![]() There's certainly no doubt they're intending to tell their story, and how you experience it isn't going to open up fourteen different endings, etc. It'll be very interesting to see how far reaching such freedom becomes in the full game.Ĭampo Santo weren't quite clear on how much impact these choices will have on the narrative arc. That's a lot of work for something they're happy to let you just walk past. In fact, you apparently could even pick up their litter, bring it down to the lake, and just start throwing it toward them. I did both, after a rather fortunate bug in this early build allowed me a chance to restart and behave far more how I thought Henry might. But others think Henry is far more likely to politely place it back on the rock, and calmly scold the distant figures. People kept throwing the stereo in the lake, so now that's a thing. The reason so many options exist is because Campo Santo are spending a lot of time putting the unfinished game in front of people, and watching how they play. Or, as I imagine most will be tempted to, pick up their stereo and throw it in the lake. Or you can be extremely nice to them, pathetically nice. The game will notice, the girls will react to some odd chap in the distance, walking away. The two skinny dipping girls - if you wanted, you could walk Henry right past them, ignoring their drunken naughtiness, and getting on with finding your way back to your lookout tower. In fact, you can even walk straight past narrative points. ![]() And that has as much of a narrative impact on how you experience your relationship with your boss as anything else. ![]() When you're given a choice of dialogue, you're always also given the choice to keep quiet. You can not report things, walk past, keep quiet. Spot a pair of discarded undies and it can lead to a gloriously uncomfortable conversation about Henry's use of the word "panties". Find the beer bottles and you can call in to discuss them. Rather than "looking" at objects to learn about them, here Henry radios Delilah to report them. ![]() What struck me most, as I was immediately absorbed into the wonderful banter between the two leads, was that my primary method of interaction was the radio. Except here its not morphball modes, but rather some strong rope, or a missing key to a caged section in a cave, that allows expansion. In fact, the developers draw comparisons with Metroidvania formats, deliberately showing you areas you cannot yet reach, then later equipping you with what you need to get there. As the game progresses (set over the course of a few months, jumping forward in chunks of time at various key points), the area you're able to explore grows larger. However, it's also a first-person game, with running, climbing, exploring. There's no doubt this is a project led by the writer of the original series of Telltale's The Walking Dead adventures. It's reason to exist is to tell you a story, but to go to great lengths to ensure that your experience of that story is your own. ![]() What becomes immediately apparent is that Firewatch is really, in the truest sense, an adventure game. There are some teenagers skinny dipping, and Henry is already uncomfortable. And as you may have seen, he discovers not just an open fire, empty beer cans, and a bottle of whiskey, but also two sets of underwear. The demo picks up about 45 minutes into the game, with Henry sent off by his boss, Delilah, to investigate who is setting off fireworks in the park. He's certainly an atypical game character, his chubby cartoon hands still sporting his wedding ring, his movement calm and sober. Deciding to get away to the wilderness of Wyoming for a few months, he takes a job as a fire lookout for the park ranger. Henry is a middle aged man, his marriage coming to an end, his life not where he wants it to be. And this is already something pretty special to play. Of course, watching and playing are rarely the same experience. It's hard to imagine how someone could have played it quite so weirdly, missing out almost all of the best lines, ignoring lots of the things to do). If you've already seen the Firewatch footage Alec posted last week, then you've seen what I've played. ![]()
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