The TLDNR:
Firewatch is a Frankensteinian beauty. There is a mismatch of emotions, genre and the delivery of expectations. At times this is an amazing experience worth having. However, there's greater merrit in the idea of Firewatch than in the execution of it.
The good:
Firewatch is an emotional journey that will have you on the tip of your seat. It's a roller-coaster of love, sorrow, hope, loneliness, tranquility and terror when you realize the implications just beneath the surface. There isn't a single emotion in the human spectrum that did not manifest within me while playing this game. Make no mistake: This is a very well crafted emotional experience. Don't see a Let's Play. Don't read spoilers. Experience the story for yourself in a single sitting. It's a damn good ride. It begins great, then falls into disjointed tedium before rising to an amazing second half. Graphically the game looks amazing with very few bugs. I encountered more bugs in five minutes of Dragon Age Inquisition than I did with six hours of Firewatch. That said..
The Bad:
This is not an open world wilderness survival game (which I assumed, going in blind). This is a very strict narrative experience which often hits you with jarring and sudden time skips to days or even weeks later. You won't miss out on any exploration, but in terms of pacing the game randomly slaps you in the face on occasion. The story lacks the tight tension of Gone Home or the narrative tranquility of Dear Esther, but for what it is Firewatch is a good experience. Just go in knowing that this is not a survival/exploration wilderness game in any sense of the word.I also experienced a glitch at the start of both Day 1 and Day 2 where my character couldn't get out of a chair. I couldn't even open the menu with escape and was forced to exit the game from Windows. This happened once on each day and never again. Still, it's worth mentioning.
The biggest issue I have with the game is the price. Get it on sale, it's not quite up to the asking price of 15$.
The conclusion:
This is a great game. But the price is the main sticking point. Don't buy it at full price. It's a six dollar kind of game, get in on sale and play it once. Or twice. This is an amazing experience usually only found in great novels, and I can't wait to see what else the studio has coming next. The game is poorly paced and too expensive but beyond that it's a damn fine game. It won't be game of the year, but it just might find itself on my top ten of 2016.