Firewatch, redux

I know, I know, I wrote about Firewatch already.

But it's just so thoroughly satisfying to see that I wasn't the only one who was completely swept off my feet by Campo Santo's wonderful little masterwork.

• Best Writing 2016: Firewatch

  I can’t recall a game that so quickly had me invested in the story and characters. There’s the gut-punch of the opening choices you make to set the stage, brilliantly presented as a series of simple text-based prompts that still manage to be emotionally powerful. This leads to wonderfully written dialogue between the game’s two main characters, bolstered by the fantastic voice performances—I would go so far as to say the best in a game, ever—by actors Rich Sommer and Cissy Jones.

• The Year in Review #5 — Firewatch

  the game cultivates this immeasurable and invaluable quality of being wilderness. The Thing that it creates is this sense of truly being out not just in the Shoshone National Forest but truly any untamed expanse of land. You latch onto landmarks like this weird shaped rock or this particular cluster of trees. You manage to orientate yourself, never feeling lost but also never quite having a complete grasp on the world around you.

• Our 10 Favorite Videogames of 2016, From Firewatch to Overwatch

  the places are so pretty and the plot is so immediately arresting that in no time at all you’re deep in Firewatch‘s thrall. The profound sadness that pervades the whole experience, the isolation, the reasons you went out into the forest in the first place… it’s an experience not to be missed.

• 10 Moments You May Have Missed In Firewatch

  While the climactic (or, for some, anti-climactic) ending of Firewatch left plenty of players happy to leave the Thorofare behind, a second playthrough could still have plenty to offer. Depending on how thorough you are, there may still be a number of interesting conversations, events and even locations that you missed on your first time around.

The best computer games combine screenwriting, painting, music, and more into something hard to describe.

Congratulations, Campo Santo, on receiving the accolades you so thoroughly deserve.