Firewatch Review

The Shoshone forest here is the best argument anyone has made for stylised colour over fidelity, all burnt orange ridgelines and dense green draws, and the map and compass navigation with no waypoint markers make learning the terrain a genuine pleasure. What holds it together is the writing between Henry and Delilah, delivered entirely over a handheld radio with optional responses on a timer, and the performances are relaxed and specific enough that you start choosing lines to protect a relationship rather than to unlock content.

The prologue's handling of early onset dementia in a few text screens is devastating. The problem is what the middle sets up. Cut ropes, a hidden research station and a fenced off area promise a thriller, and the resolution answers those questions with something small and sad on purpose, which is defensible as a theme and still lands as a deflation for a lot of players. Mechanically there is almost nothing to do beyond walk and talk. Four hours, and worth them.