Recent reviews by Hysteria

What can I say I purchased this game today due to it being on sale and highly recommend to me and I have just played it start to finish in one sitting so I thought why not give my two cents on the the matter.

Firewatch kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the whole of the game, I will not be issuing any spoilers for those that have not played it, heard of it or seen it, it's one of those just buy it and play it. I was expecting you know one of those survival horror mystery style games and at certain points there were aspects that kept me gripped and stuck into the story and the diaglog thinking it was one of these games. This game is far more engaging then that. Although the game plays a relatively liniear path and direction of progression it still feels as if you have full direction on where and what path you want to take and no matter what path you take the ambience of the sound, the setting and also as it progressively changes is just incredible it's one of the first games I have been truly emmersed.

The story itself took me through twists and turns on a more emotional and physiological way also that I never knew I could even get from a video game especially one I paid less then £2 for at the time of this review, it's a wonderful insight to on how others react not just on your characters back story but the other characters who stories you discover while playing and how perfectly implemented into the game they are so you don't feel like you're forced into their stories and story lone. It's a wild discovery but wanting to find out more about each aspect as the game progresses adds to the mystery that keeps churning out.

The overall game play dynamic and genre of what the actual gameplay is in my opinion is what id like to call walking simulator +, as essentially the gameplay is a walking simulator similar to the Stanley parable however you have choice, you have ability to examine and take items and objects in the game, it makes you feel like a genuine humanbeing which adds to the game play enjoyment and the sense or realism despite the cartoonistic artsy graphics.

All I can say is Firewatch is a must buy despite its short story especially with the price you pay it is worth it, I finished it from start to finish in 4.5 hours this could be done even quicker I did get Abit confused at a few points while navigating, I liked to pick up everything for some reason to inspect and I also decided to see how long it would take me to do a complete loop of the whole area (don't ask me why I just felt the need.) But the game kept me engaged and kept me wanting more and the story line, the emotional trail it's worth it's weight in gold.

However...

With every load of positives there are a few negatives, The only negatives I could really say I had with this game is the duration I wish the game was longer and expanded on a few areas on the story some of the areas I felt had no need or purpose they were there just because.

Replayability maybe an issue to some, with Firewatch it's very story driven, after finishing it you know the story and events, if you were to do a second play through it would be too predictable and would carry the same presence, I saw they had a free roam to explore at your own pace (which I was doing pretty much anyway during the story line) and play through with the developer/development audio but I don't feel this adds more playability maybe just more of an insight.

I also found a few bugs/issuea that may not effect everyone but it's what I at least experience once or twice on my playthrough. One being interacting with certain set pieces like doors and ropes made me walk into them on a weird angle and not open them rather just continue waking automatically towards the point but not doing anything or climbing on top of rocks partially I should be on.

I also found a graphical issue while on the fenced area (not saying anything story wise due to spoilers) but at a particular point before you gain a new compass replacement I had graphical issues with the lighting outside. This could very well be subjective and down to myself playing the game on a steam deck however the game is also steam deck verified so would not feel this would effect the graphical videlity what did cause a slight break in emersion for me.

Overall I do strongly feel Firewatch to be an absolutely amazing story drive game that is a must have for anyone that wants to feel emmersed into the game and story and the character development and progression as you play and the personal and emotional attachments you can get from them. For the price there are now many games that can top this and I'm glad I have had the opportunity to play such a beautifully made game.