Tag: indie games

Firewatch – Too many fires, too little time.

Posted on by in Gaming

A few years ago, an indie game called Firewatch was released to the admiration of many people online – including the YouTube gaming community. You couldn’t really take two steps without stumbling across it but somehow, I managed to avoid it. Not that I wasn’t interested, it looked like a game that was right up my alley, but I didn’t want to spoil it for myself by watching someone else play it. Yet in typical gaming tradition, it sat on the pile of games that I wanted to play but never got around to, until about this time last year, where I live-streamed it as a change of content from my usual art streams.

If you’re interested in seeing some of my reactions to the game, I made a little compilation video of some funny moments including me going “mhmm sensual paint” (it makes sense in context I swear… kind of.) You can watch that here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1KbsP7QL8E . Firewatch is the kind of game you should experience yourself rather than watching a playthrough. It’s one of those games that tells a story that we all can interpret in different ways and I’m going to talk mainly about how the various events in the game affected me, so if you don’t want to be spoiled, don’t keep reading.

So, for those of you who are still here, let me at least explain what on earth this game is about. Firewatch is at its core, a story-driven walking simulator. You play as Henry, who has taken the job as a lookout in one of many fire towers in one of America’s national parks. He is to spend the entire summer looking out for fires, stopping people from setting off fireworks (darn teens) and generally just wandering through nature and hopefully not dying of boredom. The only person you really interact with is Delilah, your supervisor who speaks to you over the radio. You never meet her, but she is the one other voice you really grow to love throughout the game, which is one of many reasons her voice actress won an award CAUSE SHE’S BRILLIANT OK.

I cannot emphasise how beautiful this game is.

From the moment you start the game, Firewatch throws emotional turmoil at you. You constantly switch between Henry travelling to the watchtower and a series of screens telling stories from Henry and his wife Julia’s relationship – from their first meeting in a bar, to them getting a dog together and eventually, Julia is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and ends up being taken to be cared for by her family in Australia, whilst Henry stays behind. Even though it’s only a small section of the game, it’s more than enough for you to get invested in their relationship and gain an insight into why Henry has taken this job in the middle of nowhere. He doesn’t know how to cope; he needs time to process the events that have unfolded and how he might move forward. It’s something we can all relate to.

Speaking from personal experience, I think having to watch someone you love in pain is one of the worst things you can ever experience. Sure, when bad things happen to you it can weigh on you for the rest of your life, but you feel a sense of control over how you deal with it in the days that follow. Meanwhile, the sheer helplessness that consumes you when you are forced to just sit and watch those you care about suffer, cuts you to your very core. You want to help, to fight back but it’s beyond what limited powers you have and I think Firewatch touches quite well on this subject – by leaving titbits of information about Henry’s relationship with his wife, how he’s processing it all and what he might do after the summer ends.

Now, last week we talked about Alien Isolation and the profound impact that loneliness can have upon you, especially when you are in a stressful situation. With Firewatch, you instantly become attached to Delilah and her relationship with the player, as it’s the only real source of human contact you get throughout the course of the game. Apart from brief interactions with some no-good teenagers and reading the various letters sent between two of the park’s rangers, you only ever come across traces of other people. You grow to care for Delilah, quietly hoping that you’ll be able to meet her in person before the game ends. Everything you go through throughout the game’s story, she is right there by your side, giving her opinion and providing crucial context to what Henry uncovers.

Delilah, like you, wants to know what the only other person she can speak to, looks like. Because then it feels real.

One thing that Firewatch and well-produced horror games have in common, is how they build suspense and paranoia throughout their gameplay. Firewatch leans more on the paranoia aspect, as you slowly realise that it isn’t just hikers and campers in the woods around you. Someone is watching you, listening to your conversations and outright knocking you unconscious when you find the information you weren’t meant to see. An incredible example of this is when you are walking back to your tower at night, talking over the events of the day with Delilah when she casually says:

“Oh well, you’re back in your tower, I guess you need a drink too.”

At this point in the game, I was trying to find my way back and was making my way towards my tower, quietly considering the story implications of the events I had just experienced. My heart stopped momentarily in my chest when I realised, there was someone in my tower. Whether they were lying in wait to ambush me or leaving a threatening note next to my pet turtle, I had no idea. All I knew is that they were there, and I was not. (Side note, if they’d hurt Turt Reynolds I’d have burned down the entire place myself).

Throughout the game, you get to choose how you respond to Delilah over the radio. You can choose to be an ass and not respond at all if you want but anyone who does that is a monster and I’M COMING FOR YOU. This element of choice is there to help you build that relationship and to involve you more in the story, so that you are actually affected by the various events that unfold in the game, rather than just reacting by going “oh well, moving on”. This game is meant to impact you, everything from the art style to the voice acting and the soundtrack is built to involve you in this world and make you care about what is happening to it.

Cissy Jones, who plays Delilah, deserves so much credit. The game wouldn’t be the same without her.

One aspect of Firewatch you really don’t expect is your discovery in the ravine. Sure, the creepy person listening to you over the radio and throwing your typewriter out the window is a tad unexpected, but it isn’t entirely out of the blue. When you’re alone in an unfamiliar place, we all think that we are being watched or listened to. That paranoid part of our brain is screaming, considering the worst when in fact it’s probably just a squirrel. For games that have this central tension and suspense, you don’t expect them to do emotional impact well but oh boy does Firewatch punch you in the heart and brings tears to your eyes.

During your various treks through the wilderness, you occasionally come across various traces of a father and his son who used to live in the tower you now inhabit. They left after a short period of time, but Delilah got quite close to the young boy, Brian, and would lie to her superiors about his presence as children weren’t allowed to stay in the lookout towers. You find an abandoned backpack attached to a tree that contains various climbing gear that Brian presumably “lost”, as well as his hideout containing fantasy novels and role-playing games. Eventually, you venture into the ravine using the climbing gear and discover Brian. Or what remains of him.

There at the bottom of the cavern, is Brian’s decomposing body. One of his shoes had landed away from his broken form, which was nearly unrecognisable. At that moment, the music becomes sombre and you just stand there, staring at this little boy whose life was cut short. I realised what had happened the moment I saw the shoe, but I didn’t want to believe it. I stepped forward into the cavern, my eyes searching for what I hoped wouldn’t be there. When I saw him, the only thought in my mind was: “Did he suffer”. My brain saw this little boy, in agony on the cavern floor, clinging to life desperately as it seeped away from his shattered bones.

RIP Brian Goodwin. He deserved better.

You quickly realise that he fell and later discover that Brian’s father Ned has been living in the wilderness ever since his son’s death, hiding from the authorities and as a result, spying on Henry and Delilah. In the tape left to you by Ned, you hear the broken man recount the moments of his son’s death, talking about how Brian’s hook didn’t sink into the rock properly, how he was forced to watch his son fall without being able to help. Part of you wants to feel for him, as a father who lost his son but another part of you can only see that broken little boy in the dark cavern.

As you are airlifted out of the woods and away from the fire that is spreading, you just look at the credits as they roll – showing the pictures of Ned and Brian from their disposable camera, as well as the ones you took on that same roll of film. You don’t see Delilah again, with your final interaction being over the radio in a lookout tower, just like it was at the beginning of the game. A poignant end to a powerful game.

Honestly, I could probably go on about various elements of Firewatch for about a full-fledged novel’s worth of content, but I think what I’ve said in this article sums up the most powerful parts of this game. Grief, loneliness and paranoia are three of the most powerful things that can influence our choices and our memories. No-one is exempt from these feelings, regardless of whether you suffer from a mental health condition or not. You are not immune. So, reach out, there will always be someone there who is willing to listen.

I hope you enjoyed this article as much as I enjoyed writing it. A bit more of a sombre tone compared to last weeks but hey, don’t worry. We’re talking about Mario Odyssey next week and how it’s worldwide journey can bring joy to our lives in ways you wouldn’t expect.

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Till next week,

CaitlinRC

Stardew Valley: Antisocial Farming

Posted on by in Gaming

I’ve been meaning to write this article for a week now as it was meant to come out before the Syndicate one, but ironically, I couldn’t write about Stardew Valley because I was too busy playing Stardew Valley. I’ve logged about 100 hours on my Steam account in the picturesque world of Pelican Town, with a single save file. A couple weeks ago, I saw that it was on sale on Switch and decided that it was the perfect game for me to get on the handheld console – as my laptop can be a tad temperamental at times, especially if I’m compiling some code.

For those not in the loop, Stardew Valley is a country life RPG developed by ConcernedApe. It takes inspiration from games such as Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing, producing a much-beloved game that has a dedicated fanbase and has inspired an outpouring of creativity from the community – from art to custom mods. The game has been released on nearly every platform imaginable, with more ports being designed as I write this.

stardew
The game was in development for a long time but was definitely worth the wait.

The gameplay breaks down into six categories that the game keeps a track of – Farming, Mining, Combat, Foraging, Fishing and Socialising. All of these tend to intersect with one another, but most players tend to choose one specialism to focus on and divert all their resources to it. These categories continue to subdivide into further specialisms such as raising animals or producing artisan products like jams or cheeses. No matter your interest, Stardew seems to have something for you. If you want to fight monsters, the mines hold an infinite amount for you to challenge. For the romantics, you can date 12 different people – regardless of your gender choice at the beginning of the game.

As a major introvert, I tend to avoid the socialising aspect of Stardew Valley – only really trying to get to know one or two of the characters, because the prospect of having to maintain so many friendships is terrifying. On my first playthrough, I clung to Penny and Leah. However, the game does encourage you to get to know the whole town, after all, you do live there now. It’s only polite that you get to know your neighbours. (Not that I can talk, I don’t know my neighbours except that one of them has some children and the other has cats)

events
Every event in Stardew, allows you to feel a part of the community.

 

One of the main criticisms of games such as Stardew is the repetitive nature of the game’s activities. Sure, we can grow some crops but what happens when there’s nothing left to grow? Obviously, if you find these types of games boring then I doubt you’ll be able to get much out of Stardew. However, if you are willing to give it a chance – the game has countless opportunities to learn and grow as a player, without having to constantly reset the game.

A good example of this is shown by the cutscene at the beginning of the 3rd year. Your grandfather visits you from beyond the grave, to judge the quality of life that you are leading – encouraging you to make more of this second chance at life. Even if you don’t meet all his criteria and you need to improve on something (e.g. fixing the Community Centre or getting married), the game gives you every chance to meet those goals.

grandpa
As someone who has lost a grandparent, I did tear up a bit at this.

During my first year at university, I found Stardew a refuge from the anxiety that I was facing every day. I was alone in a city that I was unfamiliar with, having to forge my own path and not rely on what I knew. Each social event I forced myself to attend was terrifying, often resulting in a panic attack and isolation. My room became my safe place and my laptop my source of calm. I would put on my headphones and lose myself in the world of Stardew for a few hours. Every aspect of the game is made to be calming and enjoyable – even the combat can be quite therapeutic at times.

Now I am a lot happier at university, but I still have those moments of fear and panic. The soundtrack of Stardew has slowly built up an association in my mind with those feelings of calm and peace. I do not have to even open the game to calm myself, the music can just wash over me like waves lapping onto the shore. I do not think people realise what powerful influences games like Stardew can have upon someone’s mental health. Being able to step away from your own life for a while and lose yourself in something simple like a farming game, lets you rest for a little while – letting your brain process the swirling emotions inside you without causing you unneeded anxiety.

An interesting aspect of Stardew Valley and this concept of escaping the stresses of our lives is the fact that your character is doing the exact same. The opening sequence shows your character realising they are unhappy in their current job at Joja Corporation (probably because of the DEAD GUY A FEW CUBICLES DOWN) and moving to Stardew Valley to start anew on your grandfather’s old farm. You both need to escape from the world, be it exam stress or unhappy work life. These stories are remarkably common in all forms of media – new beginnings. Even in history, people throughout the world sought out somewhere to start a new life, away from the darkness they were facing before.

joja
Capitalism.

Stardew Valley builds an immersive community and world for you to delve into to your heart’s content. No matter what aspect of it appeals to you, the game allows you to throw yourself into it completely, with no fear of consequences or repercussions. The relationships you form with the characters is up to you, but their problems are much deeper than they appear to be – much like the people we see in everyday life. There is much more to Stardew Valley than meets the eye, meaning that no player has the same experience.

Give it a go. I guarantee that even if you don’t enjoy it, you’ll learn something about yourself from it. If you like what I write, be sure to follow the site, my Twitter @OurMindGames and comment below any feedback/future requests!

Thanks,

CaitlinRC.