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Firewatch | Spoiler Discussion

My thoughts exactly. One of the worst let-downs I've had in a story-driven game in the last 10 years.

Well, at least the game made you feel something. I'd rather have this divisive ending than the predictable 'climax endings' we've had in AAA gaming for the past decade. I've usually forgotten about those before the credits stop rolling.
 

Fuchsdh

Member
Well, at least the game made you feel something. I'd rather have this divisive ending than the predictable 'climax endings' we've had in AAA gaming for the past decade.

What to you is a predictable "climax ending"?

(Also pointing out your term makes no sense. The climax happens before the end, you need the denouement in classical story structure. </pedant> )
 
What to you is a predictable "climax ending"?

(Also pointing out your term makes no sense. The climax happens before the end, you need the denouement in classical story structure. </pedant> )

I know. I think you know what I mean by it, too. It's the big 'hero (the player character) saves the day after an appropriate amount of explosion/gunfire' ending.

There are too many examples to count, in (AAA) gaming. Thankfully, indies and the odd mainstream game try to tell different stories.

I like the fact that this ending has people riled up. It's much more interesting, isn't it?
 
Well, at least the game made you feel something. I'd rather have this divisive ending than the predictable 'climax endings' we've had in AAA gaming for the past decade. I've usually forgotten about those before the credits stop rolling.

so, when someone's disappointed, we just spin 'disappointment' into a positive?...

if you're seriously saying that being disappointed with a game's ending = 'feel something' = 'good thing', then you're basically defending every poorly-written story ending that's ever existed :) ...
 
so, when someone's disappointed, we just spin 'disappointment' into a positive?...

if you're seriously saying that being disappointed with a game's ending = 'feel something' = 'good thing', then you're basically defending every poorly-written story ending that's ever existed :) ...

Except I don't think it's poorly written. Many others with me think it's actually rather excellent. I'm not about to spin universal disgust into a positive :)

In my experience, divisive art ages well, and inoffensive art is quickly forgotten.

I think this game will provide the basis for discussion for quite some time to come.
 
Except I don't think it's poorly written. Many others with me think it's actually rather excellent. I'm not about to spin universal disgust into a positive :)

actually, you just did:

Well, at least the game made you feel something. I'd rather have this divisive ending than the predictable 'climax endings' we've had in AAA gaming for the past decade. I've usually forgotten about those before the credits stop rolling.

i see no mention here of qualifiers, like 'universal disgust' (which is what, exactly? everyone in the world agreeing that an ending sucked? :) ). all i see is an argument that anyone could make in the defense of any unsatisfying story ending...
 
so, when someone's disappointed, we just spin 'disappointment' into a positive?...

if you're seriously saying that being disappointed with a game's ending = 'feel something' = 'good thing', then you're basically defending every poorly-written story ending that's ever existed :) ...

The ending to Firewatch was disappointing, but that's not a bad thing - in a lot of ways that felt like that was the point of it. I can't think of many other emotions that someone should be feeling in the situation Henry was in. It was a let-down because you didn't get Delilah (there was no way you were ever going to meet, it would be totally inauthentic to the character they created if she actually stayed to see you) and there was no great conspiracy - instead it was just Henry in the forest running away from his problems in a forest filled with other people who were similarly messed up and running away from their own problems.

I don't know, I really liked the ending and felt like it was thematically appropriate, and I think it being so divisive isn't a bad thing. We don't see a lot of endings like these in games because they're generally a power fantasy where you get the girl and save the day.
 
actually, you just did:



i see no mention here of qualifiers, like 'universal disgust' (which is what, exactly? everyone in the world agreeing that an ending sucked? :) ). all i see is an argument that anyone could make in the defense of any unsatisfying story ending...

The fact that the story ending is divisive in the first place means it's not "spinning" anything.

People love the ending or hate the ending. That tends to be the basis for discussion and debate.
 
The fact that the story ending is divisive in the first place means it's not "spinning" anything.

People love the ending or hate the ending. That tends to be the basis for discussion and debate.
The ending to Firewatch was disappointing, but that's not a bad thing - in a lot of ways that felt like that was the point of it. I can't think of many other emotions that someone should be feeling in the situation Henry was in. It was a let-down because you didn't get Delilah (there was no way you were ever going to meet, it would be totally inauthentic to the character they created if she actually stayed to see you) and there was no great conspiracy - instead it was just Henry in the forest running away from his problems in a forest filled with other people who were similarly messed up and running away from their own problems.

I don't know, I really liked the ending and felt like it was thematically appropriate, and I think it being so divisive isn't a bad thing. We don't see a lot of endings like these in games because they're generally a power fantasy where you get the girl and save the day.

This is very much what I'm trying to say, thanks for chiming in.

Does anyone have any recommendations for similar games? I've always had an interest in Ethan Carter, but that interest faded quickly when it turned out that game's lead designer is a waste of skin.
 

Fuchsdh

Member
Except I don't think it's poorly written. Many others with me think it's actually rather excellent. I'm not about to spin universal disgust into a positive :)

In my experience, divisive art ages well, and inoffensive art is quickly forgotten.

I think this game will provide the basis for discussion for quite some time to come.

I don't think that's the case at all, if you take a look at what's in museums now. I highly doubt the "modern art" of our times is going to be held to the same esteem as a Pietà in five hundred years :)

I know. I think you know what I mean by it, too. It's the big 'hero (the player character) saves the day after an appropriate amount of explosion/gunfire' ending.

I don't see Firewatch having to choose between its given ending and "Henry dudebro wrestles the fire into submission, climbs into Delilah's tower and has his way with her".
 

fixedpoint

Member
The ending to Firewatch was disappointing, but that's not a bad thing - in a lot of ways that felt like that was the point of it. I can't think of many other emotions that someone should be feeling in the situation Henry was in. It was a let-down because you didn't get Delilah (there was no way you were ever going to meet, it would be totally inauthentic to the character they created if she actually stayed to see you) and there was no great conspiracy - instead it was just Henry in the forest running away from his problems in a forest filled with other people who were similarly messed up and running away from their own problems.

I don't know, I really liked the ending and felt like it was thematically appropriate, and I think it being so divisive isn't a bad thing. We don't see a lot of endings like these in games because they're generally a power fantasy where you get the girl and save the day.

Well said, thanks. The ending was a huge let-down, but I guess that's a good problem to have; the story and execution were engrossing enough to make me care. I also think it speaks the maturity of the medium - good stories don't always have happy endings.
 
In my experience, divisive art ages well, and inoffensive art is quickly forgotten.
I don't think that's the case at all, if you take a look at what's in museums now. I highly doubt the "modern art" of our times is going to be held to the same esteem as a Pietà in five hundred years :)

That's a false comparison. I'm not saying 'great art is always controversial', or that 'controversial art is always better than great classical art'.

I don't see Firewatch having to choose between its given ending and "Henry dudebro wrestles the fire into submission, climbs into Delilah's tower and has his way with her".

I was comparing AAA games' endings to Firewatch's ending, so I'm not sure what you're saying here.

Well said, thanks. The ending was a huge let-down, but I guess that's a good problem to have; the story and execution were engrossing enough to make me care. I also think it speaks the maturity of the medium - good stories don't always have happy endings.

Yes, very much agreed. It's cool to see relatively low-key stories with depressing/non-power fantasy endings pop up in video games.
 
I agree that the ending was 'meant' to be a let down. I think it was purposeful in drawing a lot of inspiration from the common "melancholy of a summer fling" trope, if that makes sense

And that's ok - 'bad' endings, or 'disappointing' endings, those can be important

That said, I suspect they always knew this was going to be the ending - and though it's presumptuous, I'd also suspect that their mistake was to never reexamine how it fit into the rest of the story after it was further fleshed out

Said a different way, they had a fantastic idea of how they wanted "point A" to feel, and they had a good idea for how "point Z" should feel, and hell - maybe they even knew what a "point N" or whatever should be

Their problems came when trying to connect them all in a way that made sense

Maybe it was money or time or inexperience, but it seems to me they reached a point where they said "man we just gotta end this thing" and instead of naturally finishing the progression they just drew a straight black line to point Z and called it a day
 

_RT_

Member
Not going to beat a dead horse on the ending except to say that I agree in feeling it went...... flat.
The experience up to the end was great though.
The dialogue with Delilah and Ned was awesome. There were times when "felt" the emotions that I imagined Ned dealing with.

I'd love to see something like this again with a bigger budget.
 

Haunted

Member
I don't want to paint all the criticism with one brush, especially since this is such a personal experience, but at least some replies in here make me think of that old Hollywood adage of giving everything a happy ending or people will be unhappy.


You have to wonder how many people feeling let down would've been satisfied with a simple, conclusive happy ending.
 

Aaron

Member
I don't want to paint all the criticism with one brush, especially since this is such a personal experience, but at least some replies in here make me think of that old Hollywood adage of giving everything a happy ending or people will be unhappy.

You have to wonder how many people feeling let down would've been satisfied with a simple, conclusive happy ending.
It's not an unhappy ending either though! It's a nothing ending instead. Most of the plot threads don't pay off in a meaningful manner, and neither do any of your choices. Heck, there are points where the game straight up ignores your choices just to stick to the narrative, which makes it irritating I'm given them in the first place. I would have loved an unhappy ending to Firewatch. For me, the game basically ends at the Ned reveal, which is just meh in itself. I found everything past that predictable and uninteresting, made worse by the repetitious traversal near the end.

Overall, I did enjoy the game, but the ending just wasn't good.
 
I don't want to paint all the criticism with one brush, especially since this is such a personal experience, but at least some replies in here make me think of that old Hollywood adage of giving everything a happy ending or people will be unhappy.


You have to wonder how many people feeling let down would've been satisfied with a simple, conclusive happy ending.

I equally don't want to paint with a broad brush, but I don't think you'll find anyone who *truly* thinks the ending is bad because it's sad

There's absolutely a place for sad, disappointing endings - TLOU probably is the most recent and well known example of a sad ending that is superb and well-regarded

But don't confuse "I don't like this ending because it's sad" with "I don't like this ending because it resolved in a poor way". No matter how they might frame it, I'd say the majority of people fall in the latter category

It's remarkably similar to the Mass Effect 3 ending. The same sort of arguments were made then - "oh, you just don't like it because it isn't a hollywood happy ending", and they weren't true then, either

When you're a story-driven game with player agency, when you have characters you're meant to invest in, when you have 3 or 4 story threads and are teasing the player with how they all connect, you - as the storyteller - now bear a responsibility to ensure the ending resonates.

Sad, happy, angry, melancholy, whatever - it just has to resonate, it has to "fit", it has to resolve in a way that makes sense in context of the fiction

Firewatch simply doesn't do any of that. It's the story equivalent to "and yada yada yada, I was really tired the next day"
 
I don't want to paint all the criticism with one brush, especially since this is such a personal experience, but at least some replies in here make me think of that old Hollywood adage of giving everything a happy ending or people will be unhappy.


You have to wonder how many people feeling let down would've been satisfied with a simple, conclusive happy ending.

I didn't need a happy ending, I just wish it hadn't gotten limp right at the climax. Heh. Honestly I would have been happy with a terrible ending had they just committed to the story either way. Henry, and the player, simply have no closure. There were a few really interesting threads running through to the end and they kind of threw thier hands in the air and said "eh".

I certainly enjoyed the experience and will be gifting copies to friends during the holidays, but it felt like they couldn't commit to anything so left it ambiguous hoping people would find it a fitting or artistic choice. But that kind of ending isn't earned based on the strong narrative they had built throughout the rest of the game.
 

Aaron

Member
It's also odd that they mentioned Chekhov's gun on Idle Thumbs multiple times, and yet break that rule multiple times. The teenage girls, the research camp, even the bear signs... it's all hand waved away instead of properly resolved. I played my game with my girlfriend and she was particularly pissed about not meeting Delilah in the end, and the complete lack of bears. Not this game should ever be about death / game over, but there are other ways to present threat, like the moment Henry gets knocked out. That created some great tension. A bear or the fire, which felt like another unshot gun, could have been used in a similar way.
 

fallout

Member
It's also odd that they mentioned Chekhov's gun on Idle Thumbs multiple times, and yet break that rule multiple times. The teenage girls, the research camp, even the bear signs... it's all hand waved away instead of properly resolved.
How aren't they properly resolved? The teenage girls turn up alive (and in jail) and the research station was a real research station (which was used by Ned to deflect you from him). Also, both of those elements serve the narrative purpose of increasing tension and your paranoia that something else is going on.
 

Aaron

Member
How aren't they properly resolved? The teenage girls turn up alive (and in jail) and the research station was a real research station (which was used by Ned to deflect you from him). Also, both of those elements serve the narrative purpose of increasing tension and your paranoia that something else is going on.
The girls aren't resolved in the story. They died on their way back to their home planet. And the research station was just a deflection that folds into Ned's story, who I never know or know well enough of to have the impact it needs for the pay off. So they're resolved, but not as anything remotely satisfying. They're guns that are quietly unloaded instead of fired off.
 
It's remarkably similar to the Mass Effect 3 ending. The same sort of arguments were made then - "oh, you just don't like it because it isn't a hollywood happy ending", and they weren't true then, either

How is this ending or the discussion around it remarkably similar? Your reason for finding them similar is extremely reductive at best.

In fact, the only similarity is that some are vocally disappointed. Apart from that, one guy just talked about Hollywood endings in a completely different context.

But anyway.
 

Bluecondor

Member
I know. I think you know what I mean by it, too. It's the big 'hero (the player character) saves the day after an appropriate amount of explosion/gunfire' ending.

There are too many examples to count, in (AAA) gaming. Thankfully, indies and the odd mainstream game try to tell different stories.

I like the fact that this ending has people riled up. It's much more interesting, isn't it?

I completely agree with you on this. In fact, I would have loved to have seen the game without the whole extreme plot twist with the kid dying, etc.

If this had been a AAA title, there would have been some alien invasion, which "Hank" would have fought off - and then Hank and Delilah would have rode off into the sunset together.
 

JNT

Member
Well, at least the game made you feel something. I'd rather have this divisive ending than the predictable 'climax endings' we've had in AAA gaming for the past decade. I've usually forgotten about those before the credits stop rolling.

Divisive endings are not a problem. Inconclusive endings are not a problem. Cliffhangers are not a problem. The problem is that a story (in a game in which the enjoyment hinges on the story) needs to have a payoff that outweighs the amount of time I just spent playing the game.

Stories can be bad for a variety of ways. This one was bad not because of the subject matter as such, but because of how poorly that subject matter was presented within the narrative.
 
Yeah, the teenage girls thing is a good microcosm for the overall failures of Firewatch's story

The story thread is introduced right at the start in a fairly innocuous moment. You haven't yet been taught by the game if that type of scene is unique or important, so you probably brush it off

Later, you're told they're missing and it's implied your choices could actually be used against you. It builds incredible tension, and I think for most players this was an "oh shit" moment

For me, I was shocked how subtle the game was about my own player agency. I approached the rest of the game's dialog choices with a level of appreciation and cautiousness as I assumed the game was "always listening"

Toward the middle of the game it's further implied that everything you've experienced might be connected. Is this a murder mystery? A bear attack? Something far sinister? Your mind comes up with all sorts of interesting theories and stories and you wonder how this will affect the end

But when the end does come it's delivered with all the emotion of a weather forecast. I mean, it's almost literally "oh btw they were found" and that's it. That's the entire payoff

Now, again, it might be tempting to say this was some sort of meta-moment where the devs were manipulating the player to think a simple, explainable story was more complex than it really was - basically their own Occam's Razor or "sometimes a cigar is just a cigar" moment

But the reason they gave for the resolution was garbage - they were arrested? That's like the one thing that could happen to a missing person that should have caused them to be instantly "found". There should have been no tension in the first place

So not only does the thread end incredibly flat, it also feels really dishonest
 
Divisive endings are not a problem. Inconclusive endings are not a problem. Cliffhangers are not a problem. The problem is that a story (in a game in which the enjoyment hinges on the story) needs to have a payoff that outweighs the amount of time I just spent playing the game.

Stories can be bad for a variety of ways. This one was bad not because of the subject matter as such, but because of how poorly that subject matter was presented within the narrative.

Of course divisive endings aren't a problem. They DO mean that there are plenty of people that disagree with most of what you write after that.

Which means, to use your argument that 'stories can be bad in a variety of ways', one of those ways is that the story isn't bad at all!
 

fallout

Member
I felt a sense of great relief when I heard that the girls had been found. ¯\_(&#12484;)_/¯

I guess I'm just easily manipulated on an emotional level?
 

Raven117

Member
I have said it before, and I will say it again. I loved the ending. It was a perfect conclusion to a game focused on isolation and running from problems.

I can understand people that were let down due to it not being a "conspiracy" or something bigger. They did a good job teeing that up actually...We have been conditioned as gamers to expect that sort of pay off.

Instead we got an ending much more grounded in reality. An ending where you completely failed at your job. The forest was burning.

You looked down and had a chance to put back on your wedding ring. There are no conspiracies. Delilah was out in the woods a little "messed up" same as you and didnt' want to see you.

You cant run from your problems even into the woods, there aren't conspiracies, you don't always get the girl. Welcome to life.
 
How is this ending or the discussion around it remarkably similar? Your reason for finding them similar is extremely reductive at best.

In fact, the only similarity is that some are vocally disappointed. Apart from that, one guy just talked about Hollywood endings in a completely different context.

But anyway.

You can't call my argument reductive then turn around and do it yourself :)

Yeah, the "only similarity" is that some are vocally disappointed, but in reality it's for the exact same reasons

What's the point of giving me choices if they didn't matter?

What's the point in investing in characters if there's no emotional payoff?

If you're going to coerce the story to one conclusion, why did it have to be such a shitty, unresolved one?

These are all questions people asked of both games. They are narrative failures for very similar reasons.
 

Relique

Member
Meeting Delilah would absolutely have not worked in this game, no matter the circumstance. After getting emotionally invested in a character that seems so human (thanks to the amazing voice acting work,) I feel like a 3D model matching the art style of the game would just ruin that image that the player built for themselves.

I didn't particularly like where the story went but the relationship with Delilah was the highlight of the game. I would have been more disappointed meeting a cartoony looking Delilah that would fit with the look of the game.. I hope this makes sense.
 

lcap

Member
I have said it before, and I will say it again. I loved the ending. It was a perfect conclusion to a game focused on isolation and running from problems.

I can understand people that were let down due to it not being a "conspiracy" or something bigger. They did a good job teeing that up actually...We have been conditioned as gamers to expect that sort of pay off.

Instead we got an ending much more grounded in reality. An ending where you completely failed at your job. The forest was burning.

You looked down and had a chance to put back on your wedding ring. There are no conspiracies. Delilah was out in the woods a little "messed up" same as you and didnt' want to see you.

You cant run from your problems even into the woods, there aren't conspiracies, you don't always get the girl. Welcome to life.

Incredibly said. It sums up my impressions on the game as well.
 

noomi

Member
Beat the game in a little over 4 hours, just stuck to the story for the most part with some mild exploring and sight seeing.

Was a bit let down by the ending, felt really anti-climactic.
 
Beat the game in a little over 4 hours, just stuck to the story for the most part with some mild exploring and sight seeing.

Was a bit let down by the ending, felt really anti-climactic.

As Raven117 explains above, to be anti-climactic is sort of the point. These are people flirting with each other and flirting with the idea of running away from their problems, but won't see it through for life reasons. It's the same reason why they imagine a grand scheme to begin with; to avoid having to deal with the actual issues in their lives.

What's the point of giving me choices if they didn't matter?
To feel emotionally engaged in the characters and their conversations.
What's the point in investing in characters if there's no emotional payoff?
The emotional payoff, to me, is heartbreak. The sadness of these characters having to go back to face reality, and realising their time together, and flirting with the idea it meant anything, was nothing more than a pleasant lie.
If you're going to coerce the story to one conclusion, why did it have to be such a shitty, unresolved one?
Because sometimes life is unresolved and shitty.
These are all questions people asked of both games. They are narrative failures for very similar reasons.
I think Mass Effect 3 disappointed a lot of people for entirely different reasons. But for thread-derailing purposes, maybe we should let that comparison rest.
 

LiK

Member
Beat the game in a little over 4 hours, just stuck to the story for the most part with some mild exploring and sight seeing.

Was a bit let down by the ending, felt really anti-climactic.

it's like the end of a nice long honeymoon with Destiny. it just ends. :p
 

fallout

Member
What's the point of giving me choices if they didn't matter?
I really don't feel like the Mass Effect choices compare to the Firewatch choices. I never really expected my choices in Firewatch to affect the plot, but rather just the dialog and tone of Henry and Delilah's relationship. I never felt like I was presented with big, plot-changing decisions.
 

Haunted

Member
Wreav said it best

Just wrapped it up, and loved the ending. You can't run away from your problems, everyone sucks at their job, conspiracies aren't real, and no one really knows what they're doing in life. Finally a game gets it.
 

Meia

Member
You can't call my argument reductive then turn around and do it yourself :)

Yeah, the "only similarity" is that some are vocally disappointed, but in reality it's for the exact same reasons

What's the point of giving me choices if they didn't matter?

What's the point in investing in characters if there's no emotional payoff?

If you're going to coerce the story to one conclusion, why did it have to be such a shitty, unresolved one?

These are all questions people asked of both games. They are narrative failures for very similar reasons.


The game doesn't have enough "normal" moments to come through. The game is incredibly manipulative to only show the "interesting" moments where shit is going down as it bounces forward over the 3 month period. I think this is what really hurts the overall experience in that "nothing ultimately happens and nothing means anything" considering it's nothing but that nonsense driving player agency.


The game starts, and I was fully invested in Henry's story. Then other stuff gets in the way when Henry tries to run away/get some quiet to think about his problems. None of that other shit was necessary, and that the game FOCUSES on those things are much to it's detriment. The game just felt like it didn't know what it wanted to be.
 
The ending was kinda underwhelming for me, but that's fine for what the game is.

My main problem is that I don't feel that Henry or Delilah really learned anything from this experience, or at least they didn't really convey that they did. Delilah was still wrought with indecision in regards to Brian's body, and it didn't seem to me that Henry still hasn't decided what to do with Julia when all is said and done. They don't feel like they are any stronger than they were at the beginning of summer.

The game feels like a journey of self-discovery for both of the characters that was cut off by a mystery/conspiracy and doesn't go anywhere. Sure, it's not necessarily a bad thing (since it does represent how life goes sometimes, minus the mystery), but it makes the whole thing feel rather empty and pointless from a narrative standpoint.
 

JNT

Member
Of course divisive endings aren't a problem. They DO mean that there are plenty of people that disagree with most of what you write after that.

Which means, to use your argument that 'stories can be bad in a variety of ways', one of those ways is that the story isn't bad at all!

What I'm maybe failing to put forward is that when I say divisive (meaning stories that some find good and some find bad) I'm more or less referring to stories that are competently written and that follow the conventions for good writing from a completely technical perspective. I do feel the story in Firewatch was well-written overall, but fell short of that mark at the end by failing to deliver a payoff, which, in my mind, is one of those things that a story must have in order to be well-written from a technical perspective.

Mind you, a "payoff", does not necessarily need to involve a major plot twist.
 

Oneself

Member
As much as the ending felt like a letdown to me at first, I agree that it is probably pulling your feet down to earth on purpose.
Everything in the game is built this way; stuff like the 2 girls, Delilah speaking to someone else, the fence, the whole relationship with Delilah. Henry actually blows all events into imaginative and fictional stories.

In a way, you are driven from start to finish by Henry's imagination and desire to flee his real life.
 

Turkoop

Banned
So, finally beaten it. I'm just a little bit confused & dissapointed.. maybe I was expecting too much in the end..
The final conversation between D & H were simply too short.. I really wished there were more deep, maybe they would see each other, there must be a cutscene or smth like that..
overall the game was really good, but the ending was too short and without depth for me

only a question, so who build the fence, was it Ned ?
 
The research people did, which then makes the whole delilah not knowing anything about it really odd.

Delilah is a seasonal worker, and I think it's implied the researchers aren't there in the summer? So possibly she came into work and didn't notice that it had been built before she got there that year, and there was nothing to draw her attention to it until Henry starts snoopin'.
 

Turkoop

Banned
Delilah is a seasonal worker, and I think it's implied the researchers aren't there in the summer? So possibly she came into work and didn't notice that it had been built before she got there that year, and there was nothing to draw her attention to it until Henry starts snoopin'.

If I remember right, she said it was not there when she was the last time there, I think this was the moment when Herny discovered the fence for the first time.
 

Oneself

Member
If I remember right, she said it was not there when she was the last time there, I think this was the moment when Herny discovered the fence for the first time.
Yes, and you can find a note about the researcher not being there during the summer.
 
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