Some games truly stretch the capabilities of what they can do in the gaming community. They paint a picture of a storyline like no others. These games surpass the expectations of what most gamers expect from a video game. Firewatch is one of these games.
Firewatch is available on Steam for the PC and on the PlayStation Store for the PS4. This game tells an emotional story of a man named Henry who, after tragedy strikes in his life, finds a job as a fire watchman in the dry summer forest. This choice-based, first person adventure game leads you through the summer of 1989 with Henry and his only form of communication, a handheld radio. His only lifeline is his supervisor, Delilah. The two go through a wild adventure throughout the summer with plenty of ups and downs along the way.
This game goes beyond the typical definition of a “game” because of the emotional storyline told throughout the game. The game immediately starts you off with the tale of Henry and his wife, Julia. It gets you wanting more and more of the story. The game then throws the typical emotional storyline on its head and invites you to discover the twists and turns that you would not expect. In the end, Firewatch players will be hard-pressed to come out of this experience and not feel empathy for the characters and their emotional relationships between each other. A review by GameGrin says, “Firewatch explores love and commitment through two of the most authentic video game characters I’ve seen. A simply wonderful game.” I couldn’t agree more.
Firewatch expands on the scope of a traditional video game and opens gamers’ eyes to new perspectives of the characters and their struggles. Overall, this game is definitely worth playing and, more than that, experiencing.
