I really enjoyed playing Firewatch on a Macbook 2013 with an xbox360 gamepad. The game has an original setting and story, complete with gorgeous graphics. While the game environments are dramatic and rendered beautifully with dynamic weather effects, walking through the forest felt a bit dull after a while as there is no sign of any wild life. In fact, with the exception of a few birds you never encounter a living thing throughout the game. The forest backdrop reminded me of Assassins Creed III, yet AC III felt so much more alive with all the wildlife. Firewatch follows a red thread and the story is quite short. (I downloaded the game and played it through in one sitting, 3-4 hours of gameplay.) It’s a very passive game as there are no puzzles to solve, you just simply trot along listening to the dialogue. Thankfully the story is deeply engaging and keeps you playing until the final outcome is revealed. Some challenges, side quests / sandbox play or perhaps different endings would have been nice for replay value.
Let me start off by saying this game is very fun. The graphics are phenominal, the audio is incredible, and the storyline/plot is amazing. With that being said, I feel that this game lacked a resolution. Firewatch only lasts several hours maximum and for a $20 game, 3 hours is not enough time. It is almost like they were in a rush to release it before it was ever finished, and in turn, they cut some corners. Also, On my 2018 Macbook Air, the game was very laggy at times and there was nothing I could do about it. other than that it was a great game. I'm glad I played it, but it wasn't worth the $20. and to anyone reading this thinking about buying it, don't do it unless the price goes down or the gameplay experience goes up.
This experience was intriguing from the very start, and the story always kept me wondering where things were going from first launch. There were mysteries at every turn, and my interest in solving them advanced as situations proceeded to get weirder and weirder. This mystery succeeds where others fail — it was genuinely creepy and often made the hairs on my arm stand up. This is a wonderful (however sad) story told in an unique way. I was touched deeply as my Dad has dementia, and I am currently going through many of the emotions that our protagonist wrestles with. I stayed up way too late playing this adventure the first night and couldn’t wait to finish it the next. I do wish the story came together a bit more at the end. The reveal is not as exciting as it seemed it would be. I would, however, gladly pay again to experience more from this maker.
I really liked this game and enjoyed playing it, but unfortunately only for a few hours. The story is well written and involving but quite short. The environment is beautiful and the mechanics are great, it really is fun to play, unfortunately there really just is not very much content. This game reeks to high heaven of a game that had much higher ambitions than the final product. It seems like the project ran out of funding and they just had to rush a product to market. If there had been alternate storylines like the game seems to be set up for it truly would be an amazing once in a generation game. It is too bad this isnt the case as I was captivated by the story, and was wondering if I had done cetain things differently what hte outcome would have been. After reading about it some the only difference is dialouge and the world turns out to be dissapointingly small. Worth one play through, similar to watching a movie. So this game shoulnt cost more than $10
Great game play and intuitive controls! Excellent graphics and engaging storyline! For anyone who has been to a US National Forest, especially those out west, this game is spot on in recreating the experience of hiking in the summer. The Wyoming flora & fauna, weather, sounds, NFS elements, topo maps and local Wyoming branding are also highly accurate. As a Wyoming native (a very rare breed it would seem), this game literally brought me back to some of the fondest memories of my childhood going up into the mountains in the ‘70s/'80s. One surprising thing (for me anyway) was the coarse language. While it is “accurate/authentic” in a sense, it could have easily been removed and not affected gameplay or reduced the level of realism. Otherwise, this is a great game for MacOS from the makers of another great tool with a long quality history with Apple. Good job Panic! :-D
I used to love playing video games. I was actually always a huge XBOX fan but gave up video games after so many years. This is my first mac (El Capitan) and decided to try out an app store game. Downloaded Firewatch due to it’s high ratings and really enjoyed it. It was an interesting storyline that made me keep wanting to know what will happen next. I finished the game in two days and had fun but was extremely disappointed with the ending. I’d say if you’re looking for a game with an interesting storyline and don’t mind the ending, go for it.
I was skeptical to make this purchase as I own a 2015 Macbook Air and was worried about it running adequetely. However, I optimized it incredibly easily with an easy to use graphics menu that made playing a drop-dead GORGEOUS game like this on my less powerful device a reality. The story is riveting and although it is just a game, there have been moments midst-play where I stop while overlooking a spectacular view simply to admire how incredible it all looks! Amazing game, definitely worth the 20$!
Stunning Sensory Experience - Wish it was longer...
Having hiked Wyoming, this game was a delightful reminder of those experiences. The sights, sounds… were wonderful…BUT the beginning story was a bit silly. It was a long intro but once the game got going it was fun to hike the scenery and find clues. It would have been nice if the story could continue. Overall it was a lot of fun!
I absolutely loved this game! this is the type of game that I can’t get enough of. in fact, I’m literally trying to find more like it as we speak! the story was great! the layout and design was beautiful! overall, just an amazing game! I spent many late nights playing it, not realizing how late it was until i would get a text from my husband, in a totally different time zone on the complete opposite side of the planet! I couldn’t get enough of playing this!
I have played this game three times through now, and I can’t get enough. I love how you have the variablity to make decisions. The graphics are so simple yet very complex. 20 dollars is a little steep, however, if we get and add on for free or maybe the second one at a discount, that would be awesome. I recommend this game to anyone who has any intrest in nature. I have spent way too many hours on this game, but that doesn’t stop me!
The plot is amazing, so juicy, and you just can't stop. The voice acting is literally perfect for each character, not to mention the characters are so good. The graphics on M1 are better than I thought, and the setting and beauty of the forest is truly somthing else. This is probably the BEST game I've ever played. 100% recommend.
I cannot rave enough about the graphics, storyline, sound, and gameplay mechanics. However, the game is very short, truly only a couple of hours of gameplay at most, and it feels unfinished. A few major plot points that were prominent on parts of the game were left open ended and unfinished. It almost reads as if the game was ended before it was close to being done. I'm happy I bought and played it, but it just isn't worth $20.
I can see how this game could be very satisfying but the controls on a macbook are so frustrating. I've spent more time on goole searching for answers, changing my configurations (and still not being able to access all the functions) and then dealing with systems crashes more than I've gotten to play the game. For a click game at 20$ I definately expected it to run a lot smoother. I really research the games I purchase, no one wants to just throw money away.
I have never written a review before, but I have never bought a game from the App Store that is impossible to play before, either. As soon as the application is launched, the screen flickers constantly. After some Googling about this problem, I discovered that the Firewatch team is aware of this issue, which is apparently due to a lack of compatibility with the latest OS update, but I saw no indication of this compatibility issue in the App Store description when I purchased the game yesterday. I am extremely frustrated and hope that this review can spare others the loss of $20.
This is a short game but I got totally immersed into the story. I did it over three sections as I found myself getting pretty tense in anticipation of what was happeneing. The ending was a tiny let-down but it did wrap up nicely. It definitely left openings for sequels which would be a good thing. I found it well worth the money and enjoyed the game from beginning to end.
Firewatch looks like it has decent storywriting. I'd like to think the story would be worth the pain involved in moving around the environment. I can hear music, but I can't simply go to the source. I suspect people are sunbathing(?) at the top of the ridge nearby, but I can't simply jump to a decent path, or get a 'blocked path' message. I don't mind solving puzzles, but this game is filled with artificial constraints that will drag you out of the story to wonder "what in the world were the devs thinking?"
I just downloaded this game and I really want to enjoy it, but there is a huge lag in my controls. Even when on the menu the mouse is incredibly sluggish, and it makes it difficult to play. Even when standing still, everything seems jittery and not smooth. I played around with the graphics settings a bit but nothing seemed to solve the issue. Please help! Also, your support site is down.
This game apparently was not designed to be played on a Mac. The dialog selection is nearly impossible with a trackpad; by the time you nearly have the response you want highlighted, the timer exits you from the conversation and the interaction is blown. Physical navigation is difficult and the controls are barely documented. The UI response — even with a 3.1 GHz i7 MBP with 16GB of RAM — is so sluggish that every attempted action results in an overshoot. The imagery is nice, and perhaps the story gets interesting, but the gameplay is so tedious and difficult that it’s hard to want to bother.
I very much enjoyed playing this game. Some are saying they felt as though the game was too short. This game is more of a storied RPG than an actual video game. That said, the graphics are beautiful, it has an intriguing storyline and overall I came away feeling very satisfied after the journey I took with the characters.
This game was beautiful and very fun to play. A steal at $20. The dialogue was very fun and the map was really fun to explore. Sometimes I got stuck in the rocks around the edges of the play area and had to restart the day; I hope that bug gets fixed but otherwise it was very smooth.
Was a great game and story line - was successful in grabing the emotions. Reminded me of some of the PC Games from Sierra Online and maybe a little like Tex Murphy. I think the game could have done away with the foul language and still been just as good. It’s embarassing to play the game when all of a sudden the “F” word blasts out of the speakers.
Fun game, the team at Panic did a great job as to be expected from their other titles. I as a bit disappointed at the short gameplay. Maybe 2-3 hours from start to finish. The narrative was good, but there are lots of open ends that could be made into future games. Not sure I’d drop another $20 for a sequel though.
I’m not a big gamer, but I was looking for something to download and occupy time while offline something besides my books. i wanted something similar to Myst. This was nice. Good price point. Interesting storyGreat graphics. I had no trouble using on my 2018 MacBook Air. I would buy another similar game.
I was very excited to play this game but upon purchasing I discovered it is unplayable. The new Mac OS update does not work with this game. You cannot get past the first scene, the screen flickers and you cannot click anything. You can only force restart your Mac to leave the game. Campo Santo has fixed it on Steam but has yet to fix it on here. They do not tell you that in the above information so I decided to leave this review to let you know. It’s a waste of $20.
I was enjoying the game but once I got to the tower my new mac air started heating up. First time this has happened. I just bought the game but am unable to play it. If I can change some settings on my computer to avoid this I will if you have any suggestions. But if I can't I would like a refund. $20 for a game I can't play.
Firewatch is truly one of the greatest games of recent years … a compelling story, great voice acting, and some of the loveliest, most evocative artwork youll ever see on a computer. It conveys a sense of place more powerfully than almost any game I’ve played. Very highly recommended.
I played this in a rush, and it was a true pleasure; very interesting character work by the voice actors, and I really loved the gorgeous world. Very enjoyable and a great casual game that doesn’t rely on shooting, but exploring and being aware of what’s around you.
Pretty fun experience, the story is mostly interesting and it’s fun to explore the beautifully rendered environment. But there is not much to explore, as paths are narrow and you cannot roam around all that freely. So in the end the game feels quite linear. Also, I wish that interactions had been more meaningful, i.e. that my actions lead to some sort of meaningful reaction that changes the path of the game.
I really enjoyed this exerience, very well put together and the attn to details was great. I do wish the story came together more at the end but I suppose we can’t look at it like a movie lol. You guys did a great job on everything else.
This game was great had awsome story and was just really fun. I think however it couldve had a deeper plot to it as the story gets introduced and ends rather quickly. Maybe an extended edtion in the future???
I read a lot of reviews that warned me, but I decided to try it anyway. It was a really fun game, but overall it was disapointing and I was left feeling a bit let down. I played this for a couple hours per night, and finished the game in only 2 days. The storyline was decent, but lacked good depth. The map is cool, it doesnt seem too small. The gameplay is a bit clunky, but not to the point that you dont want to play. For $20, I expected more.
I have to say that firewatch is an incredible game that pits you in with an interesting story, beautiful graphics, real-life decisions, and sinister mystery at every turn. It is worth buying and replaying the game over and over to explore great lengths.
This "game" provides so much sense of place that it makes me want to move to Wyoming! And I'm not joking. Not an incredably long game, but it certainly gives me a sense of place. Fantastic.
Me and my Dad really liked this game. Its very entertaining but when we first started it, it was lagging but all we had to do was turn some settings down then it was fine. FIVE STARS
From the voice in the radio (Delilah) to the odd happenstances, the game made you wonder what’s around every turn of the trail. Genuine suspense and great graphics!
I lvoe the graphics and story line. I wish it kept going to when Henry got out to see Julia and eventualy met Delilah but that is just me. Other than that it really captured what I was looking for in a game!
Seems to recieve mouse events below where the mouse is actually holding, and scrolling through dialog doesn't work well on a magic mouse at all. Perhaps it hasn't been updated for more recent macOS versions?
This game is so beautiful and pulls you in right away! From the funny conversations and situations, to the mystery and beauty of the story, this game kept me entertained and enthralled the whole time.
The game itself is pretty entertaining, but 1. The conclusion doesn't make a ton of sense and for $20 its really short. I enjoyed it, but finished it in 2 sittings...I expected more for the price...
It’s beautiful and moving at times, but after all is said and done there is no there there. There was puzzle to solve, no sleuthing, no taxing of your intelect in any way just a very short experience that could have been so much more than it was.
Button mapping does not work for xbox wireless controller
One of my favorite games but the button mapping does not work for the xbox controller that apple recently supported in MACOS 13.5. And the support link in app store for this game no longer exists. Please update
All you get when you open the game after the initial credits is a flickering screen and graphics and you are unable to control the game. Not only that, it is a pain to quit without having to shut your computer down altogether. Would love a refund. Totally unplayable.
I love this game. It's got a compelling story and the graphics are gorgeous. It runs GREAT on the M1 Macbook Air (on the Ultra high graphics settings).
Excllent game. Great feel. The atmosphere in the game is cool and you get caught up in the character’s interaction. Unfortunately, it’s over way too soon.
I have seen others complaon about this and I too am struggling. I have not even been able to play the game becaue as soon as i open the app the game immediately starts flikcering with every move of the pointer and it is literally impossible to play.
Everything is very cool and great until I go to unlock Box 306. There is no way to get it to Open. Campo Santo's help desk is non existent. Any forums I read don't help either. So within 15 minutes of play I am stuck. Waste of money.
Firewatch is a single-player first-person mystery set in the Wyoming wilderness. (NOTE: Firewatch is a video game about adults having adult conversations about adult things. If you plan on playing with a younger gamer, that might be good to know going in.) (GRAPHICS NOTE: dedicated graphics are required for a smooth experience. Mac Pros, 5K iMacs, and 15" MacBook Pros 2014 or newer are recommended.) The year is 1989. You are a man named Henry who has retreated from his messy life to work as a fire lookout in the Wyoming wilderness. Perched high atop a mountain, it’s your job to look for smoke and keep the wilderness safe. An especially hot, dry summer has everyone on edge. Your supervisor Delilah is available to you at all times over a small, handheld radio—your only contact with the world you've left behind. But when something strange draws you out of your lookout tower and into the forest, you’ll explore a wild and unknown environment, facing questions and making choices that can build or destroy the only meaningful relationship you have. INCLUDES • A stunningly beautiful wilderness environment that expands as you explore. • A tailor-made story: the choices you make shape the narrative and build relationships. • An edge-of-your-seat mystery. • Secrets and discoveries to be made over every hill. FEATURING • Living, breathing characters brought to life by Cissy Jones (The Walking Dead: Season 1) and Rich Sommer (Mad Men) • A spectacular wilderness environment by Olly Moss (Illustrator) and Jane Ng (The Cave, Brutal Legend) • A thrilling story and script by Sean Vanaman and Jake Rodkin (The Walking Dead: Season 1, Poker Night at the Inventory) • A stirring original soundtrack by Chris Remo (Gone Home) • Fluid first-person animation by James Benson (Ori & The Blind Forest) • Gameplay scripting and design work by Patrick Ewing (Twitter) and Nels Anderson (Mark of the Ninja) • Programming by Will Armstrong (Bioshock II), Ben Burbank (Costume Quest 2, Space Base DF-9), and Paolo Surricchio (Deadpool, Call of Duty Advanced Warfare)
