Episode 22: Forrest Byrnes — Up In Smoke

What if the in-world fire prevention mascot from Firewatch had his own licensed platformer back in the late '80s or early '90s? And what if in making that concept game, developer Nels Anderson and artist Christina-Antoinette Neofotistou actually re-skinned an older Japanese game—that had already been half re-skinned as a game about fire prevention!—that Nels had found on some random internet ROM forum? It’s the story of Forrest Byrnes: Up In Smoke!

Show Notes

The title screen for Forrest Byrnes Up in Smoke, featuring a cartoon rendering of the firewatch tower on a distant hill from Firewatch, and options for Start, Posters, and Credits
The title screen for Forrest Byrnes Up in Smoke, featuring a cartoon rendering of the firewatch tower on a distant hill from Firewatch, and options for Start, Posters, and Credits
Forrest Byrnes cheerfully holds his shovel in front of a cut-away  view of a well, revealing a child stuck inside it. A wall of smoke and fire can be seen approaching from the left of the frame.
Forrest Byrnes cheerfully holds his shovel in front of a cut-away view of a well, revealing a child stuck inside it. A wall of smoke and fire can be seen approaching from the left of the frame.
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