Support NeoGAF

[Shrike Alvaron]

So everything is just a big elaborate prank by Ned because why exactly?

If you think it's a prank, I don't even know what you missed or interpreted wrong...

The story breakdown is that years ago Ned was a lookout and had his son Brian with him against regulations. One day they were out climbing the mountains, when Brian's rope broke and he fell down into a cave and died. Whether that was an accident or a murder is left open. Knowing however that the suspicious circumstances plus the fact that Brian shouldn't have even been there would likely cause him to get in big trouble, Ned had no idea what to do and so has camped out in a secret hideout ever since.

Sometime before the events of a game, a likely government-funded university project meant to track elk and presumably test the growth of various plants in the soil (judging by the grid they had at the station) moved into the region. They collared elk with tracking devices and used a wave finder device to track the elk, recording their movement patterns. Ned presumably stole a radio from them, as he had scouted the station out and had to get it from somewhere. He used it to monitor Delilah's radio conversations because he found her amusing and hiding out in secret is kinda boring. Then Harry comes in.

Intrigued by the new arrival, Ned watches you and sees you entering the cave. He doesn't know what you do there, but when you come out he hears that Delilah is looking into people who entered the park recently (presumably he HADN'T been watching you when you encountered the teens). He assumes that you found Brian's body or are otherwise suspicious of him, so gets nervous about having you living so close to him. He amps up his monitoring of Harry and Delilah, starting to take detailed notes and even trying to scare Harry away by breaking into the tower, stealing the sheets, then attacking the teens' camp and planting your sheet there. Of course you don't leave, but you also don't do anything really suspicious, so for a while Ned resorts to continued monitoring.

That is, until he slips up and drops his clipboard and radio. Before he can recover them you find them, so he resorts to knocking you out to take them back. Of course this leads you to get suspicious of the station, leading to you going to get the axe and breaking into it. Fortunately Ned had already prepared for this (or quickly did so when he realized you were investigating there) by typing up some reports that made it look like they were tracking YOU and planting it at the station, and then setting it on fire after you leave. Again, he hopes this will scare you away especially with the tape accusing you and Delilah of burning it down.

He didn't anticipate that you would instead just keep digging. So when Ned hears the alarm you set off when you find the backpack he had hidden with the keys to the cave (not sure why he didn't keep them on him, maybe out of guilt or perhaps it was Brian who hid that pack and keys) he follows you and locks the gate behind you without realizing there's another exit to the cave. It's when he sees you come back out and go in again, only for the fire he started to join the other and set the whole place ablaze that he realizes he's been beat, there's nothing more he can do. So he plants one final tape with his admission, knowing there was no point keeping the charade going anymore, and flees.

That may not all be entirely accurate, but it's at least my understanding of the story from Ned's point of view.

Also what was the reason behind skis and broken snowmobiles in the pond? Just for shit and giggles?

It can get quite cold and snowy out there in the winter, it's just stuff left behind from the past winter.

 

[Adam_Roman]

Well, I just beat it in about 3 and a half hours. My guttural reaction is disappointment, not only at the price, but also at the ending. I guess the price per hour is around the same as a movie, but it just leaves me wanting more. It had such a huge buildup and so many tense points. With every time I climbed down a rope, I was expecting a shadowy figure to show up at the top and unhook me. I was expecting more of a conspiracy. I was hoping for some unanswered questions that I actually care about. I wanted more moments where I felt helpless and like someone was watching me. I wanted more of those "oh fuck" moments like how the E3 trailer ended.

Campo Santo have proven themselves to have amazing potential. Hopefully with the profit from Firewatch, they'll be able to make something even better.

 

[Stoze]

Finished it, I enjoyed it and thought the ending was fine, and the more I think about it the better it was. I'll maybe write my thoughts down about the story and theme tomorrow.

As far as the cave keys though, I'm guessing at that point Ned had given up and would rather reveal himself on his terms, so he guided Henry to the cave/Brian's body with the tracker on the backpack. Not sure if there's any more mystery we can discover about the abandoned/wrecked cabin. I will say I really liked the side story with Ron and Dave, and finding the music tape & note that kind of concluded it was great.

Also were there only 2 turtles in the game or did I miss some? I'm not sure if I was supposed to get two even though they were in different places, considering both are called "Turt Reynolds" in the box in my game.

 

[SRTtoZ]

Delilah's a catfish isn't she? That's why she didn't want to meet.

 

[Ivory Samoan]

Amazing experience, and I am genuinely moved by the ride.

Played it in one sitting, don't regret a thing.

 

[Sir Blaming]

I just don't understand why one man would do so many odd things cutting power cables knocking Henry out recording audio making it sound like they did bad things and then ultimately leading Henry to the key to the cave to discover the dead body it just doesn't add up to me and the more I think about the game the more I just feel the story falls apart in the end

Yeah, after having a sleep (thanks for releasing at 2 a.m. firewatch), it really hits me hard that I just spent a lot for a 3 hours experience with a story that does not make any sense.

There are so many questions I want to ask, but there are no answers given. I just hope maybe there is more that we have not seen yet.

 

[finalflame]

Amazing experience, also finished this in one sitting. I am still on the fence about the ending, but the more I read this thread and the more I let it sink in the less I mind it. I think i probably just need to go to sleep and let it process.

If you think it's a prank, I don't even know what you missed or interpreted wrong...

The story breakdown is that years ago Ned was a lookout and had his son Brian with him against regulations. One day they were out climbing the mountains, when Brian's rope broke and he fell down into a cave and died. Whether that was an accident or a murder is left open. Knowing however that the suspicious circumstances plus the fact that Brian shouldn't have even been there would likely cause him to get in big trouble, Ned had no idea what to do and so has camped out in a secret hideout ever since.

Sometime before the events of a game, a likely government-funded university project meant to track elk and presumably test the growth of various plants in the soil (judging by the grid they had at the station) moved into the region. They collared elk with tracking devices and used a wave finder device to track the elk, recording their movement patterns. Ned presumably stole a radio from them, as he had scouted the station out and had to get it from somewhere. He used it to monitor Delilah's radio conversations because he found her amusing and hiding out in secret is kinda boring. Then Harry comes in.

Intrigued by the new arrival, Ned watches you and sees you entering the cave. He doesn't know what you do there, but when you come out he hears that Delilah is looking into people who entered the park recently (presumably he HADN'T been watching you when you encountered the teens). He assumes that you found Brian's body or are otherwise suspicious of him, so gets nervous about having you living so close to him. He amps up his monitoring of Harry and Delilah, starting to take detailed notes and even trying to scare Harry away by breaking into the tower, stealing the sheets, then attacking the teens' camp and planting your sheet there. Of course you don't leave, but you also don't do anything really suspicious, so for a while Ned resorts to continued monitoring.

That is, until he slips up and drops his clipboard and radio. Before he can recover them you find them, so he resorts to knocking you out to take them back. Of course this leads you to get suspicious of the station, leading to you going to get the axe and breaking into it. Fortunately Ned had already prepared for this (or quickly did so when he realized you were investigating there) by typing up some reports that made it look like they were tracking YOU and planting it at the station, and then setting it on fire after you leave. Again, he hopes this will scare you away especially with the tape accusing you and Delilah of burning it down.

He didn't anticipate that you would instead just keep digging. So when Ned hears the alarm you set off when you find the backpack he had hidden with the keys to the cave (not sure why he didn't keep them on him, maybe out of guilt or perhaps it was Brian who hid that pack and keys) he follows you and locks the gate behind you without realizing there's another exit to the cave. It's when he sees you come back out and go in again, only for the fire he started to join the other and set the whole place ablaze that he realizes he's been beat, there's nothing more he can do. So he plants one final tape with his admission, knowing there was no point keeping the charade going anymore, and flees.

That may not all be entirely accurate, but it's at least my understanding of the story from Ned's point of view.



It can get quite cold and snowy out there in the winter, it's just stuff left behind from the past winter.

Quoted because is the absolute best and most comprehensive explanation of the events in the game. Anyone seeking to understand what happened should take 3-4 minutes to read this closely.

 

[halfbeast]

So everything is just a big elaborate prank by Ned because why exactly?

that's my theory.

 

[NightShift]

The game was going so well right up until you discover the kids body.

The game was still good though, could have been great if they went for a more ballsier ending.

 

[Jest Chillin]

If you think it's a prank, I don't even know what you missed or interpreted wrong...

The story breakdown is that years ago Ned was a lookout and had his son Brian with him against regulations. One day they were out climbing the mountains, when Brian's rope broke and he fell down into a cave and died. Whether that was an accident or a murder is left open. Knowing however that the suspicious circumstances plus the fact that Brian shouldn't have even been there would likely cause him to get in big trouble, Ned had no idea what to do and so has camped out in a secret hideout ever since.

Sometime before the events of a game, a likely government-funded university project meant to track elk and presumably test the growth of various plants in the soil (judging by the grid they had at the station) moved into the region. They collared elk with tracking devices and used a wave finder device to track the elk, recording their movement patterns. Ned presumably stole a radio from them, as he had scouted the station out and had to get it from somewhere. He used it to monitor Delilah's radio conversations because he found her amusing and hiding out in secret is kinda boring. Then Harry comes in.

Intrigued by the new arrival, Ned watches you and sees you entering the cave. He doesn't know what you do there, but when you come out he hears that Delilah is looking into people who entered the park recently (presumably he HADN'T been watching you when you encountered the teens). He assumes that you found Brian's body or are otherwise suspicious of him, so gets nervous about having you living so close to him. He amps up his monitoring of Harry and Delilah, starting to take detailed notes and even trying to scare Harry away by breaking into the tower, stealing the sheets, then attacking the teens' camp and planting your sheet there. Of course you don't leave, but you also don't do anything really suspicious, so for a while Ned resorts to continued monitoring.

That is, until he slips up and drops his clipboard and radio. Before he can recover them you find them, so he resorts to knocking you out to take them back. Of course this leads you to get suspicious of the station, leading to you going to get the axe and breaking into it. Fortunately Ned had already prepared for this (or quickly did so when he realized you were investigating there) by typing up some reports that made it look like they were tracking YOU and planting it at the station, and then setting it on fire after you leave. Again, he hopes this will scare you away especially with the tape accusing you and Delilah of burning it down.

He didn't anticipate that you would instead just keep digging. So when Ned hears the alarm you set off when you find the backpack he had hidden with the keys to the cave (not sure why he didn't keep them on him, maybe out of guilt or perhaps it was Brian who hid that pack and keys) he follows you and locks the gate behind you without realizing there's another exit to the cave. It's when he sees you come back out and go in again, only for the fire he started to join the other and set the whole place ablaze that he realizes he's been beat, there's nothing more he can do. So he plants one final tape with his admission, knowing there was no point keeping the charade going anymore, and flees.

That may not all be entirely accurate, but it's at least my understanding of the story from Ned's point of view.

Great post. A few extras from my perspective.

-Ned knows of an alternate entrance to the research site. Among the paperwork in his hideaway there's a hand drawn map of the site that references a loose area of fencing. He uses that to get in and out without you knowing.

-One of the supply boxes towards the North contains broken glass and a book that I believe was previously in your Lookout Tower.

-Delilah's change in demeanor regarding romance happens after you tell her more about Brian (starting at his secret base). It's a reality check. Once you tell her he died, all romantic fantasy for her is gone. Regardless of whether she gets blamed in some way for his death officially.. she'll never return to the park again and she'll never be interested in Henry. Everything and everyone she associates with that place is tainted.

-Ned's actions after the death of his son are in line with a break. He didn't murder him. He loved his son but had trouble relating to him and this was strained further by his PTSD. He was an asshole but he was trying the only way he knew how and it was that effort that led to Brian dying. After that death, Ned's gone.

-The Backpack with the Key was most likely hid by Brian. Ned would've accessed the Cave by climbing but Brian would've used the Gate Key to get to his hideout as he didn't like climbing. Since the hideout was also where the Pitons were located, he probably hid the key to prevent his father from finding the hideout. The alarm was already there to capture images of Elk.


I really, really enjoyed this game. I wasn't at all disappointed by the ending and everything about it hit home with me. From the beginning where you as a player are forced to make decisions about Henry's past that equate to different flavors of your life going to shit... to learning bit by bit about this little nerdy kid with an incredible and innocent imagination. Getting little bits of the flawed relationship between Ned and Brian... Brian not understanding why his Dad is the way he is and Ned's problematic but genuine (in his own way) attempt to connect to his son. Then the gut punch of seeing those pictures during the credit roll. Fuuuuck man. Then there's also the relationship between Henry and Delilah. The awkward and guilt-ridden progression which is abruptly halted when the paranoia of their verbal dalliance being known to someone else hits which can ( and due to the game playing mindset of the player) and probably does worsen as you make dialogue choices that have the two characters reinforce each others worst ideas. Just really well done. I loved this experience.

 

[Mudron]

The game was going so well right up until you discover the kids body.

The game was still good though, could have been great if they went for a more ballsier ending.

What would "ballsier" be?

 

[Mudron]

If you think it's a prank, I don't even know what you missed or interpreted wrong...

The story breakdown is that years ago Ned was a lookout and had his son Brian with him against regulations. One day they were out climbing the mountains, when Brian's rope broke and he fell down into a cave and died. Whether that was an accident or a murder is left open. Knowing however that the suspicious circumstances plus the fact that Brian shouldn't have even been there would likely cause him to get in big trouble, Ned had no idea what to do and so has camped out in a secret hideout ever since.

Sometime before the events of a game, a likely government-funded university project meant to track elk and presumably test the growth of various plants in the soil (judging by the grid they had at the station) moved into the region. They collared elk with tracking devices and used a wave finder device to track the elk, recording their movement patterns. Ned presumably stole a radio from them, as he had scouted the station out and had to get it from somewhere. He used it to monitor Delilah's radio conversations because he found her amusing and hiding out in secret is kinda boring. Then Harry comes in.

Intrigued by the new arrival, Ned watches you and sees you entering the cave. He doesn't know what you do there, but when you come out he hears that Delilah is looking into people who entered the park recently (presumably he HADN'T been watching you when you encountered the teens). He assumes that you found Brian's body or are otherwise suspicious of him, so gets nervous about having you living so close to him. He amps up his monitoring of Harry and Delilah, starting to take detailed notes and even trying to scare Harry away by breaking into the tower, stealing the sheets, then attacking the teens' camp and planting your sheet there. Of course you don't leave, but you also don't do anything really suspicious, so for a while Ned resorts to continued monitoring.

That is, until he slips up and drops his clipboard and radio. Before he can recover them you find them, so he resorts to knocking you out to take them back. Of course this leads you to get suspicious of the station, leading to you going to get the axe and breaking into it. Fortunately Ned had already prepared for this (or quickly did so when he realized you were investigating there) by typing up some reports that made it look like they were tracking YOU and planting it at the station, and then setting it on fire after you leave. Again, he hopes this will scare you away especially with the tape accusing you and Delilah of burning it down.

He didn't anticipate that you would instead just keep digging. So when Ned hears the alarm you set off when you find the backpack he had hidden with the keys to the cave (not sure why he didn't keep them on him, maybe out of guilt or perhaps it was Brian who hid that pack and keys) he follows you and locks the gate behind you without realizing there's another exit to the cave. It's when he sees you come back out and go in again, only for the fire he started to join the other and set the whole place ablaze that he realizes he's been beat, there's nothing more he can do. So he plants one final tape with his admission, knowing there was no point keeping the charade going anymore, and flees.

That may not all be entirely accurate, but it's at least my understanding of the story from Ned's point of view.



It can get quite cold and snowy out there in the winter, it's just stuff left behind from the past winter.

I just beat the game 20 minutes ago after pouring 5-6 hours into it, and yeah, this is exactly what happened.

I can understand this kind of story not being some peoples' cup of tea, but it seems as if a lot of people who blasted through the game as quickly as possible either missed a bunch of contextual story beats altogether, or weren't paying attention when some story beats happened.

It's far from a perfect game, but I seemed suited to itself just fine. (Though, yeah, what was up with that radio call Henry hears where Delilah is comforting someone else about how Henry doesn't know anything yet?)

 

[NightShift]

What would "ballsier" be?

If they actually went for the conspiracy theory stuff that led into Henry thinking he's crazy like the were going for. Or even doing something supernatual or aliens, it still would have fit the tone better than what we got.

what was that conversation you overhear Delilah having about?

I would also like to know this. Sucks that it never gets brought up again after it happens.

 

[Deleted member 30609]

what was that conversation you overhear Delilah having about?

 

[Mudron]

If they actually went for the conspiracy theory stuff that led into Henry thinking he's crazy like the were going for. Or even doing something supernatual or aliens, it still would have fit the tone better than what we got.

I think you're misreading the tone of the game completely. The whole point of the game is about what extended isolation and loneliness can do to the mind (all three main characters are victims of this) - having real aliens show up or having everything that's going on be part of a government conspiracy would've just undermined that theme and would've just turned the game into a terrible episode of Lost or The X-Files.

 

[Deleted member 30609]

Also, my favourite single moment in the game was probably noticing, maybe on the last day after Delilah tells you to take anything you'll need from the tower, that Henry had taken off his wedding ring at some point earlier in the story, off-camera. I really want to play this again over a few days.

 

[drkOne]

Why wasn't there any explanation about that conversation you overhear on the radio?

The game is good, but it felt like they hype some details too much and create a ton of tension when in reality "nothing" happens.

I was expecting this to be more of a Stanley Parable than a Gone Home. I guess I set the bar too high and ended up slightly disappointed.

having real aliens show up or having everything that's going on be part of a government conspiracy would've just undermined that theme and would've just turned the game into a terrible episode of Lost or The X-Files.

I know it's wrong, but I totally wanted it to be that instead of just humans being humans

 

[Hale_C]

So, in this interview, there's mention of a secret ending?

Will Firewatch have multiple endings and branching storylines depending on the decisions you make in-game?

Sean Vanaman: It’s not a choose your own adventure in that regard but everyone who plays the game has a totally different experience — their relationship with Delilah is unique — they learn their own things about the story (rarely all) and there is, actually, a very peculiar secret ending I suspect only a few people will see (it’s not “the right ending” or “the good ending” it’s just the consequence of an interesting choice.)

edit: But then in a post on the steam forums, a different member of the dev team says: "No, there aren't really multiple endings."

 

[NightShift]

I think you're misreading the tone of the game completely. The whole point of the game is about what extended isolation and loneliness can do to the mind (all three main characters are victims of this) - having real aliens show up or having everything that's going on be part of a government conspiracy would've just undermined that theme and would've just turned the game into a terrible episode of Lost or The X-Files.

I said it would still fit better than what we got. I was fully expecting something big.

 

[Nexus Zero]

I actually thought the overheard conversation was an excellent device. D flat out tells you she had literally just left her button on while she was talking to someone else. If you pry into it or think more about it outside of the game, you are giving in to the kind of distrust from isolation that the game is exploring.

I finished it in its entirety last night. I understand the feelings that there should have been something "more" - I'm not entirely sure there should have been though, and the game is clearly designed to make you feel like that. It's actually an interesting place we've arrived at where a game can evoke these feelings and break narrative conventions the ways some books and movies do.

It was like a good book that you can't put down - I had body aches from a cold and desperately wanted to go to bed, but I couldn't. The resolution with D left me a little cold though, I understand this wasn't a love story in the traditional sense, but in some ways it actually kind of was and I don't think it would have hurt to lean into that a little bit, if only for a heightened sense of conclusion which was (intentionally) lacking from the main story.

 

[nOoblet16]

I finished it just now and I'll say I'm somewhat disappointed...not because there wasn't a conspiracy but rather what was ultimately there was sort of ho hum. Which is why I'd rather have just taken a game where all you do is build this relationship with Delilah while walking through the woods to do some mundane stuff.

The opening was straight up amazing, with the soundtrack and the emotional back story and cuts to the hike followed by the first day. It was probably the most relaxing experience I've had playing a game in a long time. Tge constant communication, and the music made it great. Then stuff starts to happen and the quick cuts to subsequent days to show a dialogue or two..this goes for a bit and then we get the last 3 days. All of which is basically you going from one point in the map to another with not much conversation and pretty much no music. It became a bit of a chore and as such the payoff, of a hermit who lives in the woods and stalks you because he thinks you found the body of his kid who died 2-3 years ago, is a bit shit.


I would have also liked if there was a picture of Delilah in her lookout tower. I know why the developers chose to not show her in the game directly and have her extracted before you. But it doesn't sound reasonable since they will have to go to the same place to debreif and it makes no sense for then to day goodbye since why wouldn't Delilah stay there for a bit to come face to face with Henry after speaking for 79 days? Real people don't behave like that. Not to mention why Henry wouldn't just arrange a meet up on one of the 79 days they were there !!

This is kind of like a sad ending for the sake of having one because it doesn't really seem realistic at all and breaks apart once you look into it.

 

[Adam_Roman]

An idea I had for the ending would make it branch in two options but ultimately end the same. When you find Brian, you insist it's reported. No half-measures like with the missing girls. Before evacuating, you reach a confrontation with Ned in his hideout, which Delilah can hear and comment on over his radio setup, and either you capture him and bring him to the helicopter, blame him for the death and cover-up of his son, and Delilah loses respect for you and leaves, feeling like the man she grew to know over the summer wouldn't do something so revenge-driven (I dunno it's 6am). Or you let him go, Delilah respects you, but the police take her away because of the report Ned made about her intending to burn everything down, as well as knowing about Brian and never reporting that he was around before, putting him in danger. Either ending, Henry doesn't end up with Delilah, and still has to decide whether to face Jules or leave her alone in Australia.

That's just a little idea I had that has some payoff of a standoff and the choice of revenge on the man that made your life hell for the summer, and it feels like there's more of a real resolution that you influenced, where you also finally see Delilah face to face (it sort of rubs in the fact that she was just a fleeting moment in Henry's life), and leaves more wonder on what Henry will do about Jules than it does currently with Delilah basically telling you that you have to see her.

 

[nOoblet16]

The thing is, I would have been perfectly fine if it was just an exploration of the relationship between H and D over the summer. Make it like a callback to summer love you used to experience as a kid. Make it all build up, you start hoping and wishing for things to happen, and then the summer comes to an end and you realize it was all just based on location and convenience and now you both have to go back to your real life. That would be fine, and plenty of stories are told in that fashion.

But the whole x-files-esque plot line that goes nowhere and had tons of plotholes was poorly done (why did ned put the key on a backpack for you to find? Just to lock you in the cave?). They either needed to go all in with the conspiracy theory stuff or go all in with the relationship stuff, and I feel like they didn't do either one that well.

This echoes my thoughts that I just posted above.
I'd have been perfectly happy with a game where you do nothing but just build a relationship with Delilah. Then the summer ends and you realise that you still have a wife who is sick and Delilah has to go about live her life as well.

So to say that people are disappointed because the revelation was not grandiose is incorrect, it's more because it cops out and takes the middle ground. Even when it comes to the story details like whether to report the girls or not , or burn the camp or not. I mean these are the guys who wrote Walking Dead so I am not surprised about this bit but I am disappointed.

 

[Violet_0]

so, the game was pretty good. Story wasn't all that intriguing in the end unfortunately, the naturalistic dialogues were nice though. I collected all the evidence, took pictures and so on but it didn't matter after all which is kind of a bummer. The mystery was better than the relatively mundane reveal

 

[ZoomyRamen]

I thought the story was a major disappointment by the end.

But during, the game I had issues too.

Navigation was sometimes a pain, it felt difficult to find the paths you needed to take. There was also a moment where you had to find a strange sound and it was fucking infuriating.

As for the story, the red herrings and misdirections added almost nothing to the experience, they were just poorly constructed lies that actually mean the plot makes no sense.

Why was the facility hidden? Why did ned plant a load of info? Why knockout henry and not just kill him? Why throw his type writer through the window? Why overhear delilah talking on the radio?

These just created threads that are far more interesting than the conclusion, something Gone Home avoided by having a satisfying conclusion.

Firewatch is alright, but It's a game that unless you say you love it you'll be accused of just missing the point and not getting "it" which if true, is also a problem with the game in of itself.

 

[Wok]

when I opened one of those deposit boxes I could pick up a rock and thought "ooh! there's probably something special about it!" I've been rotating a stupid rock for a minute like an idiot.

I was so disappointed that we could not open the fence lock with the raptor claw.

Also, I was so disappointed when I went to the cotton prairie only to find out I had not zoomed in on the sheet of paper with all the trees and plants. As if the game had to register that I had zoomed in before I could do anything in the cotton prairie.

 

[Nibel]

I feel that Ned's story and Henry's story clash with each other and shouldn't have been put together; they should have focused more on one of them

 

[Shrike Alvaron]

Why was the facility hidden? Why did ned plant a load of info? Why knockout henry and not just kill him? Why throw his type writer through the window? Why overhear delilah talking on the radio?

To keep visitors to the park from stumbling upon it. Having it out in the open would be practically inviting people to break in and vandalize the place. You don't put a research station right in the middle of a path.

To mislead the two into thinking they were being tracked by the government and get them to leave.

Just because he's a bit crazy doesn't mean he's a murderer... He already may fault himself for the death of his son, adding another innocent death onto that would break him and he knows it.

To scare him into leaving. He thought Henry had found the body and wanted him to leave instead of investigate it further.

Because she left the button on. There doesn't need to be a complex explanation for everything.

 

[Radnom]

I find that with this kind of story, the game really expects you to buy in to there being 'something more' going on and get all suspicious, but that doesn't really happen for me. For example, early on when Delilah leaves her radio going, I wanted to tell her that her radio was on and that I heard it just to be honest with her, but then my character started going off at her like "Who the hell was that!" which I didn't really expect or want, hahah. I didn't blame Delilah for getting angry at me in response.

Same with the research facility. it was obvious from looking around there a little that it was an animal research facility that just had been tampered with, all the equipment and notes (apart from the ones about you/Delilah) were about animals and seismic activities and such, completely irrelevant. So it seemed clear to me that it was a set up.

Although it's pretty close to the reveal anyway, seeing the shoe in the cavern made me immediately suspect the kid was dead and Ned was the guy I saw earlier. Especially when you get a bit further and find the kid's notes with his dad about radios.

So the story all made sense, but the characters reactions to them seemed to be pretty crazy no matter what you chose as a dialogue option. I mean I get that there's a dangerous guy stalking and blackmailing them, and that's definitely something to be concerned about. But immediately jumping to the government running tests on them?? That's just being unreasonable...

I was also hoping for a "we don't have to meet, but let's keep calling each other " option in the ending, maybe I missed it (the dialogue options are really ambiguous sometimes), but it seemed the main "let's keep in touch" option was inviting her to move to your town?

Gone Home spoilers:

Spoiler

It's a similar thing in Gone Home. Assumed "they're probably just out" as soon as I walked in the door, and yep, that was basically it. It was a lot more disappointing in that game, because there wasn't really any reason to think otherwise.

Good game overall though, I did enjoy it.

 

[EatChildren]

Adored the game up until the big reveal, which was contrived and poorly handled in my opinion. Thematically it's almost entirely on point and an interesting, well written piece on relationships and people. The "Henry leaves a tape explaining it all" is just such an arsey, boring way to climax the arc and a flat, uninteresting end to the mystery.

So yeah. Almost entirely a great little game that I really enjoyed (I finished it in one sitting and felt no urge to quit), but I felt that particular elements was poorly handled and unnecessary. The wrong direction.

 

[Liamc723]

Also, I was so disappointed when I went to the cotton praire only to find out I had not zoomed in on the sheet of paper with all the trees and plants. Like, the game had to register that I had zoomed in before I could do anything in the cotton prairie.

The exact same thing happened to me, rather annoying having to go back just to zoom in on the picture.

 

[nOoblet16]

So the fence was locked and Henry needed to break it open, so how the fuck did Ned go in there before Henry to set things up assuming he'd have to break the lock too and that neither him and Henry can climb fences?

 

[damien1928]

Yeah loved the game until the whole Ned stuff,

why would he leave his son down there?
Why stay there?
Why attack the girls?

 

[Nexus Zero]

So the fence was locked and Henry needed to break it open, so how the fuck did Ned go in there before Henry to set things up assuming he'd have to break the lock too and that neither him and Henry can climb fences?

• He'd discovered the lock combination or
• He'd found another way in

 

[nOoblet16]

People have mentioned that there are two sort of jump scares in the game, one of which is optional. I can assume one of them is the instance where you get hit (it was pretty obvious something was going to happen since you pick up the radio and black bars show up).

But what about the other optional one?

• He'd discovered the lock combination or
• He'd found another way in

Obviously..but the question is why couldn't my character do the same ?
This sort of stuff is lame plot convenience here.

 

[MrJohnSherry]

It seems that my save on PS4 has broke.

Spoiler

Got to the part where you break into the camp to investigate it. Complete that bit and the new mission is to return to the "Two Forks Lookout" which I do and nothing happens. What the hell? Going to have to start again aren't I?

 

[EatChildren]

See the whole "emotionally unstable father attempts to bond with son in the woods, tragedy leads to son's death, father can't deal" arc is wonderful in theory and fits the rest of the game absolutely perfectly. It's a character/relationship piece after all, and that fills a special void in types of relationship that Henry and Delilah don't.

But having a pretty significant chunk of the driving mystery boil down to cartoonish shenanigans from Ned in an effort to cover his tracks just feels totally out of place to me. Instead of being a centrepiece of the story, I feel it should have been handled more like the side characters stories in Gone Home, which are littered with clues to piece together but no real outright revelations or necessity to the overall plot. The entwine where necessary in the central arc, but stand separate and optional as inquisitive mysteries to get people talking.

The "big confession" from Ned is so blah. Sucks the drama out of Henry and Delilah's interaction. I think uncovering the corpse works just fine, as do all the lonely bits and pieces you come across, relics of events long forgotten, like seeing something you weren't supposed to see. Discussing the corpse with Delilah, and the interaction from this, is great. But Ned's "IT WAS ME, I DID THE THING, FOR THE REASONS" is cartoonish and artificial in narrative that really thrives on naturalistic character building and interaction. It's just not believable or convincing, and thus not interesting as means of bringing the story together.

I personally feel it should have been entirely about Henry and Delilah, right to the end, and that everything you experience, see, and get involved in is never blatantly resolved and instead expressed through the interaction of these two characters and the journey they go through despite being so detached.

 

[Maximo]

So the fence was locked and Henry needed to break it open, so how the fuck did Ned go in there before Henry to set things up assuming he'd have to break the lock too and that neither him and Henry can climb fences?

Yep there's a hole or breach in the gate, can find a note about it in Ned's hideout I believe, as for why your character couldn't do the same...eh no idea.

 

[MegaSackman]

Completely agree with you. They shouldn't have gone full conspiracy and keep it personal instead. That's my opinion.

Game is great though but it left this bad flavor...

 

[nOoblet16]

I personally feel it should have been entirely about Henry and Delilah, right to the end, and that everything you experience, see, and get involved in is never blatantly resolved and instead expressed through the interaction of these two characters and the journey they go through despite being so detached.

After that poignant and amazing intro and first chapter you really want this game to be a character story about how Henry overcomes the sadness in his life. Instead his wife/past life is brought up like two more times briefly and then completely ignored until the very end, because the game completely shifts focus to a half developed red herring.

That is the flaw I believe.

 

[labx]

I would have preferred that the whole "area 51" thing was something that didn't get resolution instead of Ned doing ALL THAT SUPER TECHNICAL HARDWARE, jesus, how much scrap you can find in the woods. I mean, some shit happen and that is the mistery, but the boy being dead and NED go nerdy and mental and creepy makes no sense.

 

[EatChildren]

After that poignant and amazing intro and first chapter you really want this game to be a character story about how Henry overcomes the sadness in his life. Instead his wife/past life is brought up like two more times briefly and then completely ignored until the very end, because the game completely shifts focus to a half developed red herring.

That is the flaw I believe.

I don't mind them developing the extra ideas. I feel that can work, as Henry properly enters escapism and grows from that. Removing his wife from the picture works thematically; he begins to focus on other things, looses himself in his escape, and through that alone and his interaction with Delilah learns to move on or at least find some footing. I like the idea of Delilah and Henry growing as people, or at least interacting, through discovery. The loneliness and weirdness of this isolated job that they've both run to in order to escape themselves, yet finding it ultimately unexpectedly personal and confronting. The story does need something to shepard these characters through their arcs, but doubling down so hard on the Ned mystery was the wrong direction I think. As said, I just find it really cartoonish and unconvincing in the end.

 

[nOoblet16]

At first I didn't think much of Delilah not waiting for Henry, because I assumed that they'd meet up outside the forest when they debrief. But then the game tries to convince you that it is not happening because reasons, and it feels unnatural. Basically, I cannot believe for a second that two people who talk to each other every day for 79 days and are only a few miles apart will never meet even once, not even when they are actually required to be present at the same place (i.e. once Helicopter reaches the safe zone). I am not convinced !

Also Delilah was the one who started getting personal and brought up ideas about meeting and going on dates etc. But let me say that, yes there is an argument to be made about her having a fear of breaking a fantasy. But even with the relationship stuff aside, a normal human being would still attempt to meet face to face, especially after going through all of this for over 3 months..everyday.

 

[More_Badass]

I know it's wrong, but I totally wanted it to be that instead of just humans being humans

I mean, how often do we get games daring enough to be just that? Just a story about people and their mistakes and foibles and all that? I think something like that should be celebrated. I loved the sense of tension and unnerving atmosphere the other aspects created, and was disappointed when I first finished the game, but in hindsight, I really appreciate it was just a simple intimate story that didn't need to switch gears and drop in aliens or some crazy meta twist. Games like that are rare

Completely agree with you. They shouldn't have gone full conspiracy and keep it personal instead. That's my opinion.

Game is great though but it left this bad flavor...

But there was no conspiracy. That whole notion that there was a conspiracy was just Henry and Delilah being paranoid, and you as the player feeling as confused and paranoid as them.

 

[Trigker]

I think you just expect something paranormal because of the setting, but in the end it's not a bad story if you really think about it.
Yes, maybe it's anticlimatic and not so "omg wtf happened" but it's far away from bad.

 

[EatChildren]

I too am glad it didn't regress to some dumb legitimate conspiracy rubbish in terms of government hoo haa or aliens or whatever, as "it's all in your head" works wonders for the kind of game it is, but I think a lot of my ending disappointment comes from it regressing to the opposite of a simple, intimate story. Most of the game is this, but the Ned climax is a literal contrivance of him leaving a cassette tape loaded with his "big confession" that explains away every mystery and event. It actually does tie all the conspiracies together into a borderline conspiracy, as it's all explained away by one thing instead of being several largely trivial things that Henry and Delilah unnecessarily overcomplicate.

I also like the ending itself, as in arriving at Delilah's cabin and there being no real reconciliation. That's great, I think that's important. But man I feel the Ned arc (and by association reoccurring mysterious stranger) is a big hump in the overall pacing and presentation of themes.

 

[Nexus Zero]

Obviously..but the question is why couldn't my character do the same ?
This sort of stuff is lame plot convenience here.

I don't know what to tell you. Have you personally walked the perimeter of the fence and tried to find the hole as outlined in Ned's hideout? If "no" then I think you're way lost in nitpick territory. I know I sure as shit didn't look for one (and I realise it probably doesn't exist, but that's not really what I'm getting at) - I simply couldn't be bothered. Would you have been happier for the game to say "why don't you try tracking the entire parameter of the fence over the next few months"? - It's inconceivable that you as a player would have the same knowledge of the area as Ned.

 

[nOoblet16]

I don't know what to tell you. Have you personally walked the perimeter of the fence and tried to find the hole as outlined in Ned's hideout? If "no" then I think you're way lost in nitpick territory. I know I sure as shit didn't look for one (and I realise it probably doesn't exist, but that's not really what I'm getting at) - I simply couldn't be bothered. Would you have been happier for the game to say "why don't you try tracking the entire parameter of the fence over the next few months"? - It's inconceivable that you as a player would have the same knowledge of the area as Ned.

It's not really nitpicking, to explain it properly, the game is trying to sell me an idea and I can't buy it if there isn't a cohesiveness to the environment and if the characters in the story that inhibit this environment don't follow the same rules atleast when it comes to story (not gameplay, so instances where enemies take a lot of bullets during gameplay or have unlimited ammo is ignored). Even then most games have this issue, but it gets a based games.

Anyways we are talking about fences here not an area such as the forest. Scouting the fences is not something that would require intricate knowledge of the environment/forest, as such I can't really discount the game here. I walked around all the fence on the other side and the side you enter from. If there is a hole that someone else can use to do stuff and yet my character can't go through because of some plot pointer and instead I need to trek halfway across the map to find the thing that unlocks a door then that particular narrative really is no better than something like this.

 

[Wok]

Why wasn't there any explanation about that conversation you overhear on the radio?

The game is good, but it felt like they hype some details too much and create a ton of tension when in reality "nothing" happens.

I was expecting this to be more of a Stanley Parable than a Gone Home. I guess I set the bar too high and ended up slightly disappointed.


I know it's wrong, but I totally wanted it to be that instead of just humans being humans

I mean, how often do we get games daring enough to be just that? Just a story about people and their mistakes and foibles and all that? I think something like that should be celebrated. I loved the sense of tension and unnerving atmosphere the other aspects created, and was disappointed when I first finished the game, but in hindsight, I really appreciate it was just a simple intimate story that didn't need to switch gears and drop in aliens or some crazy meta twist. Games like that are rare


But there was no conspiracy. That whole notion that there was a conspiracy was just Henry and Delilah being paranoid, and you as the player feeling as confused and paranoid as them.

I think you just expect something paranormal because of the setting, but in the end it's not a bad story if you really think about it.
Yes, maybe it's anticlimatic and not so "omg wtf happened" but it's far away from bad.

Now that I think about it, it was to be expected from the devs of

Spoiler

Gone Home

(name of a game).

 

[The Jackdog]

Its not that i dont like the intimate, character driven ending. its that its completely unearned and lazy storytelling

the guy who has been DESPERATE obviously for you to find out nothing about him and what happened (for silly reasons) at the end just leaves you a tape that says HERES THE WHOLE PLOT. And the answers he gives just create plot holes.

Its boring and dumb in a game that has been well paced since before that. Id be fine with the ending we got if it felt like the game earned that. I dont mind there not being a huge mystery solved, i really dont. It feels there was more effort in subverting your expectations rather than good storytelling