bank holiday weekend, and the scenery alone was perfect for relaxing on a Sunday afternoon, while the music perfectly captured these tranquil moments. The minimal use of soundtrack worked in the games favour when something dramatic or tense started to build. Composer Chris Remo perfects the use of nature and score to excellently time both peaceful and thrilling moments.
When building tension in this game, the creators have a fantastic way of building on the moment with the score and slowly revealing pieces of the story. Don’t get me wrong, the game is no risk-filled shooting adventure, but it has great components of tension and it has a relaxed feel to it. I actually don’t want to include any spoilers in this article, so I won’t go into detail about the way the story develops, but instead talk about how I was left feeling at the end.
I finished the game, it’s quite a short game, and then played again to see how different dialogue choices would influence my journey. I was left with this tremendous tension… and a lack of closure, which for me, is quite annoying. They conclude the story, but for me it wasn’t enough. It was ‘fine’, but no-one really wants ‘fine’. The ending wasn’t ‘bad’. I just wanted something a little more exciting, something shocking. There are some surprising moments, but with all the tension I had inside me I wanted an explosion of bewilderment. Or perhaps I’m asking too much of the game?
Despite the story not fully paying off for me, I can’t deny the beauty of the game itself, the insight into the development of a meaningful relationship, excellent voice acting, the score, and the picturesque art. I was impressed with how well a ‘small’ game portrayed such an ambitious storytelling. Firewatch is a game stripped down to the bare essentials of being human and genuine storytelling, which it achieves wonderfully.
Thanks for reading and have a lovely evening! Would love to read your comments on this game!
Written by Jodi ‘Starbuck’ Symmonds
Artist at Lightspeed Crafts www.etsy.com/uk/shop/LightspeedCrafts
Dedicated Gamers shack 