Jones compared the relationship to a summer camp experience. We have all of this build up, but it ends in something so much more realistic.” “I think we are so programmed to witness ‘the Big Mcguffin’ like in super hero movies, or something supernatural or the big happy ending.” Jones said “That’s what I think is so great about what Sean Vanaman wrote. Jones said life doesn’t always play out in grandiose ways and that is what makes ‘Firewatch’ so unique. “As much as he has been using Delilah as a crutch and as much as Delilah has been using him as a crutch, he needs to go figure it out.” “I think the message to Henry is ‘go figure your stuff out.’” Jones said. For Jones, she believes this is how real life would play out. For others, they choose to go back to reality. For some players, they plead with Delilah to stay. If they did not seem to work, Jones said they re-wrote them on the fly.Īs players approach the ending of the game, Henry and Delilah have one final conversation that leads to them parting ways. Jones said this is what made the game so real, because over time, they were able to see what jokes would land or what emotional moments had impact. We got to know each other over the course of two years.”
“So that first, kind of, awkwardness the first night, was real. “It was so interesting because Rich Summers who was cast as Henry and I had never met.” Jones said. Not only were the conversations recorded at the same time, but they were recorded chronologically over the course of two years. “Sean Vanaman (the writer of ‘Firewatch’)said that the game hinges on realistic conversation, so I want to record simultaneously,” Jones said.Īccording to Jones, this is a very rare way to create voice-overs. It turns out that the creation of such I dynamic character came not only from great writing, but by recording actual conversation over the phone. A few weeks after its February release, I called Jones to gain a little insight into the mind forest ranger. Occasionally, one of us would spit out, “Can we just run away together?” It is here that we discovered the message of the game.Īfter our adventure came to a close, I reached out to our friend Delilah, voiced by Cissy Jones. Through banter, in-depth conversation and simply time knowing there is someone on the end of the line, my friends and I began to feel the stress in Henry’s current situation. With sights like these, it’s hard not to break down and Kumbaya it til morning.