Welcome to the Bakery!

My steam deck has become my little indie game machine with my new bedtime ritual being: 1. shower 2. fox robe 3. steam deck and indie game in bed 4. lights out. It’s completely changed my feelings on the steam deck, which I’ve had since their initial release with it turning into a glorified paper weight on my computer desk for many, many months. While this isn’t a steam deck review my quick feelings are its not great for AAA or games that are intensive as it chews through the batteries, but indies? GOLDEN.

Anyways, back on track, eh?

I recall seeing a post on twitter stating how good Firewatch was and it had been a game I’d had on my wishlist for some time. That post caused me to wander over to steam and to my surprise the game was on sale for $1.99, so how could I not buy it? Unfortunately, after purchase, it joined the graveyard of steam games that I purchase who then they sit as I play the same three games religiously.

(This meme can only be seen as a personal attack.)

It wouldn’t be until sometime later ANOTHER twitter post reminded me of this gem and I dove in with Firewatch becoming apart of my before-bed relaxation routine quite quickly.

I don’t want to spoil what becomes quite an intriguing story, but the fact that there was such a compelling story came as a shock. I thought it was going to be a cute first-person game where I got to toddle around and perform the duties of a fire watch, interestingly enough a job I have convinced myself more than once I actually would love to do. And while you do perform tasks relevant to the role, you are quickly embroiled in a mystery that puts both the main character, Henry, as well as his lifeline-via-radio (also his supervisor) Delilah on edge.

I was quickly sucked up into the intrigue and paranoia the characters were experiencing, layered over the topic of love, loss, and dealing with the heavy lessons life often dishes out whether we want them or not. Henry is out in the wilderness to avoid facing difficulties and illness in his marriage. Delilah too seems to be using this remote and lonely job to work through or rather avoid her own personal trauma. These characters really caused me as a player to question my own coping mechanisms as well as attempt to discern what I would do in their situations. While I will not spoil the “big surprise” of the plot, there is one through-line that really shocked me and again forced me to question what I thought of said situation and what I would’ve done. The player does get some flexibility by being able to choose various dialogue options or having the choice to simply not respond at all. It gives the player agency to create the narrative through the lens of their own beliefs and impacts how Henry and Delilah interact throughout the game.

Aside from an incredible story the art style throughout this game really shines (as does the music, lack-thereof at times, and wilderness sounds). At one point, Henry finds a disposable camera and you, the player, can decide what to take photos of. At the end of the game you can even upload your photos and order prints should you chose, which is a really cool interaction the developers created. Here are a few of my favorites I took:

And lastly:

Overall, Firewatch tackles what it means to be human and the many challenges and choices we must face. It outlines that we all are operating off our best knowledge and that while we may intend for certain outcomes, we do not always reap what we intend but instead what life gives us. It calls into question human interaction and various relationships as well as the connotations thereof. Firewatch is beautiful, emotionally heavy, and well worth a play-through.