Firewatch is an indie gem you should experience ASAP

I recently finished Firewatch after downloading it from Xbox Game Pass. It was an incredible experience and video game and I'm genuinely sad it is over.

I promise not to spoil anything plot wise. I would describe the game as an action walking simulator. The story has you taking a job as a fire lookout in Shoshone National Forest, Wyoming. You rely on a paper map and compass to navigate the forest. You explore the foreet, interact with objects by picking them up, and communicating with your boss, Delilah, via walkie talkie as you spend almost an entire summer in your tower and protecting the forest. When prompted to speak with Delilah, you are usually given three dialogue options to pick from that remind me very much of the speech options from any game made by Telltale Games. There's a timer to make a selection and the selections generally follow certain personality types that vary but thats not always the case. Which IMO, helps the narrative and gives you a clearer understanding of the protagonist's personality. There is some very light platforming as well while exploring.

Visually, the game is stunning and has that somewhat cell shaded look that reminded me of Borderlands, but was not distracting with how super cartoony/anime it could have been. The forest has diverse and unique sections, you can really tell that one section was made and just copied and pasted throughout the map. There's different colored rocks, boulders, cliffs, trees, bodies of water, you name it.

Where Firewatch shines is the dialogue itself. The voice actors do an incredible job of creating strong and unique personalities, the witty sarcasm and banter is enjoyable and at times hysterical. I've never felt so connected to a character that I couldn't see or play as like I did with Delilah. The game deals with some difficult adult themes and topics in a way that creates sorrow and empathy towards the characters but doesn't drown out their positive interactions with each other. I cannot get over the flow of the conversations between the two when they talk. It feels so genuine and realistic. I could easily picture this conversation happening IRL. It's not perfect, it doesnt feel forced, and the tones change. It's hard for me to imagine that the conversations were read from a script because of how natural to human speech it feels.

Firewatch also excels at creating and building tension and suspense in its plot. I found myself genuinely questioning what was real and what wasn't. I convinced myself I figured out the plot and potential twists about 4 or 5 times only to discover I was more wrong with each and every guess. I want to make it clear that despite this tension and suspense, this game is not a horror game or thriller by any stretch of the imagination.

If you're an achievement/trophy hunter, this game is incredibly easy and you can get all 10 achievements/trophies in about 5-10 hours depending on how well you can navigate the map.

Sadly, Firewatch is an incredibly short game. I managed to beat it and get every achievement in under 6 hours of playtime. There isn't much to do in the game other than progress the story. No side quests, collectibles, or any incentive to explore the map other than to take in the beauty's of the graphics and the world that was created. I'm still not going to spoil the plot, but I did read on the game's Wikipedia page that one of the biggest criticisms of the game was its ending. It's hard for me to not agree with that and I would describe it as a combination of disappointing and underwhelming. Also like any game made by Telltale Games, there is little replay ability here. Your choices in dialogue and in the game have zero repercussions nor change the narrative. At best, it changes the responses and conversations you have with Delilah. But there is a really cool mode in the special features section where you can replay the game with developer commentary on.

TLDR: Firewatch is an indie darling and worthy of your time. It's incredible narrative, voice acting, and graphics should not be missed. These will more than make up for the fact the game is incredibly short and has a lackluster ending.