Firewatch review: Getting lost in the remote wilderness and loving it

I'm not a big fan of getting lost... mainly because I do it so often. In the real world, if I'm not being actively guided by a GPS voice or a human navigator, I generally end up hopelessly off course. In games (especially first-person games), I usually need a detailed mini-map or a big, flashing arrow pointing me in precisely the direction I need to go. Otherwise, I tend to meander around the game world, trying in vain to remember which paths I've already tried and which landmarks I've already seen.

Yet I didn't really mind getting lost in Firewatch. In fact, by the time I made it to the game's somewhat abrupt end, I found myself wishing I'd had more opportunities to get lost in its detailed, well-built wilderness.

Getting lost is incredibly easy in Firewatch's intimate sliver of national forest. Instead of a mini-map or a bright flashing arrow, protagonist Henry gets a compass and a less-than-detailed paper map that he has to physically hold in front of him to even see where he is (you can turn off the flashing red dot that pinpoints your location on the map if you want to really test your navigation abilities).

It's easy to meander the wrong way down the loosely defined paths through the game's trees, rocks, and streams. As such, I'd constantly find myself hiking in one direction (while staring intently at my compass), noticing I had slowly veered off course and then squinting at the map for a minute to figure out how to double back to get onto the correct path.

Not that getting lost is such a chore in Firewatch. In fact, it's a good way to stumble on some of the game's best scenery. Every blind corner you turn around can reveal another stunning vista or secluded spot full of natural beauty that will have you reaching for the screenshot button (or the in-game disposable camera you can use to document your journeying). The environment really pops thanks to some stunning use of natural light, which fights through morning haze and late-afternoon sunsets to play beautifully off the ruddy brown rocks, brilliant green trees, and shining waters. The only distraction is some frequent animation stutters on the PS4 version of the game.

Firewatch is at its best when it embraces the loneliness of its wilderness setting. I won't spoil the miniature choose-your-own-adventure introduction that lays out why Henry needs some time as far away from humanity as possible. Suffice it to say that a summer job watching for fire hazards from a remote wilderness shack seems perfect for his situation. As such, playing as Henry, you'll go multiple in-game days without seeing another soul up close, usually wandering without even a backing soundtrack to break through the quiet, refreshing stillness and natural beauty.

Your only tangible connection to the outside world is Delilah, a remote boss who exists solely as a voice on an ever-present two-way radio. Delilah is a perfect foil for Henry; a warm, sardonic, informative, and gently teasing presence with a mouth like a sailor and a not-too-hidden drinking problem. Henry and Delilah play off of each other beautifully thanks to some sharp, playful writing and lively, natural vocal performances. I found myself agonizing over which response to choose for Henry to make to some of Delilah's quips, eager not to spoil the unique, long-distance camaraderie that develops between them.

Meandering to an abrupt ending

For roughly the first half of Firewatch, the in-game days unfurl languorously in a kind of stupor-inducing routine. There are some benign everyday tasks to drive things forward (i.e., go investigate someone setting off fireworks, follow a downed phone line to the source of the problem, hike to a drop point to pick up some supplies, etc.) but there's little in the way of action or immediate threat to get the adrenaline up. You just kind of pass the time finding your way, admiring the scenery, and chatting amiably with Delilah.

That might not sound all that interesting, especially for gamers who struggle to go 30 seconds in a game without something to shoot at. But there's something refreshing about a game that revels in it sense of loneliness and embraces its utter lack of focused action. I wouldn't have minded if the entire game had remained entrenched in this lonely grind, a slow-paced meditation on the need to get away from modern life and its troubles.

For better or worse, though, the plot takes a sharp turn away from the mundane around its midpoint. That's when earlier hints of some mysterious research taking place on the park grounds quickly unravels into a full-blown conspiracy, with unavoidable evidence that threatens to drag Henry and Delilah down with some serious consequences. There is a good deal of genuine tension as the game jumps quickly through time to hit major plot points, and Henry and Delilah begin to alternately cling to and suspect one another through the tendentious connection of their two-way radio. Every development seems to point to more and more sinister plots—and to a game that's about something much larger than a simple summer spent watching for fire hazards.

Then, just as events are threatening to boil over, the truth of the whole mystery drops into your lap with a resonating thud. I can't go into too much detail without spoiling most of the game's conclusion, but suffice to say that I found the resolution to be more than a little anticlimactic. The game tries to bring it all together with a few awkward tugs on your heartstrings, but the conclusion is a bit too dependent on long-past backstory, told mainly through exposition and without any real feeling of immediate connection. Any emotional resonance is lost to a feeling of detached investigation, where all you get to really experience directly is the detritus left behind by the truth.

For a game that takes place in such a wide-open wilderness, the actual story is almost claustrophobic in its quick pace and clipped storylines—a short story rather than a great American novel of rugged adventure in the remote mountain west. It's a shame, too, because by the time the game ended I was finally starting to be able to feel my way around Firewatch's unique landmarks and winding paths without relying on that map overly much. You can come back for some more idle wandering or to make a few different choices in your responses to Delilah, but there's really little reason to go back once the game ties up all its loose ends after five hours or so.

Even if the abrupt conclusion doesn't really tie it together as a complete experience, I'll remember plenty of individual moments from my brief time with Firewatch: Chatting with Delilah while watching a magnificent sunset; finding a small, navigable gap through a seemingly impassable hedge; or stumbling on a note left by a firewatch lookout that came before me. These are the kinds of pieces that compelling world-building are made of. I just wish there were more of them to fill the game's beautiful, well-made space.

The good

• Stunning scenery that makes great use of natural light
• Excellent writing and vocal performances between the two main characters
• Finding comfort in mundanity of remote isolation
• The building tension as a mysterious conspiracy unfolds around you

The bad

• Main storyline doesn't come to a very satisfying conclusion
• The game ends just as you are really settling in to its world

The Ugly

• Frequent animation stuttering on the PS4 version

Verdict: Buy it if you want to take a relaxing trip to the great outdoors without ever leaving your home.