What Is It?
Firewatch has intentionally remained largely shrouded in mystery in order to not spoil the experience waiting to be had, but in doing so, it’s quite understandable if you’ve not really heard or seen anything about the game at all. Even if you have seen a trailer or heard a bit of the buzz surrounding the game, you may not know exactly what’s going on or what the basic premise of the game is. That’s where we come in to tell you everything you need to know about Firewatch.
The vibrantly colored wilderness that you may have seen in screenshots is just waiting to be explored, and over the course of five days, staggered unevenly over a 90-day period, you’ll get to explore more of your surroundings and uncover the mysterious story that we’ve explained on the next page.
It’s important to understand that the game isn’t a shooter or action game by any means. Instead, Firewatch implores you to take in its surroundings, become fully immersed in its world, and enjoy the story that has a number of branching options. Don’t expect a ton of action in Firewatch, the game instead puts a heavy emphasis on the largely untouched environment and the atmosphere that comes with being alone in a world that’s brimming with non-human life.
Story
Firewatch puts players in the role of Henry, a man who has retreated from his messy life to become a member of the fire-watch in the Wyoming wilderness. Set in the scorching summer of 1989, the abnormal heat has led to growing concerns over the possibility of a fire breaking out in the dense forests and lush environment of the uninhabited great outdoors of Wyoming. That’s where you come in. As Henry, you will sit in your watchtower perched on top of a mountain, keeping an eye out for any smoke or other suspicious activities that may lead to some troubles and investigating any unusual happenings.
While you won’t have anyone by your side in person during your time playing through Firewatch, Delilah, the female voice on the other end of your two-way radio you may have heard in the trailers for the game, will be there to accompany you and stop Henry from losing his mind with loneliness. Not only this, Delilah is the only way that Henry has a connection to the outside world, meaning that the conversations between the two are going to fill out any missing details and ultimately drive the story forward.
On one particular day, something strange in the distance of your lookout tower alerts you and leads you to leave your vantage point and check out the odd goings on. From the E3 2015 trailer, we can gather that it seems to be some kind of elaborate plan to draw Henry out of his lookout tower. Who, or what, exactly is yet to be seen, but the events will result in the player having to make difficult choices that could result in your friendship with Delilah laying in ruin.
Going into too much detail of Firewatch’s story and what to expect would ruin the experience. Part of the game’s pull is the intrigue and mystery that surrounds exactly what is going to happen in the experience, but knowing the basics of the sources that are readily available gives you a good idea of whether or not Firewatch is going to be for you.
How Long Is It?
Firewatch isn’t a long adventure. The game is split into five chapters, one for each of the five days that you’ll go and explore the wilderness. Prior to placing you in the role of Henry, you’ll complete a quick questionnaire that will explain a lot of the motives behind Henry’s decision to join the Firewatch and help you understand him more as a person. The opening chapter will help the player get accustomed to the environment and the game’s mechanics, just as we’ve come to expect from most games.
In total, the game’s completion time sits around the 4-8 hour mark. Players who are there to just see the end of the game and find out the story will largely find themselves finishing toward the former. Those willing to take in the beauty of Firewatch’s environment, be a bit more leisurely about their experience, and are deeply thinking about their decisions will ultimately be hitting the lengthier playthrough times.
If you found the story in Firewatch to be particularly gripping, you may even want to give the game another playthrough in order to see all that the game has to offer through the different choices that the player can make. There isn’t much replay value in terms of trophies, however, with the game only having five story-related trophies that all players who finish the game will gather.
When Is It Out?
After 18 months since it was first unveiled, Campo Santo is all set to release the game today on PlayStation 4 and PC at 10 am Pacific Time. Currently you can grab the game for 10% off at $17.99 on both the PlayStation Store (if you’re a PlayStation Plus member) and Steam for a limited time, however, once this offer finishes Firewatch will set you back $19.99.
Will you be picking up Firewatch? Let us know in the comments below.
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