GAMETECH: Blazing a trail in new role-player
But what if that guilt is misplaced? What if the fire rages because of bad luck, and nothing else? This, in part, is the theme of Firewatch, a thoughtful first release from developers Campo Santo. Set deep in the centre of an American national park (think Yellowstone), it is a game about one man’s struggle with a very real-world problem.
A short, text-based introduction opens the game beautifully. You are told the story of how Henry met his future wife in a bar, and how they came to make a life together. You are told how they fell in love, moved in together, got a dog, mulled over marriage, and spent the next ten years getting older together. During this introduction, there are moments when you choose Henry’s path for him, but the end result is the same regardless — Henry’s wife is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Before long, she is all but lost to him.
So Henry retreats to a park in Wyoming, purportedly to fight fires in the forest, but in truth he is hiding away from the world. What follows is a unique, but flawed gaming experience that will depend heavily on how you relate to Henry and his radio companion Delilah, who issues him instructions from across the forest.
As Henry explores the landscape, he constantly chats with his disembodied boss, often prompted by player commands and by observations in the environment. The dynamic between the two can be sweet and funny in a natural way, but it can also be a little forced at times. How much you enjoy Firewatch will depend, somewhat, on how much you enjoy the back-and-forth between the two characters.
Clever dialogue isn’t everything Firewatch has to offer, however. As the story progresses, Henry’s perspective of the world begins to shift. What starts as a somewhat casual, calming affair turns sour when Henry returns to his watchtower to find it ransacked. From there, his personal history and events in the park start to merge somewhat, and the story becomes more relevant to Henry as a character, and to the themes that were explored in that opening text segment.
It’s encouraging to see games like Firewatch getting attention from Sony and the media at large. While the gameplay is limited, these kinds of mature, story-based experiences are exactly what the industry needs in order to continue growing. And while Firewatch isn’t going to set the world on fire (ahem), it’s perfectly priced at under €20, for about six hours of gameplay. An entertaining, unique game for fans of interactive stories.
Interactive stories are a speciality of the LEGO games, but those stories usually belong to someone else. Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which has just been announced for a June 28 release date, is the latest addition to the series. Star Wars was the franchise that launched the Lego games into blockbuster territory ten years ago, the success of which spawned the equally brilliant Lego Movie.
The Force Awakens adaptation is likely to be just as irreverent, and now the game’s Head of Design Mike Taylor is fawning over the chance to create new stories for Finn, Rey and, erm, C-3PO.
“The thing with The Force Awakens is that we’ve had the privilege of being able to create some additional content,” Taylor said, while breathing through his hands and telling Luke who is father is. “Some additional levels take place before the events of The Force Awakens and allow us to explore some of the backstory of the characters, which is an absolute dream for any fan of Star Wars.”
The game will be set between the events of Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, and you’ll be able to play as all of the film’s major characters, and many of the sidekicks too. The Lego Star Wars series is one of the best for playing with spouses and children who aren’t usually into gaming. They are simple, hilarious and utterly addictive. We can’t wait for TIE fighters to become Toy Fighters and Kylo Ren to become … Duplo Ren?
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