Tag: liveblog

When starting the game, I immediately saw huge differences from Gone Home and Dear Ester. Like the previous games played in class, Firewatch had an introduction. However, the introduction was a lot longer than the other games. We quickly learn about the lives of Henry and Julia in about 15-20 minutes. I found this game introduction to be more intriguing than the others since the player is able to be part of the character’s history by choosing between options. I felt this to be more interactive in comparison to the other games since they seemed to have strictly one story line, and the only objective was to find clues about the character’s history. I like how the player is able to make choices for the characters in their life. Emotionally, the topics that arise in Firewatch such as dementia and the struggles to face it is similar in a way to Gone Home and Dear Easter. All three games touch on sensitive topics and the struggles that characters face. So far I really enjoy this game and am very interested to see what will come for Henry and Julia.

Liveblogging Firewatch

It’s ironic how over a decade took ten minutes, yet the 1st two days seemed like an eternity. While the 1st day remains engaging, the second day got very agitating. I thought the game’s plot was cool and enjoyed trying to stop people from using fireworks. I, however, got very annoyed when looking for the teens. It seems like every turn I made was wrong until over an hour later, I finally found a broken campsite.

The story of “Firewatch” is starting to get very exciting. The two girls that we saw in the lake earlier in the game have been attacked and think that Henry, the protagonist, is at fault. They say they are going to the police with their findings which hopefully will not end up badly for Henry. There is one mystery that is still bothering me however. If it wasn’t Henry that attacked the girls, then who did? This type of storytelling that “Firewatch” brings to the table is very engaging and intriguing. It immerses the player in the story right away and leaves them begging for more.

“Firewatch” has a similar style to “Gone Home” in the way that the player learns background information about certain characters. Like in “Gone Home” the player receives key information about the characters, Henry and Delilah, when he/she gets to certain key points around the map and a radio conversation is started. However, “Firewatch” does this in a much more engaging way than “Gone Home”.

“Firewatch” begins in a very unique way. It takes you through a series of branching scenarios in which you must decide which branch to take. This kind of introduction to the game really makes it feel like you, the player, are in control of the backstory of the game. I assume that everyone that plays this game creates their own unique backstory because of the length and complexity of the intro. The result of my choices during the intro ended up with my wife developing dementia and being taken away from me by her parents. I am very curious to see what other backstories are possible to achieve.

The intro to Firewatch was much longer than that of Gone Home or Dear Esther, but it was much more interesting. I was engaged in Henry and Julia’s lives and how quickly they went. Because the game condensed almost 20 years into 20 minutes, it seemed that everything was happening so fast. One minute, Henry is approaching Julia at the bar, the next they’re moving in together and the next they’re getting married and having kids. I also felt bad for Julia. She couldn’t take a great job at Yale because it was too far of a move. She also seemed to get sick very quickly and Henry could no longer take care of her. I am curious to see what Henry’s new job entails.

I had to take a break from the game because some really interesting things started to happen. First, I stumbled into a note that had transcripts of the conversations that Henry and Delilah were having. I don’t really know who could be doing this but the person has been listening to their conversations for quite a while. Just after this, I found a walkie talkie on the floor, which appeared have just been a trap, since after I picked it up someone hit me on the head and the character blacked out. This person might be the mysterious man that Henry encountered one night, who appeared to be following him.

I’m beginning to think that Delilah might be setting Henry up. I noticed that whenever Delilah sends Henry on a mission, it usually turns into something different once he gets there. This could just be a coincidence but I think she might just be using Henry as a puppet. She appears to have been working there for a long time, thus knows about everything that goes on in the forest. If this is true, then she is taking advantage of Henry’s situation and instilling trust into him so that he would not suspect a thing. It is also weird that these things are only happening to him and not any of the other fire watchers.

A lot has happened since day 1. I don’t really remember what day it is currently in the game, but Henry just witnessed his first forest fire. Nothing really major has happened but we can see that he has slowly began to form a relationship with Julia, the other fire watcher who is supposedly set up close to where he is. Up to where I am, Henry has not not yet had any contact with Julia that is not through the radio, but I do not know for sure because the game skips certain days.  That communication with Julia is important, as he is finally able to have a connection with somebody after Delilah got sick. It’s sort of ironic because he is now more isolated from society than ever, yet he himself is no longer isolated because he finally has someone he can talk to.