There’s been a resurgence of horror games recently and perhaps it has something to do with the fact that Halloween is coming up in a month or so; but hey, who’s complaining? It’s been a while since we’ve had a good horror game. Blair Witch the game, is categorized as a psychological survival horror game, which perfectly sums up what the game is all about. As the name implies, the game closely follows elements of The Blair Witch movie franchise. Now, let’s dive in deeper into the game and see whether it lives up to the horror hype.

Story & Setting

The game is set 2 years after the events of the first movie. You play as Ellis Lynch, a former police officer and war veteran. You could probably piece together that Ellis has probably experienced some sort of trauma throughout his life. Together with you is Bullet, your German Shepard companion. The game starts with you travelling to the outskirts of Black Hill Forests, to participate in the search of a boy who has gone missing. The game doesn’t reveal much on the dynamics of each character that will cross paths with yours, though there’s almost no direct physical contact with other characters. This amps the creepy factor just enough to start making you feel anxious about your surroundings.

The only two ways you’ll communicate with the others is through a walkie-talkie and an era-appropriate mobile phone. You also get to interact with your dog along the way. It’s hard to talk about the plot of a horror game because…well, it’s a horror game. Half of the game’s pull would be from the plot and horror game plots usually consist of unexpected twists as well as shocking discoveries. To put it as vaguely as I can, the plot progression is very slow – though the gameplay keeps you at the edge of your seat – and somewhat unsatisfying towards the end. There are definitely heart-stopping moments, but the thrill starts winding down way too fast.

Gameplay & Mechanics

The game mechanics are pretty straight forward, like any other first-person game. The interesting thing you’ll be introduced to is the ability to interact with your companion. You’ll be able to use Bullet to sniff out certain objects belonging to the boy among other objectives, as well as discovering clues along the way. He also barks whenever you’re heading in the wrong direction, or God forbid if there’s something in the woods closing onto your position. Bullet is also able to protect you from the creepy advances of the witch. There are moments where the dog goes missing and the anxiety I felt thinking of all the negative implications of a dog getting lost in a woods with a witch is all too real, because….it’s a dog. A good boy. The goodest boy. Of all things mentioned, Bullet’s biggest function is to keep your character sane. The more insane your character gets, the more the end is in sight. So, keeping your insanity in check with Bullet’s presence will help you get it together and push along through the rest of the game. Remember to treat your dog well because….well, you’ll find out.

The game starts off slowly as you start your search for the missing boy accompanied only by Bullet. But after an exciting rush towards the forest bushes that led to a small drop that knocks your character out, we’re treated with a bunch of unpleasant memories that reflects Ellis personal life, where we see the dude’s got some serious issues to deal with. And now he wakes up with the forest in pitch black because it’s night time. Great. We have a missing boy and a witch in the forest and it’s dark now. Whatever could go wrong next?

Oh, look, creepy videotapes. Blair Witch relies on players solving puzzles to progress and going through each videotapes at the right time in the right location will help players to progress to the next portion of the game. There are several videotapes left scattered around the forest which you’ll be able to find with the help Bullet, showing very disturbing scenes of the kidnapper and the kid, as well as several weird incidents which correspond to an area in the forest you’re exploring. Pausing the tape at a certain point will change the current state of the area. So, if you paused right before a door gets blocked, the blocked door earlier would be unblocked.

The scare mechanics of the game is left to be desired. I’ll admit there are gold scare moments but the rest seemed unsatisfactory to say the least. But don’t get me wrong. The entire game builds up so that the players feel the need to explore and to solve puzzles in order to push forward even though the scary moments in the game does not really reel you back in fear after a couple of times facing it. The night vision mode in the video camera is another feature that helps you navigate the forest, but at the same time narrows your field of vision just enough so something could just appear right in front you. The game has clearly achieved in its goal to make players feel an aching need to know, what is this witch? Is she real? Or is it a real person, relying on the made-up tales to dissuade people from finding people who get lost (kidnapped) in the forest?

Visuals and Sound

What’s more to say about the graphics when you feel a general uneasiness the moment your character starts exploring the forest in autumn? A general shade of brown which blends everything together which looks disorientating after looking at it for a while. Then it doesn’t matter anymore when it gets dark, where most of the game takes place in. The environments are adequately rendered to have some sort of realism to it. But the major piece that the game has achieved is the eerie atmosphere that is possible with the combination of graphics, as well as perfectly crafted music and general environmental sounds. The violin pieces as you walk through the forest. The rustle in the trees when you’re desperately navigating through the woods in the dark. When you’re faced with a monster thing that’s trying to kill you along the way. Although some would say the lack of variety in the color scheme might dissuade players from committing further, I feel it’s more give and take as the very limited color schemes press hard on the horror factor.

VERDICT

Overall the game is okay. Personally, I feel Blair Witch suffers from a weak story that has a very confusing and unsatisfying ending. There’re many things that could be done differently. The game could even have taken more elements from the movie itself to help with the plot. You’ll find most players very unsatisfied with the ending. There’s also more stress on the character’s personal demons which I find is okay for a horror movie, but in this case, it overshadows the very real threat that’s outside. All I remember is Ellis’s personal shortcomings throughout his life, due to the weak plot of the main story. Overall, I feel it’s a great game with great mechanics which made me feel that I was walking towards my death, although the scare mechanics can be changed into something more horrifying and the plot needs to be fixed to head in a different direction. Definitely give this game a try somewhere down the line.

About the Author

Ramesh Radhakrishnan is the content lead for OffGamers. An avid gamer, Ramesh is keen on exploring digital worlds and the world behind the scenes.