‘Firewatch’ is an action adventure video game that has managed to steer the gaze of many gamers worldwide through its interactive gameplay mechanics and an imaginative storyline. The game truly sets itself apart from other games and is solely focused on exploration and storytelling, making it an extremely immersive experience for its audiences. Now there are a few games that come to mind when we play through ‘Firewatch’ and so we’ve decided to compile it into a list for you guys. All of these games focus on either exploration or an interactive storyline, so if you are looking for such an experience, the following games will be your best bet. Here’s the list of video games similar to Firewatch that are our recommendations. You can play these games like Firewatch on PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC, iPhone, Android, mac or even online.
11. Journey (2012)
‘Journey’ is a beautiful visual experience developed by Thatgamecompany and published by Sony Entertainment in the year 2012. The game puts you in the shoes of a robbed figure in the middle of the desert. You have been robbed of all your belongings and you find yourself exhausted and sitting on the warm sand. Your destination, looms ahead in front of you, a tall towering mountain way off in the distance but you are too tired to travel. Yet you must survive. The way to the mountain is divided into various sequences and each must be completed in a linear method as you progress through the game. There is no narration in the game nor are words written during the entire course of the playthrough making this primarily a silent experience.
However, you are able to emit a shout or sing a musical note, both of which are wordless and seamlessly mixes with the background score of the game. The only thing going your way is a magical scarf which you carry that allows you to fly for short periods of time. This is indicated by glowing runes on the scarf and these can be regained by walking or performing special activities. There are various challenges along the way but help will come from the most unexpected of places, so keep your eyes peeled. ‘Journey’ is a game we highly recommend to people who love playing visual adventures such as ‘Firewatch’.
10. Murdered: Soul Suspect (2014)
‘Murdered: Soul Suspect’ is an action stealth game developed by Airtight Games and published by Square in the year 2014. The game is set in a fictional depiction of United States called Salem where a serial murderer is running loose. This person is being called ‘The Bell Killer’ due to its unique killing method and the local population is scared to death, like literally.
You play as Ronan O’Connor, the main protagonist of the story and a person who has been killed by the killer. You reincarnate as a ghost and are now looking for vengeance. During this moment, you are visited by the ghost of your late wife who informs you that you need to solve the crime in order to reunite with your wife. This is where the game begins. You need to traverse through the town as you keep collecting clues and search for the entity who took your life and you have some ghostly abilities that will help you on your journey. It has been praised by critics due to its smooth gameplay and unique concept where you get to play as the ghost instead of fighting against one.
9. The Walking Dead (2012)
‘The Walking Dead’ is an episodic survival horror point and click adventure video game developed and published by TellTale Games in the year 2012. The game is based on the comic book series of the same name but you will probably remember it from the TV series on AMC. It is regarded as one of the best point and click adventure games that you can play on your mobile devices and gaming consoles. If you have played other titles by TellTale games, then you will probably be familiar with the gameplay of this title.
There are a total of 5 episodes in the series and you can play through the game in a linear manner in order to immerse yourself in the story. The storyline of the game is the main highlight and we highly recommend this game if you love games that are laid back and develop the characters well. You will fall in love with the narration of the game and develop an emotional bond with the characters, so be prepared for an intense, emotional experience. There are various choices you can make during the course of the game and this will affect the storyline and will definitely challenge your morals.
8. The Stanley Parable (2013)
‘The Stanley Parable’ is an action adventure video game that started out originally as a mod for Half Life 2 that is based around exploration. The mod generated a cult status among games worldwide and soon generated enough traction to sanction a standalone release under the name ‘The Stanley Parable’. It was developed by William Pugh under the moniker of Galactic Café. The game is played in a first person perspective and you can move around the map and interact with the various elements in the environment. This will enable you to traverse through the map and unlock newer areas of the map.
There are no combat mechanics in the game since it relies heavily on a narrative driven experience and you if like such games you will definitely like ‘The Stanley Parable’. Fans of the ‘Firewatch’ game will definitely find this an in-depth narrative experience. The narrator makes an appearance throughout the game and attempts to guide you on your way and you may choose to listen to the narrator or ignore it but these choices will have an effect on the overall gameplay experience.
7. Miasmata (2012)
‘Miasmata’ is a survival horror video game developed by IonFX and published by Devolver Digital in the year 2012 for the Windows PC systems. The game follows the adventures of a plague-ridden scientist who is traversing an island in order to find a cure for his situation. You need to manage the disease while travelling on the island and gather data on the various medicinal plants on the island and mix and match them in order to find a cure. Your condition does not allow you to travel long distances without access to water as you get dehydrated more quickly due to the disease.
You do have access to a small inventory but it is not even close to managing your risks. The mapping system of the game is also different from other games as you need to map different sections of the world using focus points in the world. It is a good idea to map the world beforehand since it is quite easy to get lost in the map or double back to the same location and lose precious resources and time. The survival aspects of the game have been highly praised by critics and if you liked playing ‘Firewatch’, then you will definitely like playing through this one.
6. The Flame in the Flood (2016)
‘The Flame in the Flood’ is a rogue-like survival video game where you need to survive on a land that has been ravaged by a post apocalyptic flood. This has turned the land into a series of islands separated by a huge river. You will need to manage the various aspects of the main character, Scout, such as hunger, thirst, warmth and energy. All of these are essential to your survival and you need to pay close attention to these figures if you don’t want to die. Much like other rogue-like games, death is permanent, so don’t count on re-spawning from where you left off. You have a trusty dog by your side who is your constant companion throughout the game and Daisy will help you collect and gather resources. Daisy will also sniff out danger, allowing you to have an upper hand on your enemies. The game was developed by The Molasses Flood and published by Curve Digital in the year 2016.
5. Life is Strange (2015)
‘Life is Strange’ is an episodic graphic adventure video game developed by Dontnod Entertainment and published by Square Enix in the year 2015. A total of 5 episodes were released throughout the year enabling the players to play through the entire campaign of the game. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from its critics who praised the game for its unique gameplay mechanics and the gripping storyline. The game plays through a sequence of videos that are brilliantly developed and manage to captivate the player for long hours due to its in-depth development of characters. You play as Max, an 18-year-old photography student who has the power to rewind time. At this time, he also finds out that a deadly storm is approaching their city and he must use his time turning abilities to save the city from eminent disaster.
During the course of gameplay, you are be provided with a lot of choices and each one of them will affect the overall storyline of the game and sometimes changes the narratives of the story. However, you have the power to rewind back time and this allows you to relive your past experiences and change their outcome. All of these sums up to an incredible climax that you simply have play through yourself. We are not going to spoil the story for you anymore but one last tip before we leave you to your own and that is all the items you gather will stay in your inventory when you turn back time, so use this to your advantage.
4. Gone Home (2013)
‘Gone Home’ is a first person walking simulator developed and published by The Fullbright Company in the year 2013 for the Windows PC, the Linux and OS X systems though ports for gaming consoles followed in the later years. It is one of the best graphic adventures that take you into the life of Katie, a woman who has returned from overseas to her native Oregon house in order to find the place deserted and absent of any soul. Now you must travel around the house and find out what has happened to the family. There is not much interaction in the game and this is a point that has been criticized by reviewers of the game. It was pretty well received at the start and it was praised for its unique gameplay and storytelling mechanic just like ‘Firewatch’ but then people started questioning whether the title even qualifies as a game that belongs to the walking simulator genre. However, there have been various well received titles in the genre since then cementing its place in the industry.
Read More: Games Like Undertale
3. What Remains of Edith Finch (2017)
‘What Remains of Edith Finch’ tells the story of Edith Finch, the last survivor of the Finch family which carries a curse that kills all but one member of each generation in the family mysteriously. It is a gripping tale of loss and sorrow that puts the player in a state of emotional paralysis that is seldom achieved by video games. Edith has returned to her family home that they abandoned years ago in order to investigate the deaths of her family members and unlock its secrets. You control the player through the various rooms in the house, each a shrine to the dead family members and you get to relive their deaths through short sections of gameplay. It is a brilliant story that you simply need to experience if you are a fan of games such as ‘Firewatch’.
2. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (2014)
‘The Vanishing of Ethan Carter’ is a horror adventure video game that plays very similar to ‘Firewatch’. However, there are paranormal activities involved in the game unlike ‘Firewatch’, so be prepared for that. You are set in an open world and you need to investigate the deaths of the Carter family. That’s the whole setting of the game and it does very little in guiding the players through the various mechanics, making it a whole new experience for the new player. We will not tell you about the gameplay mechanics either, as they are extremely fun to figure out for yourself and we hope you have a good time figuring them out, like we did.
Read More: Games Like Destiny
1. Dear Esther (2012)
‘Dear Esther’ is more of an experience than a game. It is set in an unnamed island in the Hebrides, which you must explore. There is neither combat nor any gameplay mechanics other than walking around and reading a series of disturbing letters from a man to his deceased wife, Esther. The game allows you to explore the island at your own pace in a non-linear fashion and as you progress further through the game, you get to find out more about the mysterious death of Esther. Whether you like ‘Firewatch’ or not, this is one game you should definitely check out.
Read More: Games Like Subway Surfers
