It’s not often that I get to compare a computer game to Shakespeare, but I think that’s probably warranted in this case. I’m not suggesting that Firewatch is on the level of Hamlet or Macbeth (although there are definitely tragic elements to the story); rather, I think that it bears something in common with A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In Shakespeare’s comedy, the lovers escape an unhappy situation in Athens into the forest, where, after much comedic happenings, they arrive at a new understanding about themselves, their friends, and learn something about life. The forest is a place of possibility – anything can happen there. It’s a place of chaos and disorder, fundamentally different from the ordered world of Athens. It’s a place of growth, and transition – moving from the unknown to the unknown.
I’m not suggesting that Fairies play a central role in Firewatch; in fact they don’t feature at all. But the idea of venturing into a new world, in search of peace and coming to something approaching that through a journey of discovery remains true. It’s a game that is simple in some respects: it’s very short, the choices are limited, as far as I understand it the ending is pretty much fixed, but that works for this kind fo game. It’s less about making the decisions, and more as being along for the ride. It’s less of a game and more of an adventure story, in which you go along for the ride.
And what a ride it is: even the textual inserts, presented as you make your way to your fire tower, where you will be spending the summer, is tautly-written, and emotionally-draining. It’s a story of love, and confusion, and despair. There’s something reminiscient of the movie Up about it all but there’s no resolution. Instead, you’re left at a strange point, halfway though the story, unresolved and in pain.
As the game progresses, you quickly realise that everyone in the game has got their own pain – the supervisor you speak to via the radio, and some of the other characters you discover throughout the game – all of them carrying burdens of regret and despair that they never quite seem to resolve. The game unfolds in a strange kind of way – there’s a busy start, and then a period of peace, replete with beautiful sunsets, before a final, frenzied conclusion, as you’re pursued by regrets, a desire for truth, and a massive bushfire. Along the way, there’s confusion, doubt, and some grisly discoveries.
It’s a game empty of people in some respects. You don’t ever meet another character ‘in the flash’ – and you only see a couple from a distance – but it’s not empty in another way. There are traces of people everywhere – trash, your radio, notes left in supply boxes, signs of former habitation. You wander through these interactions like a ghost – which is kind of appropriate, because everyone is haunted by ghosts – either of dead people, or the past, and poor decisions and regrets.
Powerful. Recommend.