Sometimes I struggle with new games, with new worlds, and I wonder if it’s just me. I struggle in the sense that I can feel myself resisting them and refusing to accept them. I can feel them pushing new things on me, new worlds full of people and history and problems, and I know how much they want me to care. But we’ve only just met; I don’t care. Just because I pressed “play” doesn’t mean I’m automatically invested in what’s going on. And I wonder if some games lose sight of that. Maybe it’s not me – maybe it’s games that struggle with introductions.
That’s why I was struck playing Firewatch this weekend (it’s now on Game Pass) and by how strong an opening can be, and how seemingly effortlessly it can coax you into caring about the world you’re in.
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