These days I tend to enjoy games that are similar to a good book: a solitary, escapist experience I can get completely lost in without any interruptions from the outside world. Firewatch

Morning Glory

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Firewatch quickly lets you know that it’s not going to pull any emotional punches over its four to five–hour runtime, opening with a series of text-based choices that call back to adventure genre forebears like Zork. I dare not spoil this potent sequence, but I will say that it masterfully bounces between being funny and heart-wrenching and plausibly establishes just why protagonist Henry ends up in the Wyoming woods as a solitary fire lookout.

Above: Firewatch Day 1 gameplay video (SPOILER WARNING)

“ The Two Forks Woods sticks in my mind like a real place.

He Said, She Said

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Firewatch sounds as good as it looks, thanks to a world-class script acted to perfection by its two leads. Rookie lookout Henry is given a playful vulnerability; you can choose to play him serious or funny, and the performance is up to the task either way. Henry’s boss – and primary point of human contact for the entire summer – is Delilah. Her emotional armor is thick, and she shows the cracks in her personality we’re allowed to see as we play without resorting to being overdramatic.

Above: Firewatch Day 2 gameplay video (SPOILER WARNING)

“ It’s tense, scary, and funny – sometimes all within a few minutes of each other

Woods You Kindly...

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It’s a pair of firework-launching teenage girls that set Firewatch’s story in motion, and you can choose to talk to Delilah at almost any time by bringing up your two-way radio. She’s got something to say about almost everything, whether you need advice on how to handle a given situation or you’re just reporting your progress on a task she’s given you, and she’s so engaging that I found myself eager to call about every little thing I came across. Things get darker – in a figurative as well as a sometimes literal sense – when the teens go missing, and you and Delilah try to piece together the puzzle of their whereabouts while making your own critical (sometimes difficult) decisions. The writing here is simply head and shoulders above nearly every other game I’ve ever played. In fact, Firewatch’s script, unlike most video games, would also make a fantastic novella that’s every bit as gripping as the game is. It’s tense, scary, and funny – sometimes all within a few minutes of each other. Not a lot of games can successfully claim that.

Above: 17 minutes of Firewatch gameplay (SPOILER WARNING)

“ There were points where I was afraid to turn around in the vast, lonely woods.

Xbox One Version and Fall 2016 Updates

Speaking of navigation: though I’m thankful there’s no giant arrow at the top of the screen pointing me exactly to where I need to go at any given moment, I did find getting around the Two Forks Woods a bit cumbersome at times, particularly near the end. While I was never hung up for too long, translating the map to the actual trail in front of you had me occasionally taking a wrong fork in the path. Henry’s compass helps a lot, however, so I was never hung up for too long.As for the ending, it’s the only other part of Firewatch I wasn’t crazy about. I want to be very careful not to spoil anything, so I’ll just say that I didn’t quite find the revelation I had hoped for when I reached the end of what the story had been building up to. At the same time, however, I didn’t dislike the ending either. In fact, I find myself still thinking about it, trying to think of missed clues or other small cues that might yet give me the “Ah-ha!” moment I’m after. I’ll be very interested to hear other people’s take on the conclusion – this is the kind of game where the discussions that will arise afterwards are an important extension of the experience itself.Firewatch is now available for Xbox One, and it brings with it a couple of new features that are also being added into the existing PC and PS4 versions. Developer commentary – accessed as a separate mode – is integrated brilliantly as a series of national park listening stations, complete with period-appropriate cassette tapes. You'll hear from most of the Campo Santo team, and the kiosks are placed liberally enough where there's a lot of fun behind-the-scenes information to be gleaned at all times. I wish more games did this. The other new mode is a free-roam mode that lets you continue to wander the Wyoming wilderness even after completing the storyline.