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''Firewatch'' is an
adventure game An adventure game is a video game genre in which the player assumes the role of a protagonist in an interactive story, driven by exploration and/or puzzle-solving. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based m ...
developed by Campo Santo and published by the developer in partnership with
Panic Panic is a sudden sensation of fear, which is so strong as to dominate or prevent reason and logical thinking, replacing it with overwhelming feelings of anxiety, uncertainty and frantic agitation consistent with a fight-or-flight reaction. ...
. The game was released in February 2016 for
Linux Linux ( ) is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an kernel (operating system), operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically package manager, pac ...
,
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,
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
,
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, and
Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was first released in North America, parts of Europe, Austra ...
in September 2016, and for
Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...
in December 2018. The story follows a
fire lookout A fire lookout (sometimes also called a fire watcher) is a person assigned the duty to look for fire from atop a building known as a fire lookout tower. These towers are used in remote areas, normally on mountain tops with high elevation and ...
named Henry who works in
Shoshone National Forest Shoshone National Forest ( ) is the first federally protected National Forest in the United States and covers nearly in the state of Wyoming. Originally a part of the Yellowstone Timberland Reserve, the forest is managed by the United States ...
in Wyoming. Henry interacts with his supervisor Delilah using a
walkie-talkie A walkie-talkie, more formally known as a handheld transceiver, HT, or handheld radio, is a hand-held, portable, two-way radio transceiver. Its development during the Second World War has been variously credited to Donald Hings, radio engineer A ...
, with the player choosing from dialog options to communicate. His exchanges with Delilah inform the process by which their relationship is developed. Over the course of the summer, Henry and Delilah appear to be menaced by unseen forces and have to unravel a years-old mystery. The game was directed by
Olly Moss Oliver Jonathan Moss (born 24 January 1987) is an English graphic artist, best known for his reimagining of movie posters. His work has been released by Mondo and is regularly featured in ''Empire'' magazine. Background and early life Moss g ...
and
Sean Vanaman Sean Vanaman (born June 16, 1984) is an American video game designer, writer, and podcaster. He was the co-project leader and lead writer of '' The Walking Dead'', and ''Puzzle Agent 2''. He also wrote the third episode of ''Tales of Monkey Islan ...
, written by
Chris Remo Chris Remo is an American video game designer, composer, writer, podcaster, and former journalist. As a journalist, he cofounded the original Idle Thumbs website as well as its flagship podcast, and served as Editor-in-Chief of Shacknews and ...
,
Jake Rodkin Jake Rodkin is an American video game designer, writer, graphic designer, and podcaster. He was the co-project leader of ''Tales of Monkey Island'' and the co-project leader and co-writer of '' The Walking Dead'', '' Poker Night at the Inventory' ...
, Moss and Vanaman, and produced by Gabe McGill and artist
Jane Ng Jane Ng is a Chinese-American 3D environment artist, best known for her work on ''Firewatch'', '' The Cave'', and ''Brütal Legend''. She previously worked at Campo Santo, a game studio that is part of Valve, as a Senior Environment Artist. O ...
. The game's environment was modelled by Ng, based on a single painting by Moss. The design draws inspiration from
New Deal The New Deal was a series of wide-reaching economic, social, and political reforms enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1938, in response to the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depressi ...
advertisements by the
National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...
and field research conducted in
Yosemite National Park Yosemite National Park ( ) is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in California. It is bordered on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The p ...
. The game received generally positive reviews, earning praise for its story, characters, dialogue, and visual style, yet the presence of technical issues and the game's ending were both subjects of criticism. ''Firewatch'' won the award for Best 3D Visual Experience at the Unity Awards 2016, Best Indie Game at the 2016
Golden Joystick Awards The Golden Joystick Awards, also known as the People's Gaming Awards, is a video game award ceremony; it awards the best video games of the year, as voted for originally by the British general public, but is now a global event that can be voted ...
, Best Narrative at the 2017
Game Developers Choice Awards The Game Developers Choice Awards are awards annually presented at the Game Developers Conference for outstanding video game developer, game developers and video game, games. Introduced in 2001, the Game Developers Choice Awards were preceded by ...
and Debut Game at the 2017
British Academy Games Awards The BAFTA Games Awards or British Academy Games Awards are an annual British awards ceremony honouring "outstanding creative achievement" in the video game industry. First presented in 2004 following the restructuring of the BAFTA Interactive En ...
. By late 2016, the game had sold over a million copies.


Gameplay

''Firewatch'' is an
adventure game An adventure game is a video game genre in which the player assumes the role of a protagonist in an interactive story, driven by exploration and/or puzzle-solving. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based m ...
played from a first-person view that takes place in the American state of
Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...
in 1989. The player takes on the role of Henry, a fire lookout who is assigned to his own tower in
Shoshone National Forest Shoshone National Forest ( ) is the first federally protected National Forest in the United States and covers nearly in the state of Wyoming. Originally a part of the Yellowstone Timberland Reserve, the forest is managed by the United States ...
. Through exploration of the surrounding area, Henry uncovers clues about mysterious occurrences in the vicinity that are related to the ransacking of his tower while he is out on a routine patrol and a shadowy figure that occasionally appears watching him from afar. Henry's only means of communication is a
walkie-talkie A walkie-talkie, more formally known as a handheld transceiver, HT, or handheld radio, is a hand-held, portable, two-way radio transceiver. Its development during the Second World War has been variously credited to Donald Hings, radio engineer A ...
connecting him to his supervisor, Delilah. The player may choose from a number of dialog options to speak with her upon the discovery of new interactive objects or environments, or can refrain from communicating. The player's choices will influence the tone of Henry's relationship with Delilah. As the story progresses, new areas will be opened up for the player, and certain events are set at different times of the day. Objects found in the wilderness can be kept in the inventory for later use. Upon finishing the game, the player can explore the game in an open-world free-roam mode or an audio tour mode.


Plot

In the spring of 1989, after his wife Julia (Larissa Gallagher) develops early-onset
dementia Dementia is a syndrome associated with many neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by a general decline in cognitive abilities that affects a person's ability to perform activities of daily living, everyday activities. This typically invo ...
, Henry (
Rich Sommer Rich Sommer (born February 2, 1978) is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of Harry Crane on the AMC drama series ''Mad Men'' (2007–2015) for which he earned two Screen Actors Guild Awards along with the ensemble cast. He is also ...
) takes a job as a
fire lookout A fire lookout (sometimes also called a fire watcher) is a person assigned the duty to look for fire from atop a building known as a fire lookout tower. These towers are used in remote areas, normally on mountain tops with high elevation and ...
in
Shoshone National Forest Shoshone National Forest ( ) is the first federally protected National Forest in the United States and covers nearly in the state of Wyoming. Originally a part of the Yellowstone Timberland Reserve, the forest is managed by the United States ...
,
Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...
. On his first day, Delilah (
Cissy Jones Cissy Jones is an American voice actress. Jones's voice has appeared in games such as ''Firewatch'', '' The Walking Dead'', ''Life Is Strange'', ''Grand Theft Auto V'' and '' Darksiders III''. She voiced the part of Lois Lane in the 2018 game ...
), a lookout in another watchtower, contacts him via
walkie-talkie A walkie-talkie, more formally known as a handheld transceiver, HT, or handheld radio, is a hand-held, portable, two-way radio transceiver. Its development during the Second World War has been variously credited to Donald Hings, radio engineer A ...
and asks him to investigate illegal
fireworks Fireworks are Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large numbe ...
by the lake. Henry discovers a pair of teenage girls, Chelsea (
Erin Yvette Erin Yvette (born August 5, 1992) is an American voice actress and stage actress best known for her roles in character driven, narrative-heavy video games like Snow White in '' The Wolf Among Us'' by Telltale Games, Alex in Night School Stud ...
) and Lily ( Nikki Rapp), who accuse him of leering. On his way back to his tower, he comes across a locked cave and spots a shadowy figure watching him before disappearing. He returns to his watchtower to find it ransacked. The next day, Delilah asks Henry to investigate a downed communication line. He finds it cut, with a note apparently signed by the teens. Henry and Delilah plot to scare the teenage girls off, but when Henry finds their campsite ransacked and abandoned, they begin to worry. The teens are reported missing. Fearing an inquiry, Delilah falsifies reports to say that neither she nor Henry encountered the girls. While out hiking, Henry finds an old backpack and a
disposable camera A disposable or single-use camera is a simple box camera meant to be used once. Most use fixed-focus lenses. Some are equipped with an integrated flash unit, and there are even waterproof versions for underwater photography. Internally, the c ...
belonging to a boy named Brian Goodwin, who Delilah explains was the son of Ned (
Mac Brandt Mac Brandt is an American actor best known for his roles as C.O. Mack Andrews on the Fox crime drama ''Prison Break'' (2005–2006), and as Mac Sullivan on the Audience Network sports drama '' Kingdom'' (2014–2017). He is a native of the Lom ...
), a former lookout. Ned was an
outdoorsman Outdoor recreation or outdoor activity refers to recreation done outside, most commonly in natural settings. The activities that encompass outdoor recreation vary depending on the physical environment they are being carried out in. These activitie ...
who drank heavily due to his traumatic experiences in the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
, while his son, Brian, enjoyed
fantasy novels Fantasy literature is literature set in an imaginary universe, often but not always without any locations, events, or people from the real world. magic (paranormal), Magic, the supernatural and Legendary creature, magical creatures are common i ...
and
role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, or abbreviated as RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out ...
s. Though it is against the rules for employees to bring their children to the towers, Delilah was fond of Brian and lied about his presence. He and Ned apparently left abruptly and never returned. Two months later, a small
wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a ...
breaks out south of Henry's tower. Two weeks after the fire breaks out, Henry discovers a radio and a clipboard while fishing, with notes including transcripts of his conversations with Delilah. He is suddenly beaten unconscious by an unseen assailant and wakes up to find the clipboard and radio gone. In a meadow referred to on the clipboard letterhead, Henry finds a fenced-off government research area. He breaks in and discovers
surveillance Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior, many activities, or information for the purpose of information gathering, influencing, managing, or directing. This can include observation from a distance by means of electronic equipment, such as ...
equipment and typewritten reports detailing his and Delilah's conversations and private lives. He also discovers a tracking device and takes it with him. Disturbed by this discovery, Henry and Delilah discuss destroying the government camp but decide against it. However as Henry hikes home, someone sets fire to the camp. The next day, Henry uses the tracking device to find a backpack with a key to the locked cave. Delilah reports a figure in Henry's tower; when Henry arrives, he finds a
Walkman is a brand of Personal stereo, portable audio players manufactured by Sony since 1979. It was originally introduced as a portable Compact Cassette, cassette player and later expanded to include a range of portable audio products. Since 2011, ...
taped to the door with an incriminating recording of Henry and Delilah's discussion about destroying the government camp. The next day, someone impersonating Henry calls another lookout and claims that Delilah knows the cause of the station fire, putting her and Henry more on edge. Henry uses the found key to enter the cave but is suddenly locked inside by an unseen figure. Deep in the cave, Henry discovers the decayed body of Brian Goodwin. Determining that the boy died trying to climb the cave, Henry finds a way outside and reports Brian's death to Delilah who becomes upset by the news. The next day, an evacuation order is given for all the lookouts, as the wildfire that Henry had spotted earlier has grown out of control after merging with the government camp fire. As Henry prepares to leave, the tracking device begins beeping. He follows the signal and discovers a tape recorded by Ned Goodwin who is revealed as the unseen figure. Ned claims that Brian's death was accidental and that the boy fell due to climbing inexperience. Unwilling to return to society after Brian's death, Ned secretly lived in the area ever since. Choosing to venture deeper into the wilderness, Ned warns Henry not to look for him. Henry finds Ned's makeshift bunker, along with items stolen from the government camp, the lookout towers, and the teenage girls, who Delilah confirms have been found safe. The government camp was simply studying wildlife; Ned had been using its radio equipment to ensure that no one was looking for him and to create transcripts to scare Henry away. Despite Ned’s confession, Delilah blames him for Brian's death and leaves on the rescue helicopter. Henry goes to her tower, and he and Delilah say their goodbyes via radio before Henry evacuates as the forest collapses around him.


Development and release

''Firewatch'' is the first video game from Campo Santo and was created by
Jake Rodkin Jake Rodkin is an American video game designer, writer, graphic designer, and podcaster. He was the co-project leader of ''Tales of Monkey Island'' and the co-project leader and co-writer of '' The Walking Dead'', '' Poker Night at the Inventory' ...
and
Sean Vanaman Sean Vanaman (born June 16, 1984) is an American video game designer, writer, and podcaster. He was the co-project leader and lead writer of '' The Walking Dead'', and ''Puzzle Agent 2''. He also wrote the third episode of ''Tales of Monkey Islan ...
, who were the creative leads on '' The Walking Dead''; Nels Anderson, the lead designer of ''
Mark of the Ninja ''Mark of the Ninja'' is a side-scrolling stealth platform game developed by Klei Entertainment and published by Microsoft Studios. It was announced on February 28, 2012, and later released for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade on September 7, 20 ...
''; and artist
Olly Moss Oliver Jonathan Moss (born 24 January 1987) is an English graphic artist, best known for his reimagining of movie posters. His work has been released by Mondo and is regularly featured in ''Empire'' magazine. Background and early life Moss g ...
.
Chris Remo Chris Remo is an American video game designer, composer, writer, podcaster, and former journalist. As a journalist, he cofounded the original Idle Thumbs website as well as its flagship podcast, and served as Editor-in-Chief of Shacknews and ...
was involved in many aspects of the design and also composed the score. Development for ''Firewatch'' began with a single painting by Moss.
Jane Ng Jane Ng is a Chinese-American 3D environment artist, best known for her work on ''Firewatch'', '' The Cave'', and ''Brütal Legend''. She previously worked at Campo Santo, a game studio that is part of Valve, as a Senior Environment Artist. O ...
, lead environmental artist at Campo Santo, was tasked with translating Moss' work into 3D environments while maintaining his stylized artistic vision. Moss, who had previously been known primarily for his graphic design work, had joined Vanaman and Rodkin to found Campo Santo after spending many years working on the periphery of game development. In creating the painting, Moss emulated
National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...
posters from the
New Deal The New Deal was a series of wide-reaching economic, social, and political reforms enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1938, in response to the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depressi ...
era in both color palette and iconography. The development team went on a camping trip to
Yosemite National Park Yosemite National Park ( ) is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in California. It is bordered on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The p ...
for inspiration for the game, where they visited a lookout tower built with the same design as its video game counterpart. Further inspiration for the game came from Vanaman and Anderson's experiences growing up in rural Wyoming. ''Firewatch'' runs on the
Unity Unity is the state of being as one (either literally or figuratively). It may also refer to: Buildings * Unity Building, Oregon, Illinois, US; a historic building * Unity Building (Chicago), Illinois, US; a skyscraper * Unity Buildings, Liverpoo ...
game engine. Ng disapproved of the tools for creating trees and therefore hand-modeled the 23 kinds of trees that would be placed within the game 4,600 times. A custom
shader In computer graphics, a shader is a computer program that calculates the appropriate levels of light, darkness, and color during the rendering of a 3D scene—a process known as '' shading''. Shaders have evolved to perform a variety of s ...
was also employed to produce more stylized and simplified foliage. The in-game fire lookout towers were built in accordance with government specifications, utilizing standard lumber size, after Ng's first attempt was unsatisfactory. The
walkie-talkie A walkie-talkie, more formally known as a handheld transceiver, HT, or handheld radio, is a hand-held, portable, two-way radio transceiver. Its development during the Second World War has been variously credited to Donald Hings, radio engineer A ...
interaction in ''Firewatch'' is inspired by the relationship in ''
BioShock ''BioShock'' is a 2007 first-person shooter video game developed by 2K Boston (later Irrational Games) and 2K Australia, and published by 2K. The first game in the ''BioShock'' series, it was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 ...
'' between the player character and
Atlas An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of world map, maps of Earth or of a continent or region of Earth. Advances in astronomy have also resulted in atlases of the celestial sphere or of other planets. Atlases have traditio ...
, as well as the dialog system from ''The Walking Dead''. At one point in the development, it was intended that the protagonist would be able to communicate with multiple characters, such as hikers, but the idea was discarded due to its expense and the schedule requirements with which the team were working. The team hoped to avoid
lip sync Lip sync or lip synch (pronounced , like the word ''sink'', despite the Hard and soft C, spelling of the participial forms ''synced'' and ''syncing''), short for lip synchronization, is a technical term for matching a Speech, speaking or singin ...
ing and minimize the amount of
animation Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Animati ...
needed due to the limited team size and resources. The developers cast
Cissy Jones Cissy Jones is an American voice actress. Jones's voice has appeared in games such as ''Firewatch'', '' The Walking Dead'', ''Life Is Strange'', ''Grand Theft Auto V'' and '' Darksiders III''. She voiced the part of Lois Lane in the 2018 game ...
, who appeared in ''The Walking Dead'', as the voice of Delilah in 2014. It took longer to find a voice actor for Henry whom the developers felt jibed with Jones; they ultimately cast
Rich Sommer Rich Sommer (born February 2, 1978) is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of Harry Crane on the AMC drama series ''Mad Men'' (2007–2015) for which he earned two Screen Actors Guild Awards along with the ensemble cast. He is also ...
. Jones and Sommer recorded their lines in separate studios, but while on conference calls with each other to achieve a more natural rapport. The actors made a decision not to meet during production to maintain the distance between their characters. The game's opening chapter features the song "Push Play" from Joy Chun and Nate Bosley's 2014
synthwave Synthwave (also called retrowave, or futuresynth) is an electronic music microgenre that is based predominantly on the music associated with the Film score, film soundtracks of action films, science fiction films, and horror films of the 1980s. ...
album ''Let's Get Electric'', which depicts a fictitious 1980s synthpop act known as Cheap Talk.
Taylor Dayne Taylor Dayne (born Leslie Wunderman; March 7, 1962) is an American singer who rose to fame after her first two albums ('' Tell It to My Heart'' and '' Can't Fight Fate'') were both certified 2× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of ...
's " Tell It to My Heart" was used as a placeholder in the scene, but Vanaman conceded that the song was too overwhelming and would cost too much to license. Upon the realization that it would also be too costly to commission a song, Remo sought a song in the style of the 1980s by an unsigned, independent artist, leading to the use of "Push Play". The score features a combination of
electric Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...
and
acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked, its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...
,
bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...
and
electric piano An electric piano is a musical instrument that has a piano-style musical keyboard, where sound is produced by means of mechanical hammers striking metal strings or reeds or wire tines, which leads to vibrations which are then converted into ele ...
, with samples of
Fender Rhodes The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, t ...
as a substitute for the actual piano. Remo played all of the instruments himself. The game was announced in March 2014 with a tentative release date of 2015. At GDC, Campo Santo housed a public playtest, and Ng hosted a panel on the design and aesthetic of the game entitled "The Art of Firewatch". In June 2015, the team visited E3. There, they confirmed that they would be bringing the game to
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
, but that this would be the only
console Console may refer to: Computing and video games * System console, a physical device to operate a computer ** Virtual console, a user interface for multiple computer consoles on one device ** Command-line interface, a method of interacting with ...
version. However, an
Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was first released in North America, parts of Europe, Austra ...
version was later released in North America on September 21, 2016, featuring an
audio tour An audio tour or audio guide provides a Sound recording, recorded spoken commentary, normally through a handheld device, to a visitor attraction such as a museum. They are also available for self-guided tours of outdoor locations, or as a part of ...
and a free roam mode. Due to ratings issues, the version was delayed in Europe until September 30 and in Australia and New Zealand until October 14. Users of the
HTC Vive HTC Vive is a line of Virtual reality, virtual and mixed reality Virtual reality headset, headsets produced by HTC, HTC Corporation. The brand currently encompasses headsets designed for use with Personal computer, personal computers as well a ...
and
Oculus Rift Oculus Rift is a discontinued line of virtual reality headsets, virtual reality headsets developed and manufactured by Oculus VR, a virtual reality company founded by Palmer Luckey that is widely credited with reviving the virtual reality indust ...
virtual reality headset A virtual reality headset (or VR headset) is a Head-mounted display, head-mounted device that uses 3D near-eye displays and positional tracking to provide a virtual reality environment for the user. VR headsets are widely used with Virtual reali ...
s can
tour Tour or Tours may refer to: Travel * Tourism, travel for pleasure * Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service * Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus * Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed ...
Henry's lookout tower using the
Steam Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...
application Destinations. For this purpose, the scene was rebuilt on the
Source Source may refer to: Research * Historical document * Historical source * Source (intelligence) or sub source, typically a confidential provider of non open-source intelligence * Source (journalism), a person, publication, publishing institute ...
game engine. ''Firewatch'' was made compatible with
PlayStation 4 Pro The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
on its November 10 launch, with enhanced performance through
4K resolution 4K resolution refers to a horizontal display resolution of approximately 4,000 pixels. Digital television and digital cinematography commonly use several different 4K resolutions. In television and consumer media, 38402160 (4K UHD) with a 16:9 asp ...
and
high-dynamic-range imaging High dynamic range (HDR), also known as wide dynamic range, extended dynamic range, or expanded dynamic range, is a signal with a higher dynamic range than usual. The term is often used in discussing the dynamic ranges of images, videos, audio or ...
. The free roam mode was enabled for PlayStation 4 Pro and
Steam Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...
shortly thereafter. Partnering with
Limited Run Games Limited Run Games, Inc. is an American video game distributor based in Apex, North Carolina. The company produces and sells limited quantities of physical video game copies via its website and select retail stores. Josh Fairhurst and Douglas B ...
, Campo Santo distributed under ten thousand physical copies of the game on PlayStation 4. 4,800 copies were made available for order on the Limited Run Games website on December 16, 2016, while 2,500 were sold through the Campo Santo online store starting January 16, 2017. In April 2018, Campo Santo announced the game would be released for
Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...
later in the year. It was later clarified that the Nintendo Switch port would be a heavily optimised version of the game, and the update would also be available for other platforms. Additionally, the Nintendo Switch version featured some exclusive elements. Campo Santo later confirmed, via
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
, the worldwide release date for the Nintendo Switch port as December 17, 2018.


Reception

''Firewatch'' received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
. Steven Hansen at ''
Destructoid ''Destructoid'' is a website that was founded as a video game-focused blog in March 2006 by Yanier Gonzalez, a Cuban-American cartoonist and author. Enthusiast Gaming acquired the website in 2017 and sold it to Gamurs Group in 2022. Histor ...
'' welcomed the choice-based
dialogue tree A dialogue tree, or conversation tree, is a gameplay mechanic that is used throughout many adventure games (including action-adventure games) and role-playing video games. When interacting with a non-player character, the player is given a choice ...
gameplay, and praised the dialogue itself, as well as the voice performances. The game's most impressive achievement, as stated by Hansen, was the "thematic cohesion", which was said to revolve around self-imposed isolation. The sound design was lauded to have evoked a
Hitchcockian Hitchcockian films are those made by various filmmakers, with the styles and themes similar to those of Alfred Hitchcock. Characteristics Elements considered Hitchcockian include: *Climactic plot twist. *The cool platinum blonde. *The presenc ...
sense of fear. Reviewing ''Firewatch'', ''
Game Informer ''Game Informer'' (''GI'' is an American monthly Video game journalism, video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and video game console, game consoles. It debuted in August 1991, when the video game reta ...
''s Jeff Cork wrote, "I was immediately drawn into the game's world, partly because of the power of its simple text intro, and also because of the novelty of taking part in something so mundane". Cork observed that its interactive dialogue, though simple, "breathes life into the game" and called the conversations "natural" and "engaging". He enjoyed exploring the forest environment, yet felt the ending was unsatisfactory. Scott Butterworth of ''
GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady, and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
'' thought that the analog navigation tools – a hand-held compass and paper map – were "immersive" but "occasionally frustrating". He found the visual beauty of the setting allowed for a more rewarding form of exploration and noted that the sound design complemented the depth of its atmosphere. Judging the development of the characters through dialog to be "bold" and "admirable", he opined that it served as "a patient, reflective examination of how two people grow to trust and care for each other". According to Butterworth, the voice acting was brilliant and layered with emotional nuance, as he had evolved a strong attachment to the characters.
GamesRadar ''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', '' Edge'' and ''Computer ...
's Justin Towell described ''Firewatch'' as "one of the most enthralling slices of entertainment I've ever experienced". He commended the voice acting for having successfully defined each character's personality traits. Towell added that the music, alongside the sound design, worked well in service of the atmosphere. However, he disparaged a few noticeable continuity problems that left him disillusioned. Ryan McCaffrey at ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
'' hailed the sense of realism elicited by the setting, despite the stylized level design and artwork. He also approved of the script, saying that voice acting enhanced it further. Of the writing, McCaffrey said, "It's tense, scary, and funny – sometimes all within a few minutes of each other. Not a lot of games can successfully claim that". He deemed the ending polarizing because of the story's promising escalation. ''
Polygon In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure made up of line segments connected to form a closed polygonal chain. The segments of a closed polygonal chain are called its '' edges'' or ''sides''. The points where two edges meet are the polygon ...
''s Colin Campbell appreciated the use of humor and empathy to develop the characters, considered the game's mystery to be successful and the story to be "elegant" and "satisfying". He criticized the conclusion, regarding it as "not entirely successful".


Sales

The game sold more than five hundred thousand copies within a month of its release and over one million copies by the end of its first year. As of 2018, ''Firewatch'' has sold over 2.5 million copies across all platforms.


Accolades


Film adaptation

On August 17, 2020, it was announced that Campo Santo was partnering with production company Snoot Entertainment (
Keith Calder Keith G. Calder (born 14 December 1979) is a British-born independent film producer best known for his work on ''All the Boys Love Mandy Lane'' (2006) and ''The Wackness'' (2008) with Felipe Marino and Joe Neurauter. Career After graduatin ...
and Jess Wu) to adapt the game into a feature film.


References


External links

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