Firewatch

 PlayStation 4
User Score
6.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 693 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 404 out of 693
  2. Mixed: 167 out of 693
  3. Negative: 122 out of 693
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  1. R3bbit
    Aug 21, 2023
    6
    After years of keeping this on my to play list due to great reviews and hype, I eventually got down to play this apparent masterpiece.

    Turns out it is the most overhyped game every released. Beautiful open world scenery.......nope, small areas you can circle within 10-15 seconds with subpar graphically details, no wildlife, flat trees and grass, bland environments and utterly terrible    After years of keeping this on my to play list due to great reviews and hype, I eventually got down to play this apparent masterpiece.

    Turns out it is the most overhyped game every released. Beautiful open world scenery.......nope, small areas you can circle within 10-15 seconds with subpar graphically details, no wildlife, flat trees and grass, bland environments and utterly terrible fps and pop in on ps5.

    Exciting mystery story......yes, the story had me hooked until the 70% mark...turned out to be one big nothing burger of a narrative....really....nothing but a waste of a few hours.

    Though not being an utterly bad game....it is not.....I however really suggest you just give this a complete miss.

    The one moment near the end of the game where the developers had a chance to bring some emotion or shock into the story....were a body is discovered...they drop the ball...no small cutscene or even change in music....you literally make a comment on the radio and step over the body and move on..

    Very weak.    … Expand
  2. Potet69
    Jul 23, 2023
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. -Nice atmosphere
    -Good story, but the ending is trash
    -Not much to do after you finished the story    … Expand
  3. Stokly00
    Dec 22, 2022
    1
    This game is absolutely terrible. The characters are dull and uninteresting, the script is cliched and unoriginal, and the walking speed is painfully slow. Even if you are a fan of slow-paced games, this one is just too slow. The graphics and sound are passable, but that's about it. The game just doesn't have anything to keep you invested. All in all, I would highly recommend avoiding this game.
  4. MattchewHawk
    Sep 6, 2022
    9
    A great story. with an opening on par with Disneys Up. You really fall in love with Henry's character. Its not a long game, but the time you spend in its world sticks with you long after you finish playing it.
  5. BrianDavid94
    Aug 25, 2022
    10
    Quick background on me the reviewer, I tend to like single player games that is heavy on narrative the most. I also play a lot of racing games and use to play multiplayer games in my high school days but now that it's hard for me and my friends to find a good time to link up so now I hardly play any. Up to try any genre of games and sometimes I find something new that I didn't think I'dQuick background on me the reviewer, I tend to like single player games that is heavy on narrative the most. I also play a lot of racing games and use to play multiplayer games in my high school days but now that it's hard for me and my friends to find a good time to link up so now I hardly play any. Up to try any genre of games and sometimes I find something new that I didn't think I'd like. I play on every platform but prefer PlayStation.

    The atmoshere and voice acting is great. I love how you think the story is going one direction but takes another without contradicting itself and the radio interaction between the main characters. Looking at some of the reviews it seems like quite a few people didn't pay attention to the story. It's all there and if you get confused just YouTube it.    … Expand
  6. brennenmorrow
    Feb 26, 2022
    9
    Firewatch is such a good story. It's relaxing but keeps you invested in what is going on. I would call this a story-based experience rather than a video game and I mean that in the best way possible.
  7. elgarmius
    Jan 16, 2022
    5
    The biggest disappointment of this game is that none of your choices matter at all.
  8. Kryss_Everson
    Dec 26, 2021
    2
    Big disappointment. No gameplay, no life in a forest?! The story pushed me to continue until I finished it and got more disappointed. Avoid thi joke.
  9. Kratos_Redfield
    Nov 28, 2021
    0
    Waste of money. Performance problems, rushed ending and that attitude of “if you don’t like me you don’t understand me”. Avoid at all costs
  10. Markos-
    Feb 5, 2021
    7
    I enjoyed playing a simple game with a more mature storytelling and space for reflection. The camera made me feel a bit dizzy at times and the last few walks felt too long. Apart from that, interesting game that can be finished in around 5 hours.
  11. nexus151196
    Sep 10, 2020
    8
    Фантастически красивая игра с прекрасной музыкой.Очень интересно слушать разговоры по рации и окунаться в сюжет, игра грамотно держит интригу до самого конца, все время думал, что тут есть мистика). Концовка грустная, люблю такие игры.Фантастически красивая игра с прекрасной музыкой.Очень интересно слушать разговоры по рации и окунаться в сюжет, игра грамотно держит интригу до самого конца, все время думал, что тут есть мистика). Концовка грустная, люблю такие игры.
  12. TheWolf11
    Jun 30, 2020
    9
    This game was great and I really enjoyed the story and the environment of the open world that the game had but the only reason that I’m not giving it a ten is because I’m a trophy hunter and when I got all the trophies, I then realised that there was no platinum and I was so frustrated that I spent my whole day getting all the trophies.
  13. ToshLichev
    Jun 21, 2020
    7
    An incredibly atmospheric little story that stays with you and keeps you engaged from beginning to end. Nothing mind-blowing, but certainly deserving of a playthrough or two.
  14. drlowdon
    Apr 30, 2020
    6
    When his wife develops early-onset dementia, Henry takes a job as a fire lookout in Shoshone National Forest in Wyoming. On the first his boss Delilah sends him out to investigate illegal fireworks by the lake, but upon returning to his watchtower he finds it ransacked….

    Firewalk is essentially another addition to the ‘walking simulator’ genre, with the game largely involving walking    When his wife develops early-onset dementia, Henry takes a job as a fire lookout in Shoshone National Forest in Wyoming. On the first his boss Delilah sends him out to investigate illegal fireworks by the lake, but upon returning to his watchtower he finds it ransacked….

    Firewalk is essentially another addition to the ‘walking simulator’ genre, with the game largely involving walking around the forest pressing buttons when prompted to perform context sensitive actions. With such minimalist gameplay games of this ilk live or die by the quality of their story telling, and in large part thanks to the excellent voice acting, I did find myself drawn into the mystery. Unfortunately the ending doesn’t live up to the great premise, which was a big dampener on my overall experience, but if you like this genre of game this is a competent effort.    … Expand
  15. RussianKeki4
    Apr 14, 2020
    7
    Атмосферный симулятор ходьбы. Поиграть стоит ради атмосферы, музыки, видов, ну и может быть сюжета.
  16. talhakammybond
    Apr 6, 2020
    9
    There tons of games out there but few touches the heart. This is a beautifully designed game and the free-roaming in the woods is just awesome. The story is simple yet creates a unique theme. Won't say much, Go Play it.
  17. Felix_taskete
    Mar 4, 2020
    8
    The game is really good. It has great atmosphere, good artstyle and touching, down to earth story. but in my opinion plot was really short, and too many walking just to make game longer. and also too many freezes on ps4. So 8 out of 10.
  18. Cosmo_Glass
    Feb 3, 2020
    8
    With a story that works as an allegory for the very act of losing yourself in a video game in order to escape your troubles, this is essential for anyone looking for an intense and original experience, as long as they’re ready to have the mirror held up at the end.
  19. awayka
    Sep 27, 2019
    9
    Короткая игра с сюжетом, который даже может взволновать.
  20. vahn
    Aug 26, 2019
    3
    I really wanted to like this game but, after reaching the very lackluster and disappointing ending, I was left with a huge sense of incompletion that only games who try to be pretentious seem to have.

    Let's start from the very beginning: the game, which is mostly story by the way, is about a man named Henry who decides to work as a fire lookout in order to escape his life for the summer    I really wanted to like this game but, after reaching the very lackluster and disappointing ending, I was left with a huge sense of incompletion that only games who try to be pretentious seem to have.

    Let's start from the very beginning: the game, which is mostly story by the way, is about a man named Henry who decides to work as a fire lookout in order to escape his life for the summer and in here he'll "meet" with a woman called Delilah, however something happens and you will have to discover why this is happening.

    I'm not going into spoilers but for what it was, it was very disappointing: it starts out very interesting at first but then it turns out it was just a flash in the pan, and the ending was just "there" to be made but with really no big send-off.
    I was told this game had a great story, and I think there was one somewhere buried beneath the rocks from mountains of this area, but it was so poorly written and explained that I just couldn't see the big picture. There WAS something but it was just there without an actual good explanation, and in the end it felt like none of my choices mattered: I could replay the game and I bet the results would be the exact same!

    Let's skip to the gameplay, which is barebone too: the place is rather large I'll give them that but with the inability to jump and being forced to go through forced paths throughout the area - and overall lack of exploration rewards - the big area feels as empty as a small mansion: it's big, nice and looks great at first glance, which I have to give them credit, but the interaction with the environment is very limited and you can only pick up some items and that's it.

    Overall, I don't think this game is bad, but it's just...uneventful, to say the least: something happens, which could lead to something interesting, but in reality nothing has really happened and I felt so underwhelmed when I finished the game because it just stops with nothing solved, nothing gained.

    Do I recommend? At full price no: try to find it at a discounted price and give it a look, although I got mine very cheap and I still don't think it was worth it.    … Expand
  21. sityoazzdown
    Aug 19, 2019
    4
    Wait.. wha... what? What was the point of this game? was literally my last thoughts as the credits rolled. I bought this game because of my pleasant experience with what remains of edith finch, but this game just disappoints on all levels.
    Pros: Mildly interesting mystery.
    Cons: Framerate chugs literally every step i take in this game, to the point it was nauseating. The yellow/orangey    Wait.. wha... what? What was the point of this game? was literally my last thoughts as the credits rolled. I bought this game because of my pleasant experience with what remains of edith finch, but this game just disappoints on all levels.
    Pros: Mildly interesting mystery.
    Cons: Framerate chugs literally every step i take in this game, to the point it was nauseating. The yellow/orangey hint of the wilderness literally hurt my eyes. The dialogue between you and dialogue becomes quite pointless and uninteresting. The dialogue is like a choose your adventure game, except it's really not. The game was advertised as an light-hearted romp, it was anything but. There was no view in this game where I was blown away, it was drab and boring. The walking part was a chore, between the frame rate and bringing your map up every 15 seconds, what a chore. Like i said the mystery was mildly interesting and everything else isn't, I found myself just rushing to finish the game to see the ending (my god; the framerate). And then the game ends, and your just like...that was it? And by the way the collectibles (if you can even call it that) was literally collecting trash.
    To end, this game sucks..from the technical standpoint, gameplay standpoint, and story standpoint. This isn't buy when on sale, this is a wait for a ps plus, even then I would'nt reccomend it that much.    … Expand
  22. KayVen17
    Jul 25, 2019
    6
    + toller Grafikstil
    + gute Synchronsprecher
    + Musik geht in Ordnung
    + kurzes Spiel

    - nicht alle Möglichkeiten ausgeschöpft aus der Handlung
    - Ende ist ernüchternd
    - Gameplay kommt zu kurz
  23. AMKrishnan
    Jul 7, 2019
    7
    This game has a very beautiful art style. This is perhaps the best part of the game. It's really nice to explore the park and see the environment beautifully animated.

    The plot starts out really well and you get a sense that it'll develop further. You also build up an interesting relationship with your boss over your walkie-talkie radio. However, by the end you will find yourself    This game has a very beautiful art style. This is perhaps the best part of the game. It's really nice to explore the park and see the environment beautifully animated.

    The plot starts out really well and you get a sense that it'll develop further. You also build up an interesting relationship with your boss over your walkie-talkie radio. However, by the end you will find yourself disappointed. It seems as though the game was rushed towards the end of development. Also, the navigation system is really annoying. I must've looked at my map a million times throughout playing this. So don't be surprised if you're going in the wrong direction occasionally. Despite this, this does make it a bit more realistic - if you're staying in a national park over the summer and don't know your way around then constantly using a map would be a common thing right?

    While this game does have something to offer, I don't think I can recommend it. I found myself excited to finish it merely so I could get it off my backlog list and then delete it to increase my storage. Personally, I think it was overhyped by the industry.    … Expand
  24. Alvokun
    Apr 12, 2019
    8
    The main strength of Firewatch is definitely its narrative, especially because it is intriguing and it makes you want to keep on playing. It has some technical problems, though they are not particularly serious. It is basically a walking simulator with some interaction possibilities.
  25. mertyboi
    Feb 21, 2019
    8
    I understand the negativity towards the game, it did not go exactly where people wanted it to go, but the voice acting was great, the game design was beautiful and the game did draw a strong emotional connection which is where I think many of the negative reviews come from, because you become quite invested and the ending can be disappointing because of that investment. I love these typesI understand the negativity towards the game, it did not go exactly where people wanted it to go, but the voice acting was great, the game design was beautiful and the game did draw a strong emotional connection which is where I think many of the negative reviews come from, because you become quite invested and the ending can be disappointing because of that investment. I love these types of games from an indie studio that try and do something new and tell a story. It is buggy at times and the ending did leave me wanting, but it was a great ride.… Expand
  26. chihiro_cz
    Feb 12, 2019
    5
    Overhyped game with bit too high ratings. I was really looking forward to getting the game, though €15 after discount is an unsatisfactory price after game walkthrough.

    The graphics delivers some nice sceneries worth a wallpaper, however those parts are linked with absolutely mild paths offering nothing to look at. Low-poly, often simplified graphics becomes tedious. And since the game    Overhyped game with bit too high ratings. I was really looking forward to getting the game, though €15 after discount is an unsatisfactory price after game walkthrough.

    The graphics delivers some nice sceneries worth a wallpaper, however those parts are linked with absolutely mild paths offering nothing to look at. Low-poly, often simplified graphics becomes tedious. And since the game comprises of walking back and forth through empty valleys with almost no amusing or visual content (e.g. various fauna), the game is worth a lullaby before sleep, supported by the mostly dull music.
    PS4 version: I cannot speak for PC version, but the framedrops were really surprising, as I didn't expect Unity so demanding for PS4.

    Gameplay: lacking. The game will not demand much from your brain. Map orientation, lock codes, logical tasks. To summarize it with comparison: "Take this tool here and do an evident task few meters further with it." There were just very few moments where you had to plan or deduce a purpose of a thing.

    The story starts very attractively. During the three hours of gameplay it gets mediocre to weak though. After seeing the main character do series of stupid decisions supported by useless paranoia, the game comes to very disappointing climax, which actually leaves player not believing this cost €15.

    I know it's based on real events, but at least marketing could stop selling this game as "thrilling". It's not a walking simulator, because there's almost nothing to see. It's not an action-adventure, because there's no action and almost no adventure. The game will not make you sit on edge. It puts you in situation where you would never act and react like the main character.    … Expand
  27. ElleryHQ
    Jan 26, 2019
    6
    Игра-пустышка, в ней нет ничего кроме интересных диалогов. Начинается интересно, заканчивается ни на чем.
  28. solarstrIker
    Dec 7, 2018
    7
    Overall Firewatch is half adventure half character studie. A lot of users rate it as boring and not satisfying, but as I didn´t have any expectations to begin with, I think I could embrace the essence of it a little easier. Yes, it is a walking simulator and there won´t be any jet packs, but the landscape and the questions and the way the time seems to stop around you, while you wander onOverall Firewatch is half adventure half character studie. A lot of users rate it as boring and not satisfying, but as I didn´t have any expectations to begin with, I think I could embrace the essence of it a little easier. Yes, it is a walking simulator and there won´t be any jet packs, but the landscape and the questions and the way the time seems to stop around you, while you wander on will keep you going. Then again there is a lot of small talk and first I felt like it was a complete nuisance, but it makes sense, if you think about who or what is the center of the game. I played it two times in a row and I have to admit, the first time would have been enough for the time being. It´s like a cool short story. Try to get into it. Oh, and the OST by Chris Remo is fantastic.… Expand
  29. Walker_Bros_360
    Nov 8, 2018
    10
    An incredible narrative game with an incredible art style. Must buy for me.
  30. PeterAlexander
    Aug 14, 2018
    9
    Firewatch is powerful in its simplicity. It tells a tale which combines pure heart-wrenching and somber moments, with those that are exhilarating, passionate and scary. The relationship formed between Henry and Delilah is simply beautiful and is the centrepiece of what is a charming yet thought-provoking game.
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Awards & Rankings

26
#26 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2016
70
#70 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2016

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 45 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 45
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 45
  3. Negative: 1 out of 45
  1. games(TM)
    Apr 4, 2016
    70
    Firewatch is a brief but enjoyable experience set in a stunning and lovingly crafted environment, but there is no real ending – there’s simply the place where you stopped reading the story.
    Read full review
  2. IBTimes UK
    Apr 2, 2016
    80
    Firewatch is a simple game that tells a simple, far from impactful, tale, which approaches greatness thanks to superb writing, acting and design work. Gameplay is kept light and straightforward, but is always engaging – befitting a game that revels in the unique storytelling potential of games. This is a new studio's debut title, but it bears the quality of a product made by a team of veterans who have a great deal more to offer.
    Read full review
  3. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    Mar 31, 2016
    70
    Dares to ask us how we deal with mistakes. It’s a shame the answer it provides is flat and unfulfilling. [April 2016, p76]
See all critic reviews »