"We're not perfectly replicating the real world, that would be crazy": The invisible design behind Firewatch's pine cones and picture frames
It's easy to look at a walking simulator like Firewatch and only see what's been stripped out. After all, it's a genre that got its start when developers took the shooting out of first-person shooters. However, look a little closer and you will see how much design can go into the simplest interactions.
In the lookout cabin you call home in Firewatch there is a desk. On one side of that desk you will find a pine cone and on the opposite side you will find a picture frame. Hover your cursor over either item and press 'E' and you will pick up the item and hold it in your hand. It's when you press 'E' again to put the item back down things get interesting. The pine cone will roll off the desk, but the picture frame will return it to the spot you picked it up from.
In that difference, you can see the world that Campo Santo made in Firewatch.