Firewatch

Firewatch is amazing for many reasons, but above all because it's an adult game that deals with serious issues, with realistic adult dialogue to match. And it deals with those issues just like actual adults would: sometimes with humor, sometimes with anger, and sometimes with sadness. It is among the very best of the first-person narrative genre, and it reminds us what video game storytelling is capable of in the right hands. It's a game I can see coming back to every year or two just to revisit its beautiful sights and memorable characters – just like a good book.

Though its plot doesn't fully pay off, Firewatch gives you a thorough, thoughtful insight into the formation of a meaningful relationship.

Gorgeous and clever, Campo Santo's debut is a triumph of craft - but it may keep you at arm's length.

A captivating journey into a beautiful, atmospheric wilderness, with a touching story that doesn't always hit the right notes.

Firewatch is the video game equivalent of a page-turner

A stunning example of interactive storytelling, Firewatch's greatest success is making you feel like it's really happening to you. And the less you know about it going in, the more you'll enjoy it.

Fans of slow-burning stories will find much to appreciate here

Set amid the wilderness of Yellowstone National Park, this enigmatic adventure offers a compelling meditation on love, loss and loneliness

If you note the two main characters' penchant for irony and have been paying attention to the clues in the game, such as the cheap mass market paperbacks scattered about the area, you'll sense that the mystery isn't on the level of some global alien conspiracy, but rather, like "Firewatch" itself, it's something mundane and graspable. In the context of a medium that's normally obsessed with feeding on the outlandish, I mean that as a compliment.

Firewatch is a rare and beautiful creation, that expands the possibilities for how a narrative game can be presented, without bombast or gimmick. It's delicate, lovely, melancholy and wistful. And very, very funny. A masterful and entrancing experience.