Firewatch Critic Reviews

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.

A gorgeous, spellbinding game that plays with your thoughts and delivers a narrative throughline that you never see coming. An absolute must for fans of storytelling in games.

Firewatch is special and rare...It tackles mature subjects, but it isn’t just telling a story. It is using the medium of gaming to say something to the player. Maybe that was especially effective for me because I’ve avoided asking myself the questions that Firewatch poses. But I think it’s important that a developer can wield this kind of power, and I want more of it.

Firewatch pushes the still-forming first person exploration genre ahead several steps, with wonderful dialogue, sumptuous design, and a story that examines loneliness in unique ways.

It is among the very best of the first-person narrative genre, and it reminds us what video game storytelling is capable of in the right hands. It’s a game I can see coming back to every year or two just to revisit its beautiful sights and memorable characters – just like a good book.

It offers a real look at developing relationships, choice and consequence, all with the beautifully rendered backdrop of the Shoshone national forest. It's a game that will stick with you beyond the finish and one that you'll want to go back to.

An industry supergroup brings together their experience to tell an engaging narrative in a beautiful world. Firewatch explores love and commitment through two of the most authentic videogame characters I've seen. A simply wonderful game.

It’s a gripping, compelling story set in a truly beautiful world that’s worth exploring. Just go in with your expectations clear. This is a relatively short game that’s almost entirely about the story, which consists almost entirely of two people talking over radios to one another. You play a chubby guy in his forties talking to, presumably, a woman of a similar age who you never see. There’s really nothing else like it I can think of, which makes it all the more rewarding...I loved Firewatch, mostly, letdown with the ending notwithstanding

A powerfully distilled story told in a time and place that haunts you with its beauty, its mystery, and restraint. Firewatch takes the time to turn its setting into a character, and it's one of the most three-dimensional videogame characters you'll encounter in 2016.

Firewatch shows the way video games, without creating major conflicts or over-the-top conspiracies, can elicit strong emotional responses from their audience, and it should be applauded for that even by gamers who do not appreciate the first-person adventure mechanics.

It was wonderful to explore the world and to listen to Henry and Delilah open up to one another about their lives. I'd easily recommend it to anyone who values a good, mature story. While the final destination leaves much to be desired, the trip was well worth it.

Without spoiling anything, it’s this concept of being powerless that enhances everything going for the story.

Firewatch is a quiet mystery for gamers who know how to listen. A strong script and exceptional dialogue direction make Firewatch to one of the best interactive storytelling experiences you can get your hands on.

Firewatch is narrative-driven adventure game dealing with adult issues in ways unlike any other game out there, and is one of the best looking games so far this year.

Firewatch is a curious experience, and one that has continued to shift my perception of what a game is.

Firewatch is a fantastic game, it has great storytelling and believable characters. It’s one of the more refreshing gaming experiences I’ve had in years.

Firewatch adds a humane flavor to a game, that is a mix of walking simulator and a telltaleish adventure game. And it looks absolutely gorgeous. Campo Santo kicks off the adventure game year of 2016 with a high note. Well played, sirs!

An incredibly well written story that evokes more emotions than one could expect. A game worth experiencing if you are into the more soulful aspect of interactive storytelling.

Even without much motivation to replay the short campaign, Firewatch is still well worth the $19.99 price tag for the beautiful landscape, compelling mystery, and amazing character development. Firewatch isn’t a game for everyone, but if you love a good mystery, this is a must play.

Firewatch is a beautiful story of escapism and loss, set against the beautiful Wyoming wilderness. The physicality of your interactions, the excellent radio conversations, and poignant writing and imagery are hindered only by slight issues in presentation and technical hitching. It’s grounded, human, and one that you’ll be eager to talk about for days after the credits roll.