Firewatch Summary and Review

“We wanted to make a game where you had the sensation of wandering around.” Sean Vanaman, Polygon

Firewatch is a 2016 indie mystery adventure developed by Campo Santo and published in partnership with Panic. The story is carried largely by its lore, as well as the stellar voice acting by Rich Sommer and Cissy Jones. Coming in at about 5 hours in length, progress is linear and guided through dialogue and print narration.

Firewatch follows the format of Silent Hill, in that the choices you make don't necessarily determine the ending, but determine Henry's character, the narrative, and your overall experience.

I want to make it clear that I'm still not hopping on the Unity Engine hype train, but I think this is what HeR Interactive was *trying* to do with Midnight in Salem. But that's another story.

Story

In the exposition, you fall in love with a woman named Julia. Henry and Julia discuss the possibility of having children together, but at just 41, Julia is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's dementia. When her condition worsens, she moves home with her family in Australia.

In Julia's absence, Henry accepts a job as a firewatcher in the Shoshone forest in Wyoming following the 1988 Yellowstone fires. His only companion is another lookout named Delilah, whom he communicates with through a portable radio. The player is also given a map and compass which stay equipped at all times.



On your first day working in the summer of 1989, you spot fireworks shooting in the distance. Follow the trail of outerclothes and undergarments to find two teenage girls in the lake.

You're instructed to use a rope to descend the shale slide, which you're given the option to rename. The "Widowmaker" or "Shitty Boss is Trying to Get Me Killed" lives up to its name, as your rope snaps halfway to the bottom and you fall on your back.

Delilah informs you about the supply caches that can be opened using the code (1234). Each box contains an updated map of the surrounding area along with other items that can be examined.

Delilah reveals that the teenage girls have turned up missing and you were the last to have seen them. What's more–they aren't the first to have gone missing...

Henry finds an old backpack and a disposable camera belonging to a boy named Brian Goodwin, who Delilah explains was the son of Ned, a former lookout. Ned was an outdoorsman with a heavy drinking problem due to his traumatic experiences in the Vietnam War. Brian, however, is more interested in fantasy novels and role-playing games. Though it's against the rules for employees to bring their children to the towers, Delilah was fond of Brian and lied about his presence. He and Ned apparently left abruptly and never returned.

On making the climb, you see a dark figure on the ledge above you shining a flashlight. When you begin to track him, he disappears.

Two months in, a small wildfire breaks out south of his tower. In the weeks following, Henry discovers a radio and a clipboard while fishing, with notes including transcripts of his conversations with Delilah. When he goes to make the report, he's beaten unconscious by an unseen assailant and awakens to find the clipboard and radio having been stolen. In a meadow referred to on the clipboard letterhead, he finds a fenced-off government research facility.

Traveling from one end of the map to the other to retrieve the axe for a gate that realistically could have been scaled is where the game started to feel like a glorified fetch-quest.

Not only have their movements been tracked, but someone knows personal details about them, including Delilah's alcoholism. Delilah drunkenly suggests that Henry burn the camp to the ground, and upon his exit a column of fire begins to rise from the site.



The next day, Henry is alerted by the tracking device to locates a backpack with the key to the locked cave. Delilah reports a figure in Henry's tower. When Henry arrives, he finds a Walkman taped to the door with an incriminating recording of their discussion about destroying the government camp.

The next day, Delilah reports that someone impersonating Henry claims that she knows the cause of the station fire.

After dropping into the cave, Henry walks forward to find Brian Goodwin's decaying body. If you carry the toy dinosaur from the hideout into the cave, you're given the chance to "put back" the toy next to him.

Delilah is quick to believe that Ned killed his son, but her theory stems from her own guilt at not reporting Brian's presence early on. Henry begs Delilah to stay if she can, but she leaves anyway.

In the endgame, we finally get a glimpse at Delilah's living quarters. We see the picture she drew of Henry based on the chosen information given.



Upon completing the game, players can continue to explore the map in an open-world free-roam mode.

This is perfect for those looking for a creepy yet jumpscare-free mystery story. That being said, there's no combat or tactical loot system. Critics are quick to dub this title a "Walking Simulator" as there are no actual puzzles to be solved, but I insist that it's an effective method of interactive storytelling. This is the kind of game that sticks with you, even haunts you once you leave. The full game is only about 4 hours in length, so there's progression from start to finish.

How to Play Firewatch

Firewatch is available for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, macOS, and Windows PC. The game can be played and downloaded through X-Box Game Pass. A Nintendo Switch port is being added.