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[Goalus]

A massive disappointment to me. I expected something much better from the reviews.

Spoiler: Ending spoilers

The ending being just that people desire escapism when they are going through tough times to have something thrilling to focus on was incredibly boring to me. A game where "hey, none of the things actually happened. Isn't this subversive and interesting?" Wow, so I play a game where nothing actually happens, just like in my life? Money well spent. Next I hope to see a Jason Bourne movie where nothing actually really happens because the director has a dislike towards escapism. So we just have Jason running around imagining conspiracies.

Are you sure you got that right?

Spoiler

From my understanding the things actually did happen, but just like in real life the reality can be tough if things do not turn out the way we wish for.

 

[Trilobit]

Are you sure you got that right?

Spoiler

From my understanding the things actually did happen, but just like in real life the reality can be tough if things do not turn out the way we wish for.

Spoiler

As I remember the main character thought he had stumbled into some amazing story, but it was all anticlimactic in the end as we learn that he's just connected things that weren't connected and he wasn't a main character in a thriller. Sure, the forest fire was real though.

 

[Raven117]

I really liked the game.

And very much appreciated the ending.

 

[Doom85]

I liked the fake 80s song they used for the boombox scene

There was another great “80’s vibes but not from the 80’s” song used in the multiplayer Friday the 13th game (could be heard by turning on the radio in the main lodge, or when driving the car to escape).

 

[WoJ]

I really liked the game.

And very much appreciated the ending.

Same. I liked the general premise. Two lonely people who are escaping their lives thinking they've stumbled on some conspiracy only to realize things weren't what they seemed. Reality always wins. It was a bittersweet ending that made sense. I played through it in basically 2 sessions.

 

[Raven117]

Same. I liked the general premise. Two lonely people who are escaping their lives thinking they've stumbled on some conspiracy only to realize things weren't what they seemed. Reality always wins. It was a bittersweet ending that made sense. I played through it in basically 2 sessions.

Exactly right. It was so refreshingly grounded and said so much more than if it went with something more fanciful

 

[Imtjnotu]

The most underwhelming ending ever

 

[wipeout364]

One of the best games in the last decade

Wow that’s a wild statement. I honestly would be interested in why you have that opinion. You are entitled to it but I honestly cannot fathom it.

 

[Outlier]

I was so excited to play the game.
Loved the concept. Ready to go on a self rediscovery journey.

Then totally GUTTED at the shift to dumb horror mystery killer investigation nonsense, that threw the whole in a lame direction, for me.

I was disappointed.

 

[Lunarorbit]

I kept waiting for there to be more mystery to the game. I really enjoyed it but was a little disappointed

 

[Alan Wake]

"In a statement sent to Polygon, Campo Santo co-founder Jake Rodkin explains that since the purchase the In the Valley of the Gods team has basically melted away, with many of the developers instead choosing to work on Half-Life: Alyx, while others moved onto stuff like Dota Underlords." Dang

Oh, I completely missed this. I wasn't hyped about the teaser for the game, if I remember correctly, but the studio had talent so it could haver ended up as a great game.

 

[Alan Wake]

I was so excited to play the game.
Loved the concept. Ready to go on a self rediscovery journey.

Then totally GUTTED at the shift to dumb horror mystery killer investigation nonsense, that threw the whole in a lame direction, for me.

I was disappointed.

Yeah, the last part of the game took it from a 9 to a 7 for me.

 

[drganon]

"In a statement sent to Polygon, Campo Santo co-founder Jake Rodkin explains that since the purchase the In the Valley of the Gods team has basically melted away, with many of the developers instead choosing to work on Half-Life: Alyx, while others moved onto stuff like Dota Underlords." Dang

Having to work on Dota, a fate worse than death.

 

[TheStam]

It's a pretty good walking simulator. It has a nice vibe, but I do feel like there are others do it even better though.
I really enjoyed The Invincible recently which is a very similar game with the coms dialogue. I found it better in most ways. It's hard retro sci-fi with an an amazing cosmonaut art-style. Based on the novel by Stanislaw Lem (who also wrote Solaris etc). And the soundtrack is great.

 

[Darchaos]

Loved this game, until the ending, but overall i loved it. Pacific drive kinda gets me the same feeling.

 

[PianistaMacabro]

Wow that’s a wild statement. I honestly would be interested in why you have that opinion. You are entitled to it but I honestly cannot fathom it.

Sure!

I understand why it easily falls into the "wild statement" category. In general, games are often too heavily dependent on gameplay mechanics or expected outcomes to be considered good, especially after 2010 (which is kind of weird because mainstream games in the '90s were a lot more experimental than today's). Personally, I’m not impressed with most of the gameplay mechanics we get nowadays, especially when you consider how much most games stretch them out. I really have a hard time understanding how people can spend hundreds of hours on meaningless gameplay.

I say all this because, for me, this is where Firewatch truly shines... and why so many people don’t like it. Putting genre preferences aside, Firewatch was so unique and contributed so much to the walking simulator scene that, alone, makes it a great game to start with. The writing is natural, organic, and engaging in such a way that the dialogue becomes the core mechanic—how you traverse a space with a narrative guiding you. That’s no easy task; it’s a huge accomplishment. And the atmosphere that comes with it is perfectly tuned. It’s very rare to find games that truly achieve this. What triple-A games have managed to do this? In the same decade, I can think of Alien Isolation, and maybe that’s it? Big games that reach this level of quality mostly come from the '90s (FFIX says hi! Haha).

One last point that I think is interesting—and often criticized—is the story itself, particularly the ending. Honestly, it’s difficult to understand. The game has a rising arc, organically intensifying as it seamlessly blends human emotions with mystery and conspiracy, only to arrive at the most grounded ending it could have achieved. It’s a bold ending, unlike anything seen in the industry—uncommon even in cinema. People struggle with frustration, and that’s exactly what the game makes you deal with. The protagonist is suffering, frustrated, and feels more alive than ever, only to be pulled back into reality.

 

[Harlock]

I remember the game creator Sean Vanaman going after Pewdiepie.

 

[V1LÆM]

I liked it but never replayed it. Maybe I will give it another go.

I remember my GPU at the time was a R9 290 and it was hitting 95C playing this game.

Was looking forward to their next game but Valve bought them.

 

[Rubim]

Hated this "game".

 

[LordOfChaos]

 

[WhamBamThankYouMaam]

I reslly, really enjoyed this game when I played it. Super cozy experience.

 

[Chuck Berry]

Really dug the art style and the "mystery" for that first half, but man was that twist and ending utter shite.

 

[Sgt.Asher]

Glad this genre is dying out. How walking sims became the indie darlings for a few years is beyond me.

 

[ElCasual]

At the end the dumb protagonist don't solve nothing of his marriage.

 

[Rush2112]

I thought it was a very disappointing game. The story kind of just fell off in the end. The graphics and gameplay were not memorable. It kind of soured me on indy games, I remember.

 

[Soodanim]

I knew nothing about it, but it was free from GOG so I played it. It was my first walking sim and I enjoyed my time with it. I decided to only play it once, and whatever I chose I chose.

I don't remember much about the ending in all honesty, nor this twist people keep talking about, but it all seemed thematically appropriate and and the quiet melacholy of it all worked for me.

 

[wipeout364]

Sure!

I understand why it easily falls into the "wild statement" category. In general, games are often too heavily dependent on gameplay mechanics or expected outcomes to be considered good, especially after 2010 (which is kind of weird because mainstream games in the '90s were a lot more experimental than today's). Personally, I’m not impressed with most of the gameplay mechanics we get nowadays, especially when you consider how much most games stretch them out. I really have a hard time understanding how people can spend hundreds of hours on meaningless gameplay.

I say all this because, for me, this is where Firewatch truly shines... and why so many people don’t like it. Putting genre preferences aside, Firewatch was so unique and contributed so much to the walking simulator scene that, alone, makes it a great game to start with. The writing is natural, organic, and engaging in such a way that the dialogue becomes the core mechanic—how you traverse a space with a narrative guiding you. That’s no easy task; it’s a huge accomplishment. And the atmosphere that comes with it is perfectly tuned. It’s very rare to find games that truly achieve this. What triple-A games have managed to do this? In the same decade, I can think of Alien Isolation, and maybe that’s it? Big games that reach this level of quality mostly come from the '90s (FFIX says hi! Haha).

One last point that I think is interesting—and often criticized—is the story itself, particularly the ending. Honestly, it’s difficult to understand. The game has a rising arc, organically intensifying as it seamlessly blends human emotions with mystery and conspiracy, only to arrive at the most grounded ending it could have achieved. It’s a bold ending, unlike anything seen in the industry—uncommon even in cinema. People struggle with frustration, and that’s exactly what the game makes you deal with. The protagonist is suffering, frustrated, and feels more alive than ever, only to be pulled back into reality.

Interesting take. Maybe I will give it a replay I haven’t played it since it came out. At least now it probably will run better.

 

[RAIDEN1]

There was something "attractive" about the woman on the other side of the "radio" though it is strange saying that when there was no face to go by....I remember the tense moment in the game when you are investigating some sort of abandoned camp site, and she tells you to get out of there a.s.a.p, and I was like ok wtf is going on? Who's there?

 

[Gamer_By_Proxy]

Recently got it for like $2. Haven't tried it yet. I hear it's pretty good though.

 

[ValiantInstance]

I played it once on launch. Took me about 3 hours, never touched it again. Yet it is an experience that stuck with me.

I usually don't like walking simulators, but it was short enough that it didn't get boring.