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| Windows / MAC OS / Linux / PS4 |
Hello, and welcome to the final review of Firewatch!
Firewatch is a brand new gaming experience which was produced by Panic Inc., and developed by Campo Santo.
Released in February of 2016, this game has garnered a lot of attention for itself.
Premise:
You are Henry, a new recruit, and its your job to report wildfires in the Wyoming wilderness. Grab your walkie talkie and use it to communicate with Delilah, your supervisor on the job. She is your only emotional connection, and there is nobody else you can speak to.
Eventually, strange things start happening in the woods around your lookout, and it is up to you to find the source of these strange occurrences. Solve the unnerving mysteries of the wilderness, and Delilah's past.
Story(Some minor spoilers):
As I mentioned, you are playing as Henry. Henry has taken this job as a conservation lookout as a getaway from his sad and miserable life at home with his wife who is suffering from the onset of dementia.
On his first day on the job, Henry meets his supervisor Delilah over the walkie talkie. Over the course of his stay, Henry and Delilah form a strong friendship and talk constantly. You start becoming really attached to both characters.
But things can't always remain hunky dory for our protagonist, and strange things begin happening at the conservation. I don't want to spoil the main plot, but it is up to Henry and Delilah to discover the cause of the mysterious and terrifying happenings.
Firewatch maintains an extremely strong narrative throughout the entire experience, but the ending seemed a little unsatisfying. While I expected a major payoff with some enlightening plot twist, it turned out that Firewatch was just a story about a guy who spent his summer as a lookout in the Wyoming wilderness. Nothing more, and nothing less. Be prepared for a disappointing ending.
On his first day on the job, Henry meets his supervisor Delilah over the walkie talkie. Over the course of his stay, Henry and Delilah form a strong friendship and talk constantly. You start becoming really attached to both characters.
But things can't always remain hunky dory for our protagonist, and strange things begin happening at the conservation. I don't want to spoil the main plot, but it is up to Henry and Delilah to discover the cause of the mysterious and terrifying happenings.
Firewatch maintains an extremely strong narrative throughout the entire experience, but the ending seemed a little unsatisfying. While I expected a major payoff with some enlightening plot twist, it turned out that Firewatch was just a story about a guy who spent his summer as a lookout in the Wyoming wilderness. Nothing more, and nothing less. Be prepared for a disappointing ending.
Visuals:
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| A beautiful sunset |
Overall landscapes are very detailed, but certain environmental details have been reused in multiple areas. There are many places where you will drop down or climb a small cliff of rocks, but each one of these areas looks exactly the same, and it feels strange to climb the same set of rocks every single time you climb a rock wall. But, I suppose this is so the player recognizes them as a place to climb rocks, so this is a minor complaint, as it does serve some purpose.
Something I must mention. I was experiencing shadow flicker the first time I played the game. The second time I opened the game, they had implemented an update which seemed to have fixed that issue.
At first, Firewatch seemed to have major FPS issues. While my computer runs other more graphically demanding games quite nicely on mid-high graphics and 1900 x 1080 pixels, the game was still experiencing lag with the graphics set all the way down and my resolution at 1366 x 780.
After finishing my playthrough though, I realized that the game had been running on my integrated graphics card instead of my Nvidia graphics card. Be sure to switch the graphics card the game uses to your dedicated card if it isn't already in use.
If you would like to see a tutorial on how to switch from integrated graphics to your dedicated Nvidia graphics card, check out my tutorial Here.
In the meantime, admire some Firewatch screenshots:
Something I must mention. I was experiencing shadow flicker the first time I played the game. The second time I opened the game, they had implemented an update which seemed to have fixed that issue.
At first, Firewatch seemed to have major FPS issues. While my computer runs other more graphically demanding games quite nicely on mid-high graphics and 1900 x 1080 pixels, the game was still experiencing lag with the graphics set all the way down and my resolution at 1366 x 780.
After finishing my playthrough though, I realized that the game had been running on my integrated graphics card instead of my Nvidia graphics card. Be sure to switch the graphics card the game uses to your dedicated card if it isn't already in use.
If you would like to see a tutorial on how to switch from integrated graphics to your dedicated Nvidia graphics card, check out my tutorial Here.
In the meantime, admire some Firewatch screenshots:
Menus/Interface:
Menu system is nicely laid out.
In-game interface is also very well laid out. The map was very easy to use and I felt like I was really navigating around the Wyoming wilderness with my compass and map.
In-game interface is also very well laid out. The map was very easy to use and I felt like I was really navigating around the Wyoming wilderness with my compass and map.
Gameplay:
Gameplay consists mainly of walking around. A lot. Whilst walking, you will be accomplishing small tasks for your supervisor. In theory it may sound boring, but the game is gorgeous, thus the environments remain entertaining no matter how many times you travel through them. As I said, navigating with the map is very fun
At certain points the game does put you on the edge of your seat and you will find your heart racing. But I won't spoil the plot for you. That is for you to find out.
Controls:
Firewatch doesn't require quick inputs or crazy techniques, but it still has one of the better control schemes I have seen in a game. It is generally very intuitive and I didn't find myself fumbling with a learning curve too often.
One thing though. At no point did the game tell you how to zoom into the map, which is done by right clicking whilst the map is being viewed. I found myself unsure of how to find names of areas for a couple minutes until I unwittingly right-clicked with the map open.
One thing though. At no point did the game tell you how to zoom into the map, which is done by right clicking whilst the map is being viewed. I found myself unsure of how to find names of areas for a couple minutes until I unwittingly right-clicked with the map open.
Summary:
Overall a very compelling experience. Walking through the lush and gorgeous landscapes is a wonderful escape and it feels like the true outdoors.
Gameplay is simple yet very compelling.
The storyline is strong, and it has very strong character development, but the ending will leave you feeling a little unsatisfied.
Gameplay is simple yet very compelling.
The storyline is strong, and it has very strong character development, but the ending will leave you feeling a little unsatisfied.
SCORE: 8 / 10
So what do you think? Do you agree with my score and criticisms? Let me know in the comments below!
So what do you think? Do you agree with my score and criticisms? Let me know in the comments below!
1 comment:
Great article. I always like to play Firewatch PC Game. Thanks for sharing.
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