Parents' Guide to

Firewatch

By David Wolinsky, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Mystery set in wilderness is challenging, captivating.

Game Linux, Mac, PlayStation 4, Windows 2016
Firewatch Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

  • Firewatch Game: Screenshot #1
  • Firewatch Game: Screenshot #2
  • Firewatch Game: Screenshot #3
  • Firewatch Game: Screenshot #4

Community Reviews

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age 15+

Based on 5 parent reviews

Sannyan
Sannyan Adult
February 5, 2020
age 18+
I love how there's nothing shown in the sex section because there's clearly a scene where the main character is shown naked in a drawing and little bits of stuff like that. Other than that the game is good.

This title has:

Too much swearing
2 people found this helpful.
Ian F.
Ian F. Parent
February 13, 2020
age 16+

Rewarding, story-driven game with themes on the realities and complexities of adulthood - only older teens might relate

There is a lot to love about Firewatch from its simple gameplay and clear structure to its superb voice acting and lush visuals. It's an interactive story adventure that deals quite brazenly with the shades of grey that adulthood is known for. The two central characters in Firewatch are neither all good nor all bad but are just as likely to behave selfishly as they are altruistically. Aside from some swearing (f***, s***, etc.) it is this depiction of imperfect adults dealing with adult problems that makes the game unsuitable for younger players. I found it refreshing to experience a game brave enough to address such topics as loneliness, infidelity, trust, and resilience in a way that feels very grown-up. Worth a play for adults and perhaps older teens as well. I've taught this as a media text in a senior level high school English class before with mixed results. Some students, 16-18 year olds, really engaged with it while others didn't quite have the maturity to accept some of the messages the game presented and were thus indifferent to it.
See all 5 parent reviews

What’s It About?

In FIREWATCH, you play as Henry, a 39-year-old man estranged from his wife when she gets diagnosed with early onset dementia and Alzheimer's, causing her family to take her back to Australia. All this happens before the game starts, and the "action" kicks off when you decide to start a job as a fire lookout at the Shoshone National Forest. You hold the job for a single summer, performing various routine tasks until a pair of unruly teenagers drinking in the woods starts pointing you toward something perhaps more sinister happening deeper in the forest -- and learn that you're being framed for it.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (5):
Kids say (16):

This adventure goes from a slow crawl to a fairly captivating and strange mystery, which means you'll need to stick with it for a bit longer than you might initially like, but it's worth it. There's a learning curve to, essentially, unlearning what a lot of video games have taught you: that you can navigate any area easily thanks to an on-screen mini-map. There's no such thing here, and you have to dutifully consult a compass and map to point yourself in the right direction -- be it to find how to make your way to smoky areas out in the woods or get to a specific creek. Just because you know something is west of where you are doesn't mean you can simply point yourself in that direction and go. You'll need to look all around for drops to take or rock faces to climb. That also means you can, and will, get lost repeatedly. And although the map isn't enormous, it's big enough for you to unintentionally go in circles and loops.

But when the game unfolds as intended, with engaging dialogue between yourself and your boss, Delilah, the game develops extremely well. You buzz in to report on everything you find, and as you're new on the job, she's able to get you up to speed on what you're seeing and where to go next. When the aforementioned mystery -- conspiracy? -- that's best left unspoiled here starts to set in, you'll start wondering whether you can trust Delilah, or whether you can trust the feelings that start to develop between you and she. Do you try to make it work with your wife? Will you survive the summer? Will you end up arrested and implicated for a mysterious crime you didn't commit? These questions all run through your mind as you work through Firewatch, which makes it well worth sticking through to the very end.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about cabin fever. When you go stir crazy or haven't had human contact in a while, what do you do to keep it together?

  • If you suspected someone was spying on you, how would you find out what was going on without letting them know you were onto them?

Game Details

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