Firewatch

 PC
User Score
7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 1504 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 922 out of 1504
  2. Mixed: 361 out of 1504
  3. Negative: 221 out of 1504

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  1. dunnyone
    Feb 11, 2016
    4
    I'll give the developers this, the voice acting is excellent. The banter between the two characters is incredibly realistic but this falls woefully short as a game. It's three hours long (if that) and the ending is utter trash. It was also insanely overpriced for what you get. I truly do not understand these idiot official sites that tell us how excellent these games are, when they areI'll give the developers this, the voice acting is excellent. The banter between the two characters is incredibly realistic but this falls woefully short as a game. It's three hours long (if that) and the ending is utter trash. It was also insanely overpriced for what you get. I truly do not understand these idiot official sites that tell us how excellent these games are, when they are simply lackluster walking simulators. Wait for a Steam sale, when it drops to $5 then snap it up.… Expand
  2. itmo
    Feb 10, 2016
    3
    So did they forget to finish the game but still charge for a full game? The best way to sum up this game is - Good Marketing campaign, Dud game. The asking price for this game is 3 times to much for what you get, and what you get is a 3 hour walking simulator, on rails, no exploring the great wide yonder, a pretense to an interesting story which falls flat on its backside. There is noSo did they forget to finish the game but still charge for a full game? The best way to sum up this game is - Good Marketing campaign, Dud game. The asking price for this game is 3 times to much for what you get, and what you get is a 3 hour walking simulator, on rails, no exploring the great wide yonder, a pretense to an interesting story which falls flat on its backside. There is no climax, there really isn't much of a game. Zero replay value. Reminds me of the beginners guide, it's trying to be arty, cool but comes off as lame, underdeveloped and a missed opportunity to be an innovative idea.… Expand
  3. Akolyte01
    Feb 9, 2016
    4
    A very short game where the plot goes nowhere. Beautiful art direction that conveys the sense of an open world, but is really a series of corridors without any sort of gratifying exploration.

    The game is centered around the plot, but the ending leaves you thinking "Well, that was a whole bunch of nothing."

    Do not listen to the shills creaming their jeans, Firewatch is exceedingly mediocre.
  4. sjcodan
    Feb 9, 2016
    4
    The setup, the pacing, the suspense were all amazing, but that ending actively made me un-enjoy the game. There's so much setup pointing towards things that just don't matter. At all. I don't want to touch spoilers in my review, but lets leave it at this;
    The first third of the game is a 7, the middle third is a 9, and the back third is a -5.
  5. Muuvinki
    Feb 11, 2016
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. My last review was removed here, so I guess damage control has begun.
    This game is only 3 - 4 hours long, on rails walking simulator.
    Devs mislead players into thinking that this a open world game, which it isn't.
    Don't support lying devs and price tag of 20$ for a game that offers nothing new.

    PS
    I will keep posting my review back here everytime someone removes it
    You cant silence the truth.    … Expand
  6. fredhorrigan
    Feb 9, 2016
    0
    Just another "game" where you have barely any interaction and all you do is walk from point A to point B and interacting with the thing the game tells you to interact with so you'll be able to walk to point C while you choose between a handful of dialogue options that don't change anything.

    The story takes a page from Gone Home where it might look like it's some sort of supernatural    Just another "game" where you have barely any interaction and all you do is walk from point A to point B and interacting with the thing the game tells you to interact with so you'll be able to walk to point C while you choose between a handful of dialogue options that don't change anything.

    The story takes a page from Gone Home where it might look like it's some sort of supernatural mystery or something like that but ends up being a very mundane and very boring.

    SPOILER ALERT: There's no killer or supernatural elements, just a guy trying to spook people because he wants them to leave the forest because he doesn't want anyone to find his dead son's body and the two girls that go missing turn out fine.

    Don't pay money for this **** just watch it on youtube, or even better, watch something less terrible like a movie or a TV show.    … Expand
  7. Kraks
    Mar 25, 2017
    2
    I couldn't disagree with positive reviews for this game more. It is a very short adventure novella with 0 skill requirements, no puzzles, and no problem solving required. You just walk around the world for a bit and click on things and listen to a conversation between yourself and another firewatcher. The entire game may take 4 hours to complete if you go slow, but is easily completed inI couldn't disagree with positive reviews for this game more. It is a very short adventure novella with 0 skill requirements, no puzzles, and no problem solving required. You just walk around the world for a bit and click on things and listen to a conversation between yourself and another firewatcher. The entire game may take 4 hours to complete if you go slow, but is easily completed in 2.

    I wouldn't suggest this game for any more than $2. The $20 price tag suggests depth that just doesn't exist.    … Expand
  8. JazGalaxy
    Feb 14, 2016
    4
    Great writing and voice acting are stymied by a terrible plot and conclusion that leave the player scratching their head and wondering why this was a story that needed to be told at all. As usual gamers give too much credit for what is attempted rather than what was achieved. Player choose is mostly cosmetic. In short, want to read a murder mystery where the ending is that nobody was everGreat writing and voice acting are stymied by a terrible plot and conclusion that leave the player scratching their head and wondering why this was a story that needed to be told at all. As usual gamers give too much credit for what is attempted rather than what was achieved. Player choose is mostly cosmetic. In short, want to read a murder mystery where the ending is that nobody was ever actually killed? Your answer will give you the answer as to whether you should play firewatch.… Expand
  9. Ewakid
    Mar 22, 2016
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Not much content for a game I spent 19.99 on, I've player DLCs that are longer and more enjoyable than this game. The conversations between Henry and Delilah are ok, but its hard to pay attention to them when trees pop in and out of existence, or when the ground disappears. The 15 FPS is great too, I have a pretty nice Pc and I'm above the system requirements but I still have to endure a god awful framerate. [[SPOILERS]] The endings piss poor, the second they introduced the weird hiker guy with his son I knew that he would have a big role to play. Sure enough, he was the one that was doing all the weird **** After that, you just get rejected no matter what, and nothing you did affects the outcome of the story. Now you can say the ending doesn't matter and that its all about the journey, but you can't say that when the **** journey was "walk to this place, walk to another place, talk a bit". Another game that had a **** ending was Fallout New Vegas, you get a **** slideshow and you realize nothing matters. BUT the difference is in fallout new vegas I can **** do stuff, I don't just walk and walk and walk. So in the end, don't buy this game, you won't really have fun, it's just walking. Watch a full walkthrough with no commentary. You will get more out of just watching everything happen than actually playing the game.… Expand
  10. Shahenita
    Apr 29, 2016
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. the game is just 2 hours long! its too short..
    its an adventure to reveal the story.. that start very good and ends very Sad!
    raising to expectation until the middle.. and then is just disappointment after another!

    games should be fun! whats fun about a boy dead on a cave!!!    … Expand
  11. meglaa
    Aug 11, 2016
    4
    Going from point A to point B, with sometimes an additional point C. Basically the game is a walking simulator with dialogue. You can't run with the map open, which is a big deal, since you hardly learn the map before the game is over. The story is pretty interesting, but it feels like at the end, the writers were fired, because nearing the ending is just ridiculous. The actual gameplayGoing from point A to point B, with sometimes an additional point C. Basically the game is a walking simulator with dialogue. You can't run with the map open, which is a big deal, since you hardly learn the map before the game is over. The story is pretty interesting, but it feels like at the end, the writers were fired, because nearing the ending is just ridiculous. The actual gameplay time is a few hours, which is pretty sad, considering the price of the game and the game has absolutely no replay value. The decisions you make have no impact on the game itself, it's just for you to do something. Whatever you choose, whatever you do, the entire game will still be exactly the same.… Expand
  12. Vzhik
    Feb 16, 2016
    4
    Как-то всё посредственно. Ни глубокой истории, ни мега-красивостей, музыки очень мало.. Всё ждал какого-го нибудь неожиданного поворота. Ощущение пустышки, обманки. Разочарование от игры.
  13. WarPhoenix
    Oct 4, 2017
    1
    co dev threatened to dmca pewdiepie for no reason other than not liking pewdiepie and i think its honestly BS i would of rated this game a 4 out of 10 as its as others say seems like a half assed game in everything but its certain visual appeal however with the devs behavior of doing this after any coverage about fire watch during its launch but is doing it now is stupid and inmature.
  14. Polarthief
    Feb 24, 2016
    2
    Here's just a list of reasons why this game is very, very, subpar.

    - It's a very linear, story-driven, game, with practically no gameplay. It's pretty much the definition of a "hiking simulator". - It's about 3-4 hours long and launched with a $20 price tag. - It started with plenty of potential and ended with a disastrous "that's it?" feeling at the end. - It gives you the illusion    Here's just a list of reasons why this game is very, very, subpar.

    - It's a very linear, story-driven, game, with practically no gameplay. It's pretty much the definition of a "hiking simulator".
    - It's about 3-4 hours long and launched with a $20 price tag.
    - It started with plenty of potential and ended with a disastrous "that's it?" feeling at the end.
    - It gives you the illusion of choice that changes how your character and the "companion" character that you never meet communicate to one another. There is no actual choice though.
    - There is virtually no difference between watching and playing this game. Go watch any of the LPs for it and save your $20.
    - It's not even appealing to look at. At the very least it could have given us that.

    I honestly don't know what drugs the positive reviewers were on when they posted their reviews. Maybe they're only reviewing the demo (which was solid), but the full game is just trash.    … Expand
  15. StidIsram
    Feb 25, 2016
    1
    Эта игра - полный отстой, провал, позор и много чего еще. только черепашка спасает, но несильно +1 бал за черепашку. итого 1 из 10.
    Никакой сюжет, никакой мир, никакие персонажи.
    Совсем непонятна оценка изданий, но на их мнение здравомыслящие люди давно не обращают внимания.    Эта игра - полный отстой, провал, позор и много чего еще. только черепашка спасает, но несильно +1 бал за черепашку. итого 1 из 10.
    Никакой сюжет, никакой мир, никакие персонажи.
    Совсем непонятна оценка изданий, но на их мнение здравомыслящие люди давно не обращают внимания.
  16. evilnils
    Feb 20, 2016
    3
    If you cut out the hiking back and forth, this game would have less than one hour gameplay.

    It looks good, voice acting is superb, story is great, ending is underwhelming (and it is supposed to be).
    But, there is no game play and it is way way too short.
    This could have been a good movie, instead it became a pretty average game.
  17. TitaniumDragon
    Dec 27, 2017
    1
    Firewatch is a walking simulator which uses some video-gamey elements to try and make it seem more interactive. Unfortunately, like all walking simulators, it is critically important that the story that the simulator is telling is actually interesting.

    And Firewatch fails at this. This isn’t obvious at first, though. The game actually has what seems like fairly decent moment to    Firewatch is a walking simulator which uses some video-gamey elements to try and make it seem more interactive. Unfortunately, like all walking simulators, it is critically important that the story that the simulator is telling is actually interesting.

    And Firewatch fails at this.

    This isn’t obvious at first, though. The game actually has what seems like fairly decent moment to moment writing; while it starts out with a sort of text adventure thing that unfolds as you’re hiking, it quickly starts going into actual dialogue as the protagonist (Henry) talks with Delilah, his supervisor.

    Henry has taken a job watching out for fires in a national forest as a means of getting away from his problems; his wife has early onset dementia and Henry himself is something of a mess as a result, and it is implied that he might be an alcoholic.

    The problem is that we get this at the very start of the story; this is the setup. But the game ends up spending a lot of its length having Henry reveal all this to Delilah, meaning that a lot of Henry’s “character development” is stuff we already know. While his conversations with Delilah are solid enough, they lose their oomph because we, the reader/listener, already know this from the intro.

    And this is the real flaw of Firewatch – it constantly undercuts itself. There is a mystery early on, which then links into another (greater) mystery… which is a solid way to present a plot. But the solution to the mystery is an anticlimax, and as a result all of the tension it tried to build up was utterly pointless.

    The plot is, thusly, a mess, and so from a macro structural standpoint, so is Firewatch. Without a really meaningful plot, the game is nothing more than wandering around in the forest while talking over the radio and doing slice-of-lifey stuff. And if the game had just been a slice of life drama, it might have worked. But its attempt at mystery, and its attempt at a story arc, utterly fall flat, and in the end, nothing we spent all that time doing really meant much of anything. It is a story we experience rather than interact with, and the story itself is not very good, so there’s not really anything there.

    The game itself is pretty enough – or at least, the environment is, with a nice aesthetic to it. I took quite a few screenshots, and there’s some nice little details in there, such as the protagonist writing notes to himself about what has been going on. The voice actors are both solid and deliver their lines well on the whole, though there’s some slight inconsistency in a couple scenes as a character who is supposedly getting drunk immediately sobers up a few lines later.

    But without a good story to go with it, the whole thing is an empty experience, and you will spend 4-5 hours wandering around in the forest without ultimately being led to feel like your wandering mattered.    … Expand
  18. Thanksmetacriti
    Dec 28, 2017
    0
    Garbage game from garbage devs, walking sim for sure. Boring Boring Boring Boring
  19. draconianwrath
    Feb 12, 2016
    3
    This game contain two well-fleshed characters talking to each other, a pretty wilderness to walk around in and NOTHING ELSE. A literal walking simulator.

    The gameplay is basically nil. You walk from A to B over and over, meanwhile selecting dialogue choices which only change the next line of dialogue received and nothing else, giving the illusion of choice. That's it. THAT'S THE GAME.    This game contain two well-fleshed characters talking to each other, a pretty wilderness to walk around in and NOTHING ELSE. A literal walking simulator.

    The gameplay is basically nil. You walk from A to B over and over, meanwhile selecting dialogue choices which only change the next line of dialogue received and nothing else, giving the illusion of choice. That's it. THAT'S THE GAME.

    The above might have been forgivable if the game had a strong story to keep you interested throughout. Unfortunately, while the story starts off strong, it proceeds to jump of a cliff near the end, which is almost as bad as having it be bad all throughout as it leaves a very sour taste in many people's mouths.

    The only positive aspects of Firewatch are the dialogue and the environment design, however, this just adds fuel to the idea that Firewatch would have functioned much better as a story then as a game, as well as having a story that didn't stop giving a **** near the end.

    Finally, it's extremely short for it's asking price of $19.99 US. This "game" is nothing more then an interactive book, calling Firewatch a game is an insult to other games and it's proclamation of being of good quality by mainstream game sites is more proof that mainstream games media have ****ing lost the plot and/or become filled with agenda-pushing morons.    … Expand
  20. fragman
    Sep 24, 2017
    0
    False DMCA claim simulator 2017
    And yes, this is simply a statement towards the lack of character displayed by the developer, not actually about the game. But by their standards, attacking someone's income based on something that has nothing to do with you is acceptable.
  21. Morguewolf
    Feb 13, 2016
    3
    I was ready to be in love with this game. It looked beautiful and had a great set up for an amazing story. Sadly...

    It falls short in literally every department. The game is painfully short for the price tag of $20. 3 hours long with zero depth in the gameplay and a massively disappointing story. Do yourself a favor and ignore this game.
  22. Rabullione
    Sep 11, 2017
    2
    I have a single, simple requirement of videogames-- they have to be fun. This game fails to meet that requirement, and so it receives a poor rating. Enjoyable visuals, script & voice acting are the only redeeming qualities in what is, otherwise, more akin to a chore than a game.
  23. czt
    Aug 6, 2017
    0
    "Full controller support" is just a lie if dinput controllers ignored. Handling them with unity is indeed possible, see Layers of Fear or Syberia 3 for example.
  24. yogibbear
    Feb 11, 2016
    4
    Good gameplay, good humorous writing, interesting concept. Let down heavily by an unbelievable plot full of idiotic characters making stupid decisions. Entire game falls over because you cannot believe what they do or their motivations. Rest of it would be great in another game with a better story and more expanded gameplay. So... I feel ripped off. I mean I knew it was going to be a storyGood gameplay, good humorous writing, interesting concept. Let down heavily by an unbelievable plot full of idiotic characters making stupid decisions. Entire game falls over because you cannot believe what they do or their motivations. Rest of it would be great in another game with a better story and more expanded gameplay. So... I feel ripped off. I mean I knew it was going to be a story game / walking simulator, but there's just no meat here. Also there's no real choice in what happens, just different dialogue as far as I can tell. Pretty disappointed as from the reviews I'd read they made it sound like there'd be multiple endings or something so at least that would've given it some meat, but nope. Not recommended.… Expand
  25. martin03252000
    Sep 13, 2017
    0
    the developers are people that would sue a innocent person, just because they don't like them. The game is a walking simulator and if you really wanna play a walking simulator you would be beater of playing something like valley
  26. OllieGally
    Sep 14, 2017
    0
    Boring. Basically a walking simulator which is very short in a way, could be better with a different story line. It is a huge waste of time and money.
  27. dakon
    Feb 13, 2016
    1
    Game bugged out at day 79. Could not get it work. Had to watch the rest of the game in youtube.....by lord if you are a sp story driven game, bug check before release.
  28. LordScrambles
    Sep 20, 2017
    0
    Garbage walking simulator.

    That's it. That's all I really need to say. I could end this review here. But I guess I could go into a bit more detail. The game had "something" of an interesting premise at the start. Before actually taking control of the story, you read a series of text excerpts detailing the events leading up to the beginning of the game. However, as soon as we get into    Garbage walking simulator.

    That's it. That's all I really need to say. I could end this review here. But I guess I could go into a bit more detail.

    The game had "something" of an interesting premise at the start. Before actually taking control of the story, you read a series of text excerpts detailing the events leading up to the beginning of the game. However, as soon as we get into the game itself, you instantly become aware of the fact that the game is... well... nothing. Even by the standards of "narrative driven" games, this one just sucks. A clunky, confusing build up, that ultimately leads to a resolution that is simultaneously nonsensical and completely unsatisfying. That's what you're getting when you buy this game.

    There's nothing worse than a bad ending, and boy does this game deliver in that regard.    … Expand
  29. YourNeighbour
    Jan 24, 2018
    0
    FIRST UP: They BAN you for giving feedback on the forums. You PAY for a game and you give them a feedback they don't like it so they ban you? What kind of immoral developer are those? They have no shame left and should not continue to exist as a company. If you are reading this, don't buy it, or if you buy it, play it real quick and refund it.

    It might appear to be some kind of open    FIRST UP: They BAN you for giving feedback on the forums. You PAY for a game and you give them a feedback they don't like it so they ban you? What kind of immoral developer are those? They have no shame left and should not continue to exist as a company. If you are reading this, don't buy it, or if you buy it, play it real quick and refund it.

    It might appear to be some kind of open world exploration but no, it's just a linear storyline and it's helluva short for the money you will be paying.

    On top of that, the fps will jump wildly even on the best gaming PC, not very well optimized, just another cash grabbing quick asset dump.    … Expand
  30. Mygaffer
    Sep 14, 2017
    1
    Worst walking simulator ever. Boring "game" with a terrible ending. Is NOT worth the money. I highly recommend people stay far away from this and all of this developer's games.
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Awards & Rankings

61
#61 Best PC Game of 2016
13
#13 Most Discussed PC Game of 2016
55
#55 Most Shared PC Game of 2016

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 65 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 51 out of 65
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 65
  3. Negative: 0 out of 65
  1. CD-Action
    May 1, 2016
    80
    Firewatch is hands down the best, the most engaging first person walker I have ever played. Something doesn’t let me rate it higher though, and I guess it’s my common sense. [04/2016, p.50]
  2. GameSpew
    Apr 15, 2016
    80
    The look of this game is nothing short of stunning… Each detail is carefully designed and thought out with a charming feel to it overall.
    Read full review
  3. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Apr 12, 2016
    100
    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]
See all critic reviews »