Firewatch | First Person Narrative Exploration Wyoming Simulator

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Firewatch | First Person Narrative Exploration Wyoming Simulator | Feb 9

TychoCelchuuu: Jan 2, 2012; This space for Rent.

Reviews

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d02lhvvVSy8

Firewatch is a first person exploration adventure game where you play as a man named Henry, who is a fire lookout in the Wyoming wilderness a little while after the Yellowstone fires of 1988.

Your only contact with the outside world is via your handheld radio, through which you talk to your supervisor, Delilah. Your first day on the job, something mysterious draws you out of your lookout, and from that point on you begin exploring the wilderness.

The game has a focus on narrative, dialog choice, natural conversations, exploration, and probably fire?

It's out for Windows, OSX, Linux, and PlayStation 4.

Firewatch was made by Campo Santo, a new video game company formed by the two lead writers of The Walking Dead (Sean Vanaman and Jake Rodkin), a lead designer of Mark of the Ninja (Nels Anderson), the guy who does all those sweet movie posters (Olly Moss), and other people. Check out the development blog for more information about the company and the game, or read the first Campo Santo Quarterly Review, compiled by the Campo Santo Ombudsman, to get a feel for the company.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXWlgP5hZzc

TychoCelchuuu fucked around with this message at 15:28 on Feb 9, 2016

# ¿ Oct 12, 2015 17:51

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ May 14, 2024 14:23

TychoCelchuuu: Jan 2, 2012; This space for Rent.

kevin mung posted:

do any of these guys do a podcast??

I think Olly Moss (the concept artist/art director/whatever) sometimes shows up on Idle Thumbs, but he's not one of the main hosts.

# ¿ Oct 12, 2015 18:03

TychoCelchuuu: Jan 2, 2012; This space for Rent.

Here's the Rock Paper Shotgun review if you're interested.

# ¿ Feb 9, 2016 06:08

TychoCelchuuu: Jan 2, 2012; This space for Rent.

game is here

# ¿ Feb 9, 2016 19:20

TychoCelchuuu: Jan 2, 2012; This space for Rent.

Liked this a lot. I agree with someone earlier in the thread that the ending being a "let down" for some people is sort of the point - you're experiencing exactly what Henry and Delilah are, which is imagining this huge conspiracy in your head and getting all worked up about that only to learn that, no, real life isn't like that and also you've abandoned your wife etc. It felt really grounded and poignant and it made me feel really linked to Henry and Delilah.

Loved the music, and this game is absolutely gorgeous. My biggest regret is I never found the turtle. I also could've done with a longer game with more mundane conversations - I agree with what a few people have said about how things amp up a little fast.

# ¿ Feb 11, 2016 01:23

TychoCelchuuu: Jan 2, 2012; This space for Rent.

Eskaton posted:

This is what I have to disagree with. You already know that from the beginning, don't you? I mean it's pretty explicit in the prologue that he's running away. The ending for some reason revolves around beating that in and that's the entire thing. Henry doesn't change nor Delilah.

I was hoping the entire time that Julia died just so the story could actually move on and catalyze character development.

I don't see how this is disagreeing with what I said. I didn't say that I had no idea Henry was running away from stuff. I don't understand how some people are obsessed with characters that "change" over the course of a story. Characters changing is one way to make a good story but it's not the only way to make an interesting story. It's possible for Henry to change, I think, depending on the dialog choices you pick, but if he doesn't, who cares? It's still a poignant story.

I think sethsez nails it:

sethsez posted:

I wonder how people who find the ending anticlimactic feel about every third or so Coen brothers movie, where the big elaborate plot winds up just being a bunch of broken people bumping into each other.

I'm curious whether the people who don't like the ending or the story too much have various criteria for what makes a "good" story that I don't have. Does a good story need the characters to "change" over the course of the story? Does a good story need everything to be wrapped up in a little bow at the end? Does a good story need to be unambiguously happy or sad? Does a good story's end need to rid you of any confusion you may have had at any point during the story? I'd say "no" to all of these - I can think of plenty of books, movies, plays, etc. that wouldn't be "good" if they had to fit all those criteria - but if someone needs any or all of those to enjoy a story, I can totally get how they'd be disappointed with Firewatch.

# ¿ Feb 11, 2016 16:21

TychoCelchuuu: Jan 2, 2012; This space for Rent.

The game obviously ought to have cost $600. There can be no debate on this topic. There is one objectively correct price and that correct price is $600. It's not even clear to me why people would suggest any other price as being appropriate because it is just so obvious that literally all the reasons for the game to cost anything are reasons for the game to cost $600 and only $600. To arrive at any other price is to betray evidence of a corrupted mind.

# ¿ Feb 16, 2016 16:50

TychoCelchuuu: Jan 2, 2012; This space for Rent.

# ¿ Apr 14, 2016 14:54

TychoCelchuuu: Jan 2, 2012; This space for Rent.

In case anyone is interested in a nice little video about the game:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CA3S9L_JvU

# ¿ Aug 22, 2016 05:04

TychoCelchuuu: Jan 2, 2012; This space for Rent.

They are adding dev commentary and a free roam mode where you get to walk around the place with a day/night cycle going. Sounds pretty neato!

# ¿ Sep 3, 2016 05:33

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ May 14, 2024 14:23

TychoCelchuuu: Jan 2, 2012; This space for Rent.

And just like that, it's a movie.

# ¿ Sep 27, 2016 05:31

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Firewatch | First Person Narrative Exploration Wyoming Simulator | Feb 9