Campo Santo developed the adventure game Firewatch and released it in February 2016 for Linux, OS X, PlayStation 4, and Windows. The game was later made available in September 2016 for Xbox One and in December 2018 for the Nintendo Switch.

Gameplay

Firewatch is a first-person adventure game situated in Wyoming in the year 1989. The game features the protagonist Henry, a fire lookout who is given his own watchtower in the Shoshone National Forest. By exploring the area, clues come to light that connect to a strange occurrence that took place while Henry was out on patrol, as well as a mysterious character that can be seen in the far distance. His only form of communication is a walkie-talkie which allows him to talk to his supervisor, Delilah. Players can select from a number of dialogue options when they discover something new or stay silent. The decisions that the player makes will affect the relationship between Henry and Delilah. As the story progresses, more areas become available to the player and different events happen at different times of the day.

Story

During the spring of 1989, Henry took a job as a fire lookout in Shoshone National Forest, Wyoming after his wife was diagnosed with early-onset dementia. On his first day, Delilah, a lookout from another watchtower, contacted him through a walkie-talkie and asked him to investigate some illegal fireworks near the lake. Henry came across two teenage girls who accused him of leering. On his way back to his tower, he noticed a locked cave and saw a shadowy figure watching him before it vanished. When he returned to his watchtower, he noticed it had been ransacked. The next day, Delilah asked Henry to check out a downed communication line, which he found to be cut, with a note that appeared to be signed by the teens. To scare the girls off, Henry and Delilah planned something, but when Henry discovered the girls’ campsite had been ransacked and deserted, their concern grew.

How long is Firewatch?

In terms of its main goals, Firewatch generally takes around 4 hours to complete. However, if you’re the type of gamer who likes to fully explore every aspect of the game, you can expect to spend approximately 5 hours to achieve 100% completion.

Reception

Firewatch was largely well-received by critics. The game was praised for its dialogue tree gameplay, voice acting and its thematic consistency, which was focused around voluntary seclusion.

After the game was launched, it sold more than half a million copies within a period of thirty days, and by the conclusion of its initial year, it amassed more than one million sales.