Firewatch is the debut game from Campo Santo, a development studio founded by key veterans from Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead series and Klei Entertainment’s Mark of the Ninja. The small team teased PAX Prime 2014 attendees with a look at the first footage from inside the game, and — as you’d expect — it looks like they’ve cooked up a very tense, story-driven adventure.
In Firewatch, players step into the role of Henry, a fire lookout who works out of a hilltop watchtower in the remote Wyoming wilderness. His only connection with the outside world is Delilah, with whom he communicates via handheld radio. As you can see in the trailer, the two seem to have a unique working relationship, one that extends into the personal realm to some degree.
Related: Campo Santo reveals its first game, Firewatch
The assemblage of talent at Campo Santo — which also includes noted artist Olly Moss and journalist-turned-game writer/designer/composer Chris Remo — certainly seems well-suited to the task of telling what appears to be a very character-driven story.
You’ll note that the above trailer’s gameplay snippets are largely just environments and dialogue. That’s the idea. Firewatch has been described as an exploration-focused game, and it seems to be more concerned with Henry’s emotional journey than driving action. There’s plenty more to be revealed before the game arrives in 2015, but this amounts to a tantalizing first look.
