Skip to main content

Month: January 2019

Photo: Ibsan73 @ Wikimedia Commons

Review: The Favourite

Written by issyrayner on . Posted in Film.

She did treat us by thanking ‘ma bitches’, but the fact that Olivia Colman didn’t indulge in her own personal brand of royalty at the Golden Globes by screeching ‘look at me!’ in her acceptance speech for Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical/Comedy is, frankly, a travesty.

Never has a lovely and seemingly-ordinary Brit sparkled as brightly as Colman as the unstable, infirm, and petulant Queen Anne in Yorgos Lanthimos’ wickedly entertaining tragicomedy The Favourite.

Structured in chapters with titles such as ‘This Mud Stinks’ and ‘I Dreamt I Stabbed You in The Eye’, the plot triangulates between Anne and two women of court who compete for her affections: Sarah Churchill, the Duchess of Marlborough (Rachel Weisz), a long-time close friend/carer/lover, and Abigail (Emma Stone), a former noblewoman who has suffered the negative consequences of  a gambling late father, joining the court in a search of restored aristocracy.

High stakes manipulation and power-plays ensue as relationships are poisoned, status usurped, cakes scoffed and library books used as missiles in the battle to dominate the English court – meanwhile politicians and dukes (including X-Men star Nicholas Hoult, Mark Gatiss, and Joe Alwyn) play at duck-racing.

I refuse to assign it the sole genre of comedy as per the committee of the Golden Globes: the film swings from violent humour to teasing cynicism, and then back towards gleeful bawd, all underpinned by female defiance and sorrow. Colman is a tour de force; her unpredictability lends itself to comedy that has you half-shrieking before the laughter can leave your throat. That same laughter may be reformed into a sob as her expression turns to heartbreaking, particularly when the scene involves a birthday of one of her “little ones”, 17 rabbits which represent her 17 lost children.

Her co-stars, Stone and Weisz, are both sensational. Weisz ripples with restraint and determination, poised in her affectionate yet sinister manoeuvring of her pet Queen. Stone is charming, innocent, threatening, and relentless. Her character also transcends clear categorisation: is she youthful, or is she deadly? Is she benevolent? Is she (well, she definitely is) duplicitous?

There is no easily-spot weak link in the film. The visuals are delicious, thanks in no small part to Sandy Powell’s sumptuous costume design and Robbie Ryan’s quirky yet spectacular cinematography. The score is jauntily jarring, and the script delightfully, shockingly witty.

With call-backs to the height of bawdy theatrical romps and an irrepressible skeleton of fierce womanhood, The Favourite is a straight-out-of-the-gate contender for the most unique film of 2019, and a milestone in Olivia Colman’s inauguration as perhaps Britain’s most versatile actress.

5/5.

Photo: torbakhopper @Flickr.

Manchester Pride adds Mayfield to roster

Written by Ethan Davies on . Posted in News.

Manchester Pride has added the Mayfield Depot to its programme of events, alongside introducing a new flag for the 2019 edition of the festival.

Traditionally taking place over the August Bank Holiday, Pride had faced some concerns around its traditional Gay Village site due to ongoing building developments.

The Mayfield element of the festival will be a ticketed event, and will be held on Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th August, called Pride Live. It replaces the previous incarnation, the Big Weekend.

The addition of Mayfield is to mitigate the loss of stage space in the Village, with Manchester Pride CEO Mark Fletcher claiming the disused railway station would see “world-class acts” perform, but refused to be drawn on who would be headlining the festival. He added that acts would be announced in the next six weeks, with tickets on sale from 31st January.

Pride Live will be made up of numerous stages, enhancing the capacity of the festival as a whole. However, Fletcher could not confirm the exact capacity figure for Pride Live.

The other major announcement was an alteration to the traditional Pride flag. Black and brown bands will be added to the top of the rainbow, to celebrate the contribution of people of colour to the LGBT+ community. This version of the flag was first adopted by the US city of Philadelphia in 2017.

A new Youth Pride was also announced, aimed at 16-25 year olds. The free-to-attend event will be an alcohol-free space, as will the Superbia Weekend — “a culturally rich alternative to the hedonism of the other elements of the festival”.

When addressing the tricky issue of the ongoing developments in the Village, Mark Fletcher said the Pride parade route would remain unchanged and still travel through its traditional city centre hub. Also unchanged is the Sackville Gardens Candlelit Vigil, which sees the park transformed into “a sea of flickering candles” to allow attendees to “take a minute to remember those lost to the HIV virus”.

Fletcher added: “Manchester has always led the way in advancement of LGBT+ rights. What’s more, 2019 will mark the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising; an event which kick-started a half-century of LGBT+ right liberation.

“We’ve been working hard to ensure that the political messaging and purpose of the Manchester Pride Festival remains clear and accessible for everyone.”

Photo: Helena Young

The Font-naissance

Written by Catrin Stewart on . Posted in News.

Just a mere month ago, beloved Fallowfield bar and café, The Font, closed its doors for what we thought was the final time.

This happened after a whole host of bars, pubs and restaurants in Fallowfield were forced to close. This was due to newly implemented council regulations on business hours.

The Font, at first, avoided closing down. But, they had to drastically reduce its drinks menu to the disappointment of many customers. Eventually, however, The Font was forced to face reality and shut down the business.

Although the Chorlton and City Centre branches remained open, things never quite felt the same.

However, a new year’s miracle has graced us with its presence on the most important news source for students in Manchester: Fallowfield Students’ Group. An elusive post hinted at a revival of our favourite £2 cocktails, great coffees and delicious and cheap food menus. The new bar is said to be as similar to The Font as possible, including the ever-popular quiz nights.

For those of us in the depths of essay despair or wading our way through mountains of revision, this news is a gleam of hope in an otherwise grey and dreary period of our lives at Manchester. It is a shame this news hasn’t come a few weeks earlier. I for one know that The Font’s unlimited tea or coffee deal would have helped me through these trying times. Alas, I will have to provide my own constant stream of hot beverages.

It may not be the same old Font as we know it, but ‘the vibes, the times and crucially the old team’ have been promised a return.

I know it is hard to contain your excitement. But for now, we must wait in suspense until Friday, when the full announcement is said to be being released.

Photo: Chris Barter

Bring & Mix: Moonshine Made to Order

Written by Amy Wei on . Posted in Food & Drink.

By day, there’s a small cafe called Junipers on the high street in Chorlton that serves large helpings of eggs, brisket, and cakes. By night, Junipers looks closed. It even has a sign on the door saying: ‘closed’.

But behind the shutters, 1920’s cocktail bar Bring & Mix is in swinging business. Modelled after a prohibition-era speakeasy, you’ll need a secret password to get in (which will get emailed to you when you make a reservation), and bring your own ‘moonshine’ (alcohol) along for the bar’s cocktail experts to mix up into custom cocktails.

Whilst it may usually be a hassle to drag heavy bottles on the tram from the City Centre, with Christmas firmly over, those lighter and leaner half-finished bottles should make your trip to Bring & Mix easier. At Bring & Mix, you won’t have to queue to order cocktails, peruse a puzzling menu, or even pay for your drinks.

Photo: Chris Barter
Photo: Chris Barter

Rather, once you get shown to your table in the candle-lit and red velvet-clad venue, your waist-coated bartender will introduce you to how the evening’s going to work: essentially, for two hours, you’ll get served a constant stream of cocktails to your table, made and adjusted to your taste.

Every cocktail is different and experimental, but they’re all gorgeous. When we went, they treated us first to an orange concoction in coupe glasses, topped with a sprig of rosemary which brushed my nose when I sipped it (we were told its aroma would augment the taste of the cocktail). I was wary at first, but I have to say, it did make for a rich taste, and a somewhat more holistic tippling experience.

Staff returned to our table after every drink to ask us how we found it, to help them make their next brew even better. All the staff at Bring & Mix were exceptionally warm and helpful, as well as kickass cocktail-makers: we were always being attended to, and they seemed to really care about getting our cocktails just right.

Photo: Chris Barter
Photo: Chris Barter

We gave them a bit of trouble, but they always delivered: I usually drink my Famous Grouse on the rocks, so I craved something tarter than my companions — the staff utilised fruit purees, pieces, cordials, herbs and spices, bitters, and even jelly babies, to make bespoke scotch cocktails for our palates. Then, my boyfriend caused extra fuss by preferring one of my citrusy mixes to his own berry medley. The bartender serving us found this really interesting, and knelt beside us thinking for a minute before bringing over a bitter and home-made syrup to add to his cocktail. The result ended up being my boyfriend’s favourite drink of the night.

By the end of the night I was thoroughly inebriated, but luckily the tram back to the city centre was just a short walk down the road, and in no time I was tucked in bed with some Reese’s Pieces, firmly back in the 21st century.

Now I know where to go next time I fancy the best cocktails in town — made just for me.

Photo: Rodrigo Paredes @WikimediaCommons

Review: Bandersnatch

Written by Lama Chmayaa on . Posted in Film.

Bandersnatch is the first interactive Netflix special by the makers of Black Mirror. Presented in a “choose-your-own-adventure” format, Bandersnatch puts forward multiple endings, a trillion story combinations, and five hours of total footage. That gives the viewers the potential to watch different versions of the main character’s story.

It’s an exceptionally brilliant experience, compelling viewers to continuously look for different paths and endings. Though user interactivity is challenging, and evidence of genius due to its complexity, Bandersnatch seems to leave the viewer with a confusing clutter of scenes, with varying and sometimes contradictory messages. Viewers’ reactions are therefore different as the consequence of their decisions provides a unique experience — for better or worse.

The show’s strength is found in the plot. Stefan (Fionn Whitehead) is given the opportunity to develop his own video game adaptation of a choose-your-own-adventure book. While he attempts to have it ready in time, viewers are exposed to various paths in which the success of the game is dependant on Stefan’s life-changing decisions. In fact, in every ending the game Stefan presents is evaluated by a critic; this rating could be interpreted as the specific path’s rating in comparison to others. Unlike other Black Mirror episodes set in dystopian worlds where new technologies are developed, this special is set in a version of our world in 1984, or in other words, a realistic potential parallel universe. To appease hardcore fans of the show, references to other Black Mirror episodes are scattered throughout the sets.

Starting with seemingly meaningless decisions, the story highlights viewer participation later on through Stefan’s realisation of his powerless state. These choices are ultimately a form of expressing moral and existential dilemmas to the viewer. Additionally, the character of Colin (Will Poulter) appears to have insights on the nature of their strange universe and a notion of the significance of their actions throughout the plot. In his own indirect way, he speaks to the viewer rather than the characters. In all cases, Bandersnatch seems to question the ultimate nature of freedom, control, and fate.

Black Mirror: Bandersnatch is, as its subtitle suggests, a story that must be experienced to be appreciated. Only when viewers have watched all the endings will they truly be able to understand the complexity of Charlie Brooker and David Slade’s respective writing and directing. Although confusing at times, all of the choices made in production seem intentional and carefully balanced to provoke the necessary intensity. With its interactive nature, Bandersnatch has officially opened a door to a new genre of entertainment.

4.5/5.

Sandra Bullock. Photo: Gage Skidmore @Flickr.

Review: Bird Box

Written by Adrian Kanyoli on . Posted in Film.

I’m sure, like me, you’ve found it pretty hard to ignore Bird Box these last few days. If the blindfolded emojis and goofy memes tell us anything, it’s that Netflix has once again tapped into the nation’s zeitgeist with this viral sensation, which has attracted views from 45 million accounts in just the first week since its premiere.

This cryptically-named post-apocalyptic thriller is based on a novel by Josh Malerman, frontman of indie rock band The High Strung, and adapted for the screen by Eric Heisserer, the writer of Arrival. Bird Box jumps forwards and backwards in time to detail the beginnings and the aftermath of civilisation’s destruction by unseen “creatures” who cause people to commit suicide if they are looked at. I know what you’re thinking; no, I haven’t got this film confused with The Happening. But therein lies the problem with Bird Box — it isn’t new.

While the film doesn’t fail completely, if it wasn’t for the haunting orchestral sound of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ score, and Sandra Bullock’s killer performance in the lead role, Bird Box would be destined to feature prominently in next year’s Razzie Awards. Bullock dominates in every scene, and touches the audience with raw maternal power as she fights to survive the apocalypse and protect the two kids under her care. The line “don’t take my children!” is one that will come to define this film and remind us all that this actress is an epicist of the female experience.

Danish maestro Susanne Bier tells this story with a handsome directing style that is ultimately compromised by her creative cowardice. Immersive camerawork paired with atmospheric hums create tangible suspense when our heroes face the unseen “creatures”, or their psychotic minions, but Bier’s failure to build on the mystique of these deadly antagonists leaves the film feeling fatally derivative. Unfortunately, this leads to a point where the genuine emotional depth of the mother-child relationships start to suffer from a lack of fresh conflict, and, by the time Bullock’s character arc ends, the emotional payoffs feel unearned and risk sliding into sentimental toxicity.

Despite casting cinematic luminaries like John Malkovich, B.D. Wong, and Sarah Paulson, they are all consigned to one-note characters who strain the narrative’s evanescent plausibility long before the flat ending hammers the final nail into the coffin. And although the pacing is just tight enough to prevent boredom, and the horrifying tone keeps you guessing until the last second, tediously bombastic writing is there every step of the way to keep reminding you how good this film could have been in the right hands.

2/5.

Photo: Jessica Cornelius @ Quidditch Premier League.

Quidditch Premier League heads to Greater Manchester

Written by Ethan Davies on . Posted in Sport.

The Quidditch Premier League (QPL) has announced that the AJ Bell Stadium, Salford will host the QPL. The event will take place over 24th and 25th August, and will be the largest quidditch event ever to be played in Greater Manchester.

The AJ Bell Stadium, home to rugby union side Sale Sharks and rugby league outfit Salford Red Devils, also hosted the Manchester Varsity in previous years gone by.

Jack Lennard, Founding Director of the QPL, said “We’ve held fantastic divisional fixtures in Greater Manchester for two seasons, so I’m delighted to be going back in 2019 with our Championship.

“The AJ Bell Stadium is a stunning venue, and lives up to the standard of the incredible stadiums we’ve played in since 2017. It comes in a particularly special year for us, with the addition of European teams for the first time, and two new UK teams — including the Northern Angels, who join the Northern Watch in representing Greater Manchester and the rest of the north of England.”

The QPL represents the most elite level of the mixed-gender sport in the UK and Europe. 17 teams from four divisions will compete to become national champions, with the QPL season running from June to August, seeing each team playing three divisional fixtures. After fixtures across Europe, all 17 teams will compete in Salford for the Championship.

Manchester is currently represented by the Northern Angels and Northern Watch, with the current QPL champions being the London Monarchs. The Angels are new to the QPL in 2019, with the Watch finishing 7th of ten teams in 2018. The creation of a second team for the North-West will mean that the Watch will have a second local rival, alongside the Yorkshire Roses.

The Northern division of the QPL kicks off in Liverpool on the 16th June, with further rounds in Leeds and Edinburgh over the summer. More information on the QPL can be found on their website.

Photo Courtesy of Abi Weaver and Daniele Rugo at Iterations Film

Preview: About A War

Written by Aisha Al-Janabi on . Posted in Film.

About A War is a feature-length documentary that shares the testimonies of ex-fighters from the Lebanese Civil War of 1975-1990. It will be shown at HOME Manchester on the 8th of January as part of their 2019 Celebrating Women in Global Cinema series.

The real beauty of this film is the research and patience that went into the interviews with the three ex-fighters: Assad — a Christian Intelligence Officer, Ahed — a Palestinian Refugee Fighter, and Nassim — a Communist Commander. Daniele Rugo and Abi Weaver, co-directors of About A War, spent three years collecting material for the film which is clear from the intimate recollection the ex-fighters share. In the interviews we are reminded that the emotional and personal impact of war is not forgotten for generations. The official end of the Lebanese Civil War was in 1990 with the Taif Agreement, however each of these ex-fighters still suffer internal conflicts. We are given a small glimpse of these through their thoughts on the war and their actions fifteen years after it ended.

About A War starts and ends in the same way, with observational footage of Lebanon – the architecture was beautiful, some of which still hold the scars from the war, along with the sounds of this bustling city. The film also includes original footage from the years during the war and the horror that was carried out, whilst this was uncomfortable and occasionally lingered for longer than necessary it was certainly impactful. Whilst the soundtrack to this was generally serene and provided a calming background to monologues, there were occasions where it felt like it was building an artificial tension that was not necessary as this was provided by the stories themselves.

The famous saying ‘history repeats itself’ is unfortunately true, especially about war. A quote that will stay with me from the film is, “I hate the word refugee.” The word ‘refugee’ is thrown around too much in Western politics that it’s easy to forget that it is not the entirety of anyone’s identity. In the film we are taken to Shatila, a refugee camp for Palestinian’s in Lebanon that was created in 1949, where Ahed was born. We follow Ahed as he navigates the narrow streets of Shatila, showing us the electricity system and greeting residents. As pointed out in these testimonies –political agreements may have been made “to stop the war but it doesn’t remove the causes.” This is apparent in the continued need of the refugee camp 50 years after it was set up, more so because this is a refugee camp from a different war.

Without gimmicks, but with a considered simplicity the chronology of the war is shared through the testimonies in About A War. The attention to share different perspectives on the major events of the war, and the similar experiences in the aftermath means that neither ‘side’ is considered as good or bad which can often be the case with war documentaries. Instead a balanced view on the war is shared and is an important permanent record of these three ex-fighter’s experiences.

 

About A War will be screened in HOME on the 8th of January at 18:20

Photo: Quid Corner

Will banknotes save the UK’s most endangered species?

Written by Jacklin Kwan on . Posted in Science & Tech.

Quick Quid, an online lender, has teamed up with NeoMam Studios to redesign the UK’s banknotes, featuring the country’s most endangered animals. Some of the animals that the company has targeted for their awareness campaign are species such as the red squirrel, the loggerhead turtle, and the pine marten.

Prompted by the Bank of England’s public invitation to offer new faces for the £50 note, Quick Quid opted to honour animals that face extinction in the near future. The team hopes to gain visibility for conservation campaigners using the 3.6 billion banknotes the UK has in circulation.

Jonny Addy, the managing editor of the project, feels that it is important to highlight that society not only has a “moral obligation of species conservation”, but that “biodiversity is important to a balanced ecosystem, and even humans rely on this.”

Animals which have been featured include the red squirrel, of which there are only 140,000 left in the wild. Invasive mammals like the Eastern grey squirrel have wrought havoc on numerous native species, outcompeting them for food and spreading deadly viruses to them. Attempts to save red squirrel populations have included culling grey squirrels in their habitat, though it remains a controversial strategy.

On the redesigned £10 note is the loggerhead turtle. The marine turtle faces a diversity of existential pressures. Historically, population decline was caused by fisheries’ by-catch and the harvesting of eggs. After UK legally protected the loggerhead turtle, the species has continued to decline due to the loss of nesting habitat to human development and climate change.

Instead of a scientist who is no longer living, Quick Quid has designed a £50 note with the pine marten. Once common throughout the UK, the pine marten is now endangered with a population of 3,600 (less than 100 in England and 60 in Wales). Similar to the loggerhead turtle, mass deforestation and hunting caused a dramatic decline in the late 1800s. Though the species has managed to thrive in the north of Scotland, numbers have dwindled in other parts of the UK. Their role in local ecosystems could be critical as they are the natural predators of grey squirrels, which could in turn help raise populations of red squirrels.

The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. The State of Nature Report, compiled by more than 50 conservation organisations, reports that 15 per cent of the UK’s nature populations are extinct or endangered. Approximately 55 per cent of UK species have been declining since the 1970s. Sir David Attenborough, who helped launch the first State of Nature report in 2013, advocated for action to combat “escalating pressures, such as climate change and modern land management.”

Editor’s note: After this article was published online, it has been helpfully pointed out by one of our readers that red squirrels are not classified as endangered worldwide. While their populations are threatened specifically in the UK, red squirrels are listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List.

Photo: Wolf Alice @ The Mancunion

Live Review: Wolf Alice at Victoria Warehouse

Written by Jake Oliver on . Posted in Music.

It’s been a hectic few months for the London alt-rock four piece, Wolf Alice. Since dropping their critically acclaimed sophomore record, Visions Of A Life, the band have been touring extensively across the world, cementing themselves, perhaps, as one of the genre’s most invigorating acts. It’d be easy for Wolf Alice to rest on their laurels, but this is a band who never do things by half measures – one of their final shows of 2018 sees them taking on Victoria Warehouse with all the frenzied passion that fans have come to expect, with a few tender moments thrown in for good measure

Wolf Alice are a band that have demonstrated their musical versatility repeatedly throughout their albeit brief lifespan. The early EPs were an eclectic mixture of folk, shoegaze, and fuzzy nineties-esque grunge, creating a rather idiosyncratic soundscape that the band have continued to twist and turn with each new release. Their beautiful debut, My Love Is Cool catapulted Wolf Alice to the forefront of the indie rock scene, and they’ve held on to this position ever since. Last year’s Visions Of A Life, the Mercury Prize winning record saw the band reach new heights, solidifying themselves as the unquestioned alternative zeitgeists of the decade. Those packed in to Victoria Warehouse’s cavernous expanse were in for a treat.

The performance is nothing short of a career-spanning masterpiece, a poised and well-balanced blend of tracks from both albums and a sprinkling of EP classics to create a coherent set. ‘Yuk Foo’, the glitchy, riotous single from Visions opens the night up, with ‘You’re a Germ’ hot on its tail, the crowd already splitting apart in preparation for the song’s impending countdown before the chorus. It’s a trend that is repeated over and over during the course of the show, with fan favourites ‘Visions Of A Life’, ‘Fluffy’, and ‘Space & Time’ all instigating a riotous atmosphere within the room.

A symbiotic relationship between audience and band is obvious throughout the show. The ever-abrasive Theo Ellis on bass is a seminal figure to watch during their live performances, seen frequently prompting everyone to go wild in between his frantic movements across the stage. Wolf Alice certainly feed off of the energy in the room to give an electric stage presence.

In between the moments of high octane power are some touching respites. The instant classic ‘Don’t Delete The Kisses’ (complete with glittering disco ball) sees friends and lovers alike link arms and sway in a rare moment of tranquillity. Tender EP track ‘Blush’ is delivered with such elegance from Rowsell that it’s hard not to be moved. Elsewhere, ‘White Leather’, one of the band’s most elusive, yet beloved releases to date is given a rare live performance much to the delight of the band’s long-time fans.

The omission of songs like ‘Sadboy’ and ‘Your Loves Whore’ in favour for ‘Sky Musings’ or ‘After The Zero Hour’ feel like a bit of a missed opportunity, but it’s refreshing to see Wolf Alice give some of their more slower, experimental tracks the opportunity to be played live.

In an industry that is frankly oversaturated with cliché, uninspired and downright dull guitar-driven bands, perhaps Wolf Alice are the genre’s saving grace. Rather than confine themselves to one particular genre, the band have the propensity for exploration and experimentation. Yes, there is undoubtedly room to grow, but Wolf Alice are more than capable of this. For now though, it’s time for a well earned break.

8/10.

Photo: BaoGames @ Flickr

Review: Firewatch – Nintendo Switch

Written by Tobias Soar on . Posted in Games.

Since its release in 2016, I’ve heard nothing but praise for indie studio Campo Santo’s Firewatch. To my surprise, I managed to avoid spoiling the game’s 5 hour (ish) story for myself since its release. On 17th December 2018, the indie masterpiece came to the Nintendo Switch and despite its fantastic art style, moving writing and convincing storytelling, the lackluster performance on Nintendo’s console is a deal-breaker.

I won’t spoil the story but I will establish the basics of it. Set in 1989, you play as Henry, a man who has taken to the wilderness of the Wyoming forests to escape his personal life. Your sole companion is your supervisor, Delilah, who is in touch with you constantly over the radio. You can choose your how to reply to her conversation – if you choose to reply at all – on the go. The voice acting is convincing, drawing you into the story and making their connection believable. Once you complete the story, you can return to the world to free roam or replay the game with creator’s commentary – both very welcome features.

This feeling of immersion is reinforced by the intuitive gameplay mechanics which allow you to pick up objects and inspect them, limiting your navigation to a map and compass and a simple movement system – you can walk, jog and climb certain surfaces. Visually, the art style is gorgeous. Simple tones of orange or blue are the main colours that coat the low-poly world. The sublime sound design and acoustic guitar-filled soundtrack envelop you as you walk through the colourful, cartoon-ish environment. The immersion is almost total if it weren’t for one issue: the atrocious performance on Switch.

Sure, when compared to the Xbox, PS4 or PC, Nintendo’s hybrid console is severely under-powered. This is only on paper, however, because Nintendo has optimised their games to run at 1080p/60 fps. Campo Santo did not achieve this. I don’t have an FPS counter but my years of playing on PC have trained my eyes well. I believe Firewatch runs at under 30 fps most of the time. This is less than ideal but would be manageable if it weren’t for the stutters and frame-drops occurring every few minutes. Sometimes the game even froze completely for a couple seconds which, combined with the low render distance, caused foliage to pop in nearby as you walk through the world, destroying any sense of immersion you could experience.

To me, immersion does not equal realism. If a game can transport me away from reality with a smooth, enticing world, I’ll be happy. Firewatch came close to sweeping me off my feet but fell short with every stutter. If you want to experience this game at its finest, don’t play it on Switch; the game’s short runtime and subpar fps don’t justify the £17 price tag. Campo Santo have made a game that will break your heart with its story and, unintentionally, with its performance.

6/10