Blair Witch ReviewWhen it comes to game developers, particularly indie game developers, there's few that match the highly mixed feelings I have for indie horror developer Bloober Team. I absolutely hated their first game, I thought Layers of Fear was about as bad as a walking simulator could be. It took the highly intriguing and potential ridden premise of an eccentric painters descent into madness, and turned it into a predictable horror story, with little to no surprises, combine that with the laughable scares and frame rate issues it contained on launch, and you had a pretty dissatisfied player. So imagine how shocked I was to find that their second game Observer unexpectedly became one of my favorite indie games on Xbox. Observer fixed almost every problem I had with Layers of Fear. It had a wonderfully creative and creepy setting, with a compelling narrative that had plenty of eerie sound design and effective scares that kept me compelled to play to the games unexpected conclusion. Fast forward about two years after the release of Observer, and we got Layers of Fear 2. I was not looking forward to it, and expected Bloober Team to go right back to the predictable jump scares and uninspired narrative that plagued the first installment. However instead I ended up really enjoying my time with the game, and grabbing all the achievements in multiple playthroughs. It didn't quite reach the level of rich atmosphere and compelling scares that Observer had, but the narrative was mature and subtle, and the scares, although still largely predictable, were a step up from the original. This brings us to their latest game Blair Witch, which is the probably the most torn I've felt about one of their games yet.
Passion Project or Lazy Cash Grab?I imagine that a lot people, myself included, were more than a bit puzzled when the name "Blair Witch" flashed across the stage at Xbox's E3 event this year. It was bizarre seeing a new game come out for a franchise that has mainly found negative reception and a dwindling fan base ever since the original film released all the way back in 1999. There was a trilogy of Blair Witch games released for the PC not long after the release of the first film, but it released to very mediocre reviews, and was seen more as a company desperate to cash in on a new horror franchise and its fans, than something the developers truly cared about making, it really just looked and played like a Resident Evil clone. Fast forward twenty years later and we have a new game carrying the Blair Witch name, and you know what? It's actually quite an interesting one, you can even feel that the developers actually had some passion about the mythos contained in the Blair Witch franchise.
Since the narrative is by far the games strongest element, I'll be as subtle and vague as possible when describing the plot. You play as Ellis, a man with a troubled past who's looking for a path to redemption, hoping that he can forget and leave the mistakes he's made behind. That's why Ellis, along with his loyal dog Bullet, is more than eager to head into the search for a missing boy who went missing in the supposedly haunted woods in Burkittsville Maryland, a place that's apparently seen its far share of disappearances in the past. Ellis is late to the search, and follows in behind the police, once inside it doesn't take long for strange events to occur that'll have you questioning Ellis's sanity and just how trustworthy of a person he really is. The game doesn't have the best writing in the world, but it does explore sensitive topics like mental illness, particularly PTSD, in a tasteful, sensitive, and compelling way. The voice acting is also very solid, and the main voice actor does a good job of showing visible emotion as Ellis's golden boy image begins to slip as you venture further into the woods.
Is The Game Standard Walking Simulator Fare Or Something More?The gameplay in Blair Witch is a real mixed bag. On one hand it's the most layered thing Bloober Team has done yet. The areas are larger, and there's a bit of light exploration thrown in, similar to Observer, where the player is able to explore a bit and find collectibles or other bits of lore. There's also an interesting gameplay element involving a camcorder that ties perfectly into the franchises found footage roots. As you progress Ellis will find tapes he can play on his camcorder, you can use them to manipulate certain objects in your environment. For example, if there's a fallen tree in Ellis's way, as long as the tree falling is on the tape, Ellis can rewind it before the tree fell, making it removed from your path in the present. This a great idea, and it makes for some interesting little puzzles, but it's vastly underutilized. It's only really used about a dozen times throughout the 4-6 hour playtime.
Bloober Team has also employed the shifting environments used in their Layers of Fear games. As you explore, the forest will do its best to mess with your head, and throw you off your objective, often looping you back unexpectedly to your previous location. This is unnerving and off putting at first, but quickly becomes a massive annoyance and an atmosphere killer in a game that largely relies on carrying a thick air of tension. The forest in the game is already twisty and hard to navigate enough without the shifting environments. There were multiple times i got lost and ran around in circles until I finally found the correct series of routes. It was extremely irritating, boring, and killed any tension the game had effectively built up beforehand.
The games best mechanic, though it's also not without it's flaws, comes from the players relationship with Ellis's dog Bullet. Bullet acts as your guide throughout almost the whole journey. He'll alert you when enemies are nearby, he'll dig up/bring you clues or items he's found, and he'll help guide you to your next objective. You even have the option to pet or scold Bullet anytime you want, which plays a part in which of the games multiple endings you'll get. This all makes anytime you lose track of him all the more concerning. Without spoiling too much, there's a sequence near the end where Bullet is injured and you'll have to carry him through a long dark tunnel. The mix of Bullets whimpers, Ellis's concerned voice, and the unnerving sounds around you, make it into a surprisingly emotional sequence, one that made me realize just how well done the attachment made between you and Bullet is.
A Technical Mess Or a Well Oiled Machine?The game has bugs and frame rate problems, not to the point where it stopped me from enjoying myself, but they were still noticeable, particularly in the beginning. Layers of Fear 2 ran at 60 frames almost seamlessly throughout, and looked great. Blair Witch stutters and dips at the most random of times. It looks great at night and has some solid lighting effects with your flashlight, but during the day everything looks a bit washed out, and many of the textures, especially the grass and foliage, look muddy and flat. There was also many moments in the games concluding hour, when I was exploring an abandoned house, where I got stuck in almost every doorway I tried to go through, and could only get through by crouching. Yes it's minor, like all the bugs and graphical glitches in this game, but they stack up over time and bring down the experience. Bullets pathfinding/AI could also use a patch. Overall it's quite good, but there are times where he either doesn't follow orders, fails to detect enemies, or gets caught on sections of the forest while guiding you. The real purely positive aspect in the technical department is the wonderfully creepy sound design Bloober Team uses. It's subtle when it needs to be, and yet perfectly anxiety inducing as well. You can hear anything from the crack of a branch under your feet, to the loud shriek of a nearby monster.
The Verdict: Should You Play Blair Witch?I played this through my game pass subscription, so if you already have game pass I would definitely recommend giving it a try, particularly if you're a fan of the film. If you don't have game pass, then I'd recommend waiting for a sale, maybe when the game is about 50% off. There's elements that are quite good. The narratives strong, the atmosphere is thick and tense, Bullet is a likable companion, and there's a few interesting gameplay mechanics.
But it still drags a bit too much for its own good, has too many little graphical/gameplay glitches, and doesn't utilize that things that make it interesting enough.
Pros-Strong narrative and voice acting
-Good sound design
-Interesting gameplay mechanics
-Bullet is a great addition
Cons-Too many bugs
-It's too easy to get lost, which hurts the games pacing
-Doesn't utilize the things that make it interesting enough
PS: This is only my fourth review, so any comments/feedback would be greatly appreciated.
3.0