You can choose to brush away her advances, thinking of your wife and the romance she is steadily forgetting, or lean into Delilah’s distant embrace. As a fire erupts into the distant forest, the two exchange a loving conversation on the watchtower balcony. She’s an enigma in her own right, stories fumbling over one another as the friendship between her and Henry grows into something more, a product of their relative isolation as much as a need for companionship in a reality that seems fixated on tearing things apart. Life comes at you fast, and all you can do is face it.ĭelilah sympathises with him, offering delicate words of encouragement while delving into her own past which rides the line of fact and fiction. Henry gradually opens up, talking about his struggling wife and the life he decided to flee from, and how this jaunt in the forest is little more than a bandaid on a gunshot wound. They begin as colleagues, but the perpetual loneliness that comes with this profession gives way to conversation that becomes something more, a poignantly intimate glimpse into the lives of two ageing people who have lost all there is to lose. At first she feels like a nuisance, a nagging boss asking Henry to investigate teenage girls trespassing down by the lake and solve problems that to most would seem trivial. The forest is her home, and the escapism such a career brings is something she actively relishes in. She’s sharp, flirty, unpredictable, and has been in this line of work for several years. Portrayed by the wonderful Cissy Jones, Delilah is the polar opposite of Henry. Here comes Delilah, the start of a fire that brings this once reticent watch to life. Henry is lost, and we’re right there along with him until the walkie-talkie on his cluttered desk suddenly springs to life. His loss is contrasted exquisitely with his unfolding escape, a departure from his previous life which he views as a new beginning, or a temporary retreat where he can ruminate on a decision that right now feels impossible.
These sombre opening moments are told through a Twine-esque series of decisions, subtle colours reflecting the melancholic tone of what’s to come as we catch glimpses of Henry stumbling towards his lonesome watchtower in the Shoshone Forest. Related: Arcane's Fandom Is Made By The Gays And For The Gays As Firewatch arrives on Xbox Game Pass, this story has found a new lease of life. There is no wrong or right way to deal with grief, even if the person you mourn is still very much alive. We resent Henry for his immediate actions as he runs away, but come to love and understand him, sympathising with his plight and how perhaps we’d do the same in his shoes. This game isn’t afraid to explore the regret and trauma of losing someone you love as Henry’s wife succumbs to dementia, the girl he married becoming a shadow of her former self while retreating to a family who views her husband as an outcast, unable to take care of her and failing to understand the situation’s true gravity.
It turns out life is far more complicated. Henry’s predicament is achingly true to life, a man who finds himself faced with a tragic situation where he can either stay with the ones he loves or run away from his responsibilities, hoping they’ll fade away into memory never to trouble him again. Campo Santo warms your heart, caresses it, then tears it from your chest without hesitation. It encapsulates a palette of emotions in a matter of minutes that few games manage to achieve in their entirety.