Something that was surprising was the ability of both studios to bring the feelings of loneliness to two completely different stories. In both games, Sam and Henry both feel and exhibit an immense amount of loneliness through their actions. The audience views it from a standpoint of isolation and despair for their current respective situations. The reason that the two stories can be compared is due to their circumstances at hand. Henry dealing with his wife’s loss and Sam’s love for Lonnie being quelled by her parent’s beliefs and the time period in which both games take place.

In Firewatch, Delilah immediately calls out Henry when she asks him “’What are you running from?’ and ‘People take this job because they’re running from something, so what was it?’” (Delilah, Firewatch). This early acknowledgement by her is not only insightful, but provides a way to crack Henry’s hard shell and display the loneliness for all to see. In an online article, Brendan Keogh put it best when he said: “For most of Firewatch, you don’t see anyone. But the fact you did see someone that one time kept me constantly on edge as the game progressed. What if someone else just jumped out from behind a tree or walked down a distant path? ‘We can animate humans in this game,’ that first reveal seemed to say to me. ‘We can do it whenever we want.’ That would be terrifying to see that movement. The absence of animals in this national park only amplifies that terror not of being alone but of potentially suddenly not being alone without any warning.” (Brendan Keogh). He’s completely right. Firewatch thrives on the intense solitude of Henry and during the few moments where that is taken away, you are immediately in a panic. It also brings paranoia to the forefront and how the moment where Henry sees the silhouette on the cliff defines the tone for the rest of the game.

Alternatively, Gone Home’s environment leaves the player left to imagine what lies in the shadows, despite Sam’s note declaring she’s left and the parents are not home. Part of the paranoia is greatly explored through finding the audiotapes, at first you may think someone is watching you and speaking to you but as you piece together more and more tapes you begin to understand the house’s state and why every single thing seems to be out of place. The house only enables this paranoia as you slowly explore dark rooms to quickly find the lights and secret passages. The house propels the anxiety within players to lose their cool after listening to the creepy phone messages and Katie’s afterwards, or discovering secret passages throughout the house and having a light bulb burn out leaving you to your own wits as to escape the passage. It brings players back to their childhood innocence of fearing the unknown. The journey to discover the story in Gone Home can be described simply as daunting. Every new room presents a search for more clues after turning the lights on before moving to the next room. It’s a classic example of the game playing with the player’s head harmlessly.

Perhaps the most important aspect of how paranoia and fear are used is through the narratives themselves. Throughout Firewatch, the player understands Henry’s desire to forget what happened to his wife and the immeasurable pain associated with it. Delilah offers this personality that allows him to drift off but always returns him to reality when he needs to be. Henry is constantly afraid of the future and the finale of Firewatch displays his journey and his unwillingness to face his fears head on or face his wife and be by her side when she needs him most. It’s a defining moment that gives the player their own ending as to how he handled the situation and what kind of person they believe he would be and the one they want him to be.

Gone Home takes a different approach to isolation and pain. Sam talks throughout the game about missing her sister and finding that comfort in Lonnie, which ends up being a turning point in the narrative itself. With the inclusion of their parents and the disapproval, it becomes the breaking point for Sam and her fear instincts push her to be disappointed and unhappy that she can’t be with Lonnie. It’s an unfortunate way of reflecting the idea of fear and pain, but when compared to Henry’s situation, it shows the differences between the two and how each narrative handles them. Henry is running from his wife and Sam is running from her parents but with both doing so in fear of their current situations. In both stories the effect of losing someone they love is too strong to keep them away and in turn brings the stories to their conclusions.

With story-driven games, it is vital that the character’s development is well executed in order to leave the player empathetic. Firewatch and Gone Home take two approaches to elicit empathy in the player. The first is Henry and Delilah’s relationship and the second being Sam and Katie’s relationship. With Delilah and Henry’s only being 3 months old yet having a strong bond that keeps them sane and crazy together while the latter shows the devotion of Sam to tell her sister the truth while she keeps it from her parents. The relationships show one of the most important values, which is trust in each other. Although Delilah and Sam have different motives, they remain to bring the stories to their conclusion and offer closure to their respective friend.

Delilah is a character who isn’t satisfied with just being Henry’s boss; she wants to be someone he fully trusts, a true friend. In almost every reaction she’s got your back, and supports you no matter what. It’s evident that she cares for you from the get-go. On the contrary, Henry is more focussed on his new job at first rather than Delilah’s constant prying. He’s very cut and dry and doesn’t want to change his solemn and reserved attitude. He slowly begins to confide in her as he experiences more and more with her. The trust develops and by the end of the journey he is very disappointed to see her leave before him. This bond built on reliance between the two is also dependent on Delilah’s manipulation of Henry. Despite it all, Henry is content to work under her. The relationship that is created is directly influenced by Henry’s willingness to fight his doubts and briefly fall in love with Delilah to suspend all the tragic events in his life. The moments they share are quite intimate and seek to explore the potential Henry wants to see, Delilah however has other plans.

When Katie returns home to Sam’s departure note, emotions are running high. Katie feels worried and upon entering the house can only assume the worst. However, through searching Katie discovers the clues left for her and understands that Sam still cares, and has placed her trust in Katie to understand why she left. During the time she is looking through the house and uncovering Sam’s secrets she comes across more and more information, until she finds the journal. The game closes with her apologizing to Katie and promising to see her again.

This moment shows the trust between the two sisters and the inherent need for them to rely on one another. It shows the strong bond and gives the player hope during the credits that the sisters reunited after the game ends. Katie faces a situation similar to Henry where she lost her sister through circumstances that could not be changed. It’s an unfortunate similarity but encourages the player to react with empathy towards the characters.