Game developer Campo Santo launched Firewatch in February, a first-person adventure game that throws players into the role of a fire lookout perched in a tower overlooking the Shoshone National Forest. It’s set in 1989 and players are all alone in their Wyoming-based lookout tower, equipped with a single handheld radio that communicates only with the player’s supervisor. But then strange things begin to happen, forcing players down into the forest.
Firewatch relies on a story-driven foundation that leads players from one set of objectives to another as they unravel the underlying mystery. Players make dialogue-based choices that influence their only human contact, supervisor Delilah, upon discovering new environments and interactive objects. As players move through the story, new areas are opened for investigation.
Since its launch, Firewatch has received generally favorable reviews, with critics stating that the game features great voice acting, a “brilliant” branching script, and incredible visuals. However, players notably can’t roam the virtual Wyoming landscape at their leisure … or rather, they couldn’t. That has changed, as Campo Santa released an update for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC versions to add a new free-roam Mode.
“If you, like so many others, have finished Firewatch and yearn to return to the Shoshone, then today is your lucky day,” the developer stated on Wednesday. “Firewatch’s free-roam mode gives you an objective-free game world to explore, dynamic 24-hour time of day, and miles of trails to hike.”
The catch is that the new mode will not be made available until players complete the game. This new mode will show up in the special features section of the game’s main menu.
In addition to the new free-roam feature, Campo Santo also updated Firewatch to support the new PlayStation 4 Pro console hitting store shelves on Thursday. Customers who purchase the new console and currently own a 1080p display will see “enhanced” detail distance, higher quality shadows, and smoother loads.
However, PlayStation 4 Pro owners with a 4K display will see an even bigger improvement. The game world will be rendered at a 2,560 x 1,440 resolution while the user interface will be rendered at 3,840 x 2,160. Firewatch players will also see an “advanced level of detail” compared to gamers who own the current vanilla PlayStation 4 console.
That all said, the new free-roam mode and the PlayStation 4 Pro enhancements are bundled together in one free update that is available now for the PlayStation version of Firewatch. If you have yet to purchase Firewatch, it is available on the PlayStation Store, the Xbox Marketplace, and Steam for $20.
