Firewatch is a game about rambling. You'll spend much of Campo Santo's outdoorsy adventure navigating the Wyoming wilderness on your lonesome, chatting with a lady who you've never met over your handheld radio. Forget the walking simulator – this is very much a walkie-talkie simulator. But if you go down to the woods today, can you be sure of a surprise? Well, yes – but not entirely of the pleasant kind.
The first-person foray puts you in control of Henry, a bearded ranger who's taken a job in the American outback to escape his everyday life. It's here that the wedded wanderer strikes up a relationship with Delilah, the sharp-witted supervisor at the Shoshone National Forest. A large chunk of the four hour story centres upon the dialogue between the duo, as you use the DualShock 4's triggers to fire topics of conversation at your accomplice – a welcome change of pace from the almost obligatory bullets.
Perhaps more powerful, though, is the sea-change to the story-driven genre that this represents: D, as she's affectionately nicknamed later in the game, is only ever represented by voice, so the title leaves you to build up your own personal image of her. And, as with real-life, the things that you say will have an outcome on the way in which conversations play out: ignore her questions and she'll remember your evasiveness; act inappropriately and she'll temporarily step away from her radio – leaving you on your own.
The game's at its absolute best in these moments when you're alone, as the interesting debut really does capture the sense of solitude that real-life rangers must feel. Being set in the late eighties, there are no smartphones or computers to keep you connected – aside from Delilah, you're left entirely isolated. And the game uses this seclusion to its advantage: you must manually navigate your way through the moderately-sized open world using a map and compass – it's lonely out there.
Fortunately, the forest views are magnificent. Olly Moss, the massively influential English artist, contributed to the title's look, which uses striking primary colours and cel-shading to create a simplistic yet vibrant style. The many summer sunsets scattered throughout the story are arguably the most impressive, where burning oranges contrast the deeper purples of the encroaching night skies. The release uses many different lighting techniques to convey the various times of day, and this helps to contextualise the passing of time as you hike from destination to destination.
The problem is that the game, in its pre-release state at least, has some of the worst performance issues that we've seen on the PlayStation 4 to date. The framerate chugs like a teenager at a house party, stuttering to auto-save and plunging into the low teens as it streams in new environmental data. Granted, this is not a title that ever requires flawless controller response, but the constant juddering is still jarring regardless.
Perhaps the bigger issue, though, is that the story stumbles like a rambler without a walking pole. It opens excellently with some pretty heavy exposition, but the wise-cracking nature of the cast makes it hard to empathise with the protagonist's plight. The early themes eventually grow back to the fore, but by the time that the title's ready to tackle them head-on, it's difficult to believe anything that the character has to say. Everyone deals with grief differently, of course – but Henry does not behave in a manner befitting of a man who's just been dragged backwards through the emotional wringer.
To be fair, this isn't the fault of the voice acting, which is exceptional throughout – it's the overly witty nature of the writing that's the problem. The game does proceed to build a mystery in parallel to the main plot thread, but despite its best efforts, this brief blast of paranoia ends abruptly and expects you to care deeply about a cast member that you barely even know.
And with the story being the sole reason to ready your rucksack in the first place, you'll feel bitterly disappointed by the time that the credits roll. After all, the gameplay – of what little is here – consists of constantly backtracking through environments that you've been to before, and while the title does switch things up ever so slightly by changing the look of your surroundings, you'll have had your fill of hiking long before the end of the adventure.
But, of course, the developer would argue that the destination isn't important here: it's all about the journey, and the attachment to a character that you've never met. But while this is an undeniably refreshing release, it never really measures up to its one bright idea; the odd engaging exchange aside, the game doesn't really go anywhere. Sure, there may be something figurative lurking inside its very human conclusion, but we can't shake the feeling that we'd be giving the title too much credit if we started scavenging for metaphors.
Conclusion
Firewatch has the embers of a great narrative-driven game, but it fails to ever ignite into a furnace. Unforgivable performance issues detract from the otherwise outstanding art direction, but it's the abrupt story and unconvincing characters that really douse the hype here. Campo Santo's inaugural outing starts incredibly strongly, but your alarm bells will be ringing long before it burns out without ever really sparking into life.
Comments 65
Happy to take your questions, and I'll avoid spoilers. However, this is a game that's very difficult to talk about in detail without mentioning specifics, so do keep that in mind. I tried to dance around as much as possible in the review.
As 'walking simulators' go, is it as good as the positively amazing Everybody's Gone to the rapture?
@stupidget I personally think Everybody's Gone to the Rapture is vastly superior.
I'll only ever try a walking simulator once they put one up on Plus.
@get2sammyb Thanks for the heads-up, I'll give this a miss then unless it ends up being free on PSN. EGTTR is now one of my all time favourite games and an absolute gem when it comes to story and emotions.
Poor performance eh? I don't get at what point the developer is playing a game, sees that it runs badly and goes "yay, finished!"
@kyleforrester87 They sent us the PC version as well as the requested PS4 version, which I thought was odd at the time. But I understood as soon as I started playing it...
@get2sammyb It's just not good, really. Especially against something like The Witness which, with its somewhat similar aesthetic, runs beautifully
This game got 4/5 in The Guardian suprised the score was so low for this review.
Does the PC version run a lot better?
@dryrain Apparently it does, yeah.
Wow expected a higher score
Bout time a walking simulator got a bad score around here
Shame, as the things I've seen on this have intrigued me.
@SonyInfinity
Not Bad 6/10
@kyleforrester87 Worse score a walking simulator got on this site lol, besides, to many good games out there to settle for not bad:p
@SonyInfinity No doubt, im sure this is up someones street, though
I'm going to pick it up and hope they patch the performance issues. I put up with the glacial movement speed in Rapture, I can deal with this if need be.
@SonyInfinity As @KyleForrester87 pointed out, a 6/10 is not a bad score. And we'd never discredit a game based on its genre.
I'll pick this one up,.......Sammy reviewed it, so if he thought it was ok, that probably means it's great.
@sub12
Well then
I have zero interest on this game and I don't know why so many people are hyped for it.
@Frank90 it did look pretty cool when it was first revealed and I thought it would be a instant buy for me but with the likes of Ether One, Rapture etc not gelling with me like I thought they might I've kind of been turned off of this game.
@get2sammyb ah that's a shame Sammy, from previous write ups I got the impression you were looking forward to this. I'll put it on the list for an impending sale. Great review btw.
@get2sammyb
Now that's a speedy review! So is this a walkie-talkie simulator because all you do is walk and talk? You never do anything else, see animals, actual fires, anything? Also, how long it is? Thanks!
@AhabSpampurse Was one of my most anticipated games of 2016 to be honest. Bitterly disappointing.
@sinalefa Yeah, you basically walk and talk. There's some navigation aspects - you have to use a map and compass to find your way around the world. There's a fair amount to see in the world, but obviously they just pave the way for more talking points - the conversations are the main form of interaction.
It's about four hours long.
Well...can't expect every review to be overly positive.
IGN - 9
Gametrailers - 8
Gamespot - 7
Destructoid - 8
http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-4/firewatch/critic-reviews
Really disappointed with this I'm not particularly drawn to the "Walking-Simulator" games but this looked really cool, seemed to have a cool mystery story to it and I really like the whole "walkie-talkie" dialogue. Guess I'll wait til it gets a price drop, I'll pick it up when it's under a tenner
DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISAPPOINTED
A 6/10 is too high for the report of very poor frame rates. The worst experienced on a ps4 game the reviewer states.
It is about time we boycott games with reported poor frame rates. Would we tolerate movies with fluctuaing frame rates and or frame drops in action scenes???
Also there is the health issue where poor frame rate performance can cause headaches, nausea, eye strain and other affects on those playing the game.
@get2sammyb
Now that's a speedy reply! I will pass on this one. Maybe my bro could be interested, depending on the price.
Being isolated and on your own is cathartic and mind opening. Walking hills, taking in the air, feeling the dew on your feet. Its a pity that human beings are more happy being surrounded by things they dislike, such as walking simulators.
Looks like a game that needs to be experienced once patched?? Unfortunately, It will just have to wait for the PS+ treatment to make it into my backlog!
Honestly this one doesn't look preachy and high on its own farts, I'll pick it up during a flash sale.
Edit: Never mind the dev is an unbelievable jack ass.
Can't say I'm not disappointed by what I've read so far. Even in the better scoring reviews the same cons shine through as do here and for a game that I thought that would be the first walking sim I'd enjoy, that's a real shame. From earlier footage I've seen there was this feeling of impending doom caused by the setting and the loneliness that creeps up, but apparently they don't do anything with the great atmosphere that's been set.
I'll get it when it's on sale (and when/ if it's been patched)
@themcnoisy Yeah, the thing is, I can totally relate to a person wanting to hide away in utter seclusion when the chips are down - I'd do the same. I'm not sure I'd be cracking jokes with the lady on my walkie-talkie if things were as bad as they are supposed to be in this game, though. shrugs
@Boerewors They don't. The developer would probably argue that's the point, but it fell flat on its bum for me.
@get2sammyb I'm not sure if you answered this or not, but is there a proper sprint option for running around? The lack of having that option seriously hindered any replay value, and even the first run through of the otherwise brilliant everyone's gone to the rapture. I understood the decision, however having it at least in replays would have meant multiple play throughs and a further understanding of the story in regards to things I missed because in the first play through sometimes the option was to take a 30 minute detour for a minute long clip, or to just advance.
It just goes to show you how poorly this game is optimized, seeing as it has bad frame rate issues from the sounds of it & it's not like there is a lot going on. Also a walking simulator is not my idea of a game, its more like an interactive story not like there is anything wrong with that. But if it even comes out on the PlayStation Plus I'll give it a go, and by then hopefully its been patched.
@get2sammyb Your review made me more interested than I was before. I'll admit, I was expected a better score, but now I'm more curious to see what the game does well and where it falls short. The voice acting is still good, right? That was my main reason for getting this game anyway. It's shorter than I expected, I recall the dev saying around 6-7 hours.
I'm gone for two weeks, so I won't be able to play this game until later this month, but I'm definitely going to give it a go.
I really wanted this to do well. Even if it is a "walking simulator" it seems l like something that we haven't seen before. I'll play it at some point but I like my strong narratives and a lot of people have said this one is fairly mediocre.
@BigDaddyT0101 There is a run button, yes. In fact, tapping square toggles "jog" on and off, so you don't have to hold a button down or anything like that.
@Octane Yeah, the voice acting's superb. I just didn't necessarily relate to the things they were saying some of the time. Glad to hear you want to try it for yourself and form your own opinion, though - that's the perfect response.
Everyone giving it higher scores must've played the PC version.
Hmm gametrailers rated it an 8/10 and it was on the ps4 they said it had a few stutters
This is what hype does. Sometimes you cant win.
Man I am disappointed. I loved narrative based games but it has to be able to pull you in. If the characters act in a manner that breaks with the story then it won't work. Having a lead character who acts unrealistically is acceptable in something like Far Cry but not when the story is the main sell of the game. I will probably try it out at some point but not day one as I was planning.
Mmmm, maybe get it in a sale...
@JoeBlogs I actually think this has worse performance issues than Fallout 4. And the scopes are in no way comparable.
@JoeBlogs To be clear, I never said it was the worst: "The problem is that the game, in its pre-release state at least, has some of the worst performance issues that we've seen on the PlayStation 4 to date"
I was really looking forward to this one. I'm still going to get it and enjoy it as much as I can, hopefully.
Where is it? Can't find it in the store
This is disappointing. I love the art direction, but reviews I've been reading (even ones high with praise) definitely made it seem like this is not for me.
too bad on the mediocre score. I can get into some walking games if it looks great and has a great story. My all time favorite walking game is still Unfinished Swan. It had a great way to tell a story.
@ApostateMage Glad to hear you're going to give it a shot. Eager to hear your thoughts.
@cloudrunner64 Will be out later today.
@Elodin I adored The Unfinished Swan too.
@kyleforrester87
"Poor performance eh? I don't get at what point the developer is playing a game, sees that it runs badly and goes "yay, finished!""
This general notion is frustrating. Sometimes it feels that gamers think that games are all made by auteurs like Kojima and he single handedly did everything to his vision, knows it's bad but chucks it out for release and counts his $$$ while laughing at the poor reviews.
If you mean as an individual, I bet they won't. Infact they'll probably find it a little soul crushing it's released in the state it is with so much promise, but the project manager/director has told them they are out of time and money, so we'll have to release, issues be darned.
Equally they might have just been in working on the enemy AI and might actually be proud of that considering the time/money that was allocated to that section.
If you mean as a business, the same will apply, but the bean counters/marketing managers/sales directors will be a little upset the development team couldn't pull a rabbit out the hat and deliver ever changing requirements in a ridiculous timeframe, the developers might feel not enough time and money and resource was allocated to delievering the best interpretation of the design possible.
If you look at Kojima and Konami, that's a good example of the dynamic for me. Kojima would have bankrupted Konami by polishing down tiny facets to some silly degree, wheras Konami wanted the most profitable software that wasn't god awful.
@RPE83 I get what you're saying, but there has to be some accountability, no? By the sounds of it, the issues the developers are having are as a result of developing with Unity. Someone made the decision to do that, and since they haven't managed to get the game running very well, that person messed up, even if it meant that the only way to get the game released in the first place was by developing it in Unity you have to wonder if they should have done so given the result. It's no use releasing a game with clear problems, shrugging your shoulders and passing the buck.
Destiny is a pretty good example, as I reckon a lot of its problems are as a result of Activisions involvement but Bungie seem to get all the flack.
But at the end of the day, a ropey frame rate might not bother everybody in which case it's not a big deal for them. For me, I don't mind weird NPC behaviour/character models clipping etc. but other people find it totally immersion breaking.
After reading this review and listening to Colin moriarty on Kinda funny they don't get my money.
@Grimwood yes, what's your point?
I'll keep walking in the Commonwealth...
I really wanted this. Still do. The review hasn't put me off - just the issues. They're apparently working with Sony and Unity to optimise it. I'll wait for a patch before I buy.
Make it work with Playstation VR and I'll be glad to give them my money then.
@kyleforrester87
The accountability will be in the bottom line, did the decision to choose Unity and stick with it and the final product quality and related sales mean more profit than chucking it in the bin, rewriting large parts of it and delaying at more cost, but for the same sales?
Sad, but "the price of art" and all that.
@Swiket Just some very discriminatory stuff towards some groups of people, I guess it's political in nature so I won't share it as I break policy enough as it is.
It's strange. Its minimum requirements on PC are very modest. The most outstanding thing is it needing 6GB of RAM but (a) PS4 has more than that (b) it would need less than that because it doesn't have Windows and dozens of other processes running as well.
I hate to be a doomsayer, but I have a bad feeling the same is true of No Man's Sky and that's why we got that odd media surge that then faded away many months ago. It doesn't make sense unless they were gearing up to release it but they hit a lot of development problems. I remember people on this site saying the game is very CPU intensive and the PS4's weakest link is its CPU.
@KAPADO If they can't even get it to run at 30 frames per second on PS4, there's absolutely no way it'll work in VR. You don't just click the "Make it VR" button. The game has to be rendered twice, one for each eye, and at a framerate of at least 60 per eye (so in other words, the PS4 has to be able to render 120 frames a second). These guys can't even get it to do a quarter of that properly, it often drops to an eighth of that amount.
@Matroska How is that even acceptable in a game where there's no combat? At to my knowledge.
It is a freaking walking simulator and is no smooth...walking?
Started off completely unenthusiastic bout this. Hadn't read anything bout it. Was about to switch it off for the night.... 3 hours ago.... Then, a few things happened that set my pulse racing.... Couldn't put it down to the end... Had No idea what was happening to "me"! (I was Henry for those 5 hours). Helped that I had my ATM50X studio phones on - completely immersed in it. Was really creeped out a few times. Ending was fine for me... But... Saw so much potential.... Really excited for the future of these types of games... Slow burning log cabin in the woods slasher game in this style would be incredible! (in VR where u look over your shoulder n see a figure following u)... While on the walkie talkie to a mysterious stranger...
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