Downloaded Firewatch yesterday, the new game from Campo Santo and Panic. I’ve long been a fan of Panic, thought I’d check it out, just take a quick look.

Lost a day. Played it straight through to the end, pretty much non-stop. I don’t usually do that. This is a game that draws you in, immersing you in a steadily evolving storyline, with game mechanics that quickly become second nature. And the game somehow manages to grab you emotionally, too. You care about these characters. They seem very real.

This is not a first person shooter. In fact, there is no shooting at all. There’s cursing, but no more than you’d find at my house when I’m trying to fix something. Instead, this is like a gentle puzzler, with a heavy dose of map reading. It’s really all about the storyline, even more about the relationship between the two main characters.

If you are interested in the story behind the development of the game, learning how Panic and Campo Santo got together, here’s the Panic perspective, and the Campo Santo perspective. Both are interesting reads.

Note that Firewatch is available for the Mac, via Steam, and as a PlayStation 4 download. Worth every penny, in my opinion.