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Firewatch
Released On: Feb 9, 2016
81
7.3
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 65 Critic Reviews
81
78% Positive
51 Reviews
51 Reviews
22% Mixed
14 Reviews
14 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 65 Critic Reviews
81
78% Positive
51 Reviews
51 Reviews
22% Mixed
14 Reviews
14 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Apr 12, 2016
This unconventional game combines strong story, beautiful natural surroundings and fantastically written and played characters. What it lacks in classic adventure mechanics, it makes up in great dialogue system between the main protagonists. [Issue#262]
Feb 15, 2016
Firewatch is a quiet mystery for gamers who know how to listen. A strong script and exceptional dialogue direction make Firewatch to one of the best interactive storytelling experiences you can get your hands on.
User Score
Mixed or Average Based on 2,256 User Ratings
7.3
62% Positive
1404 Ratings
1404 Ratings
27% Mixed
601 Ratings
601 Ratings
11% Negative
251 Ratings
251 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average Based on 2,256 User Ratings
7.3
62% Positive
1404 Ratings
1404 Ratings
27% Mixed
601 Ratings
601 Ratings
11% Negative
251 Ratings
251 Ratings
Feb 8, 2016
A brilliant adventure packed with some of the best dialogue gaming has even been medium to, Firewatch manages to engross you from the moment it begins and throughout its fittingly brief tale. Even if the journey is far more captivating than the eventual destination, Firewatch is more than worth the price of admission. Wyoming and its mysteries await.
Mar 7, 2016
Whether you're looking for several hours of mystery and drama or just a magnificent world to explore, do yourself a favor and spare a few hours of your time to experience Firewatch.
Feb 8, 2016
The world is beautiful and the voice acting is excellent. But Henry and Delilah’s story is far too short, and the resolution of the game’s story relies far too much on a backstory that isn’t given the breathing room it needs. It’s an emotional rollercoaster that just teeters back down to a merry-go-round, leaving me with a detached feeling that everything I had spent the past few hours working towards has been all for naught.
Feb 22, 2016
It’s an interesting take on the usual “walking simulator” and a dividing experience that many will appreciate. The art direction is great, as are most of the dialogues between the characters, and yet the closure of the story isn’t fully satisfying. It could have been... more.
Apr 7, 2016
A bold experiment in semi-interactive narrative that doesn't quite succeed. [Issue#249, p.58]
Aug 3, 2025
Someone made a video essay on Firewatch and pretty accurately described it as "Firewatch is a game about people". Not broken people, just people in general and their problems. It shows how people can sometimes try and escape the world they're in, going as far as to leave civilization and live in the woods with the only human contact being over a radio. When you are in that state, you are willing to completely absorb yourself into some grand **** beginning of Firewatch is, frankly, a little dull. It is largely going on a patrol, telling off some kids, and discovering a damaged telephone pole. However, the game changes when Delilah says that she reported that you never saw the girls who go missing despite the fact that you did. You find out later that they were found and arrested, so it doesn't matter, but for a while you and Delilah get very worried about it, especially since Ned was blackmailing them and setting up the scenes to implicate Henry's guilt.This worrying compounds later when Henry and Delilah find the Wapati research station which leads them to believe that they are being spied on. They firmly believe that they, two Firewatch lookouts in the middle of nowhere, are the subjects of some experiment. Delilah makes a throwaway comment about burning the whole camp down which later comes to haunt them when Ned starts the (what I ended up calling) the "Flapjack Fire" and records her dialog, further blackmailing them. None of this matters, however, as Ned leaves when the fire grows too big and reveals that he poses no threat so long as no one goes looking for him.Henry goes to evacuate after this and hopes to finally meet Delilah, who together have been sharing torment and trauma and who have formed a very solid bond. However, Delilah realizes that they have shared all of this but Henry hasn't even seen her yet. She thinks that if they did meet they would both want something that neither could give the other. In the end, there is no happy ending or closure, just as there is usually no ending to a story arc at any point in life and rarely does one feel satisfied or feel that they've gotten closure. Life isn't a fairy tale with a message to convey, it is what you are living and what you must apply those messages to. Delilah doesn‘t actually want to have a relationship with Henry, she wants to escape her responsibilities at home and her boyfriend/fling. She does that every year/ season.Henry escapes from his sick wife at home, not wanting to face his responsibilities. (You can try to persuade a romance to Delilah, but she is just using Henry as a distraction.)The third person in the story wants to escape from his past and tragedy of his lost family ****, the player, escapes from their own reality with this game.
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PC Nov 2, 2025
Firewatch è il classico esempio di gioco che acquisti emozionato dall'idea di giocare una grande avventura narrativa. Magari se sei fan di Life is strange, Telltale, Don't nod. Ma non appena ti immergi nell'avventura, realizzi che dieci anni fa poteva intrattenere, magari intrappolare in un mondo magnetico, ma nel 2025 si tratta di poco più di una manciata di scenari nemmeno dettagliati e un pretesto per ascoltare dialoghi. Dialoghi notevoli sia chiaro, ma pur sempre dialoghi che accompagnano un avanti e indietro più che pretestuoso. L'esplorazione è minimale, non esiste il senso di scoperta o la sorpresa. Raccogliere gli oggetti,esaminarlo, non ha alcuna utilità. Dispiace, perché sicuramente gli autori hanno fatto un grande lavoro di introspezione e costruzione del background dei ****, ma resta un grande senso di apatia, per non dire noia, alla fine.
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PC May 21, 2025
There's just not much there with the gameplay. And in these sorts of situations, it's vital that the story and dialogue be truly compelling, and that's simply not the case here. I was turned off right away by the glib, snarky radio back and forths between the main character and his boss. And it just never improved.
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PC Summary In Firewatch you play as a man named Henry who has retreated from his messy life to work as a fire lookout in the Wyoming wilderness. Perched high atop a mountain, it’s your job to look for smoke and keep the wilderness safe. An especially hot and dry summer has everyone on edge. Your supervisor, a woman named Delilah, is available to yo...
Platforms:
- PC
- PlayStation 4
- Xbox One
- Nintendo Switch
Initial Release Date: Feb 9, 2016
Developer:
Publisher: Panic Inc.
Genres:
