The voice acting between the two is grounded and believable, but unfortunately the acting outside of these conversations is wooden and stiff.įlashback sequences might be new ground for the franchise but they’re in line with the story being told here and fit in surprisingly well with the ever changing woods. The relationship between the two of them is the beating heart of the game and it’s comforting to break away from the horrors of the woods to take a detour into Ellis’ private life. Throughout the game Ellis can also call Jess when he has signal. But that only makes his struggle for redemption that much more complicated and it only leaves Ellis with more guilt to be crippled by.
The more you find out about Ellis’ history, the less you’ll sympathise with him. A fracturing relationship with partner Jess, a police scandal and PTSD from his days in the army, all haunt Ellis just as much as the supernatural force in the woods and they provide great fuel for the Blair Witch to play with. Trauma and psychological damage scar Ellis’ every action. You see, from the very beginning it’s hinted at that Ellis isn’t as mentally stable as he should be if he’s going to be trekking through the woods. Moments where Bullet is comforting Ellis, are often some of the most emotionally resonant in the entire game. Genuinely, Blair Witch can often be a very lonely, oppressive experience and having a friend there by your side can make some of Blair Witch’s more terrifying moment bearable. Bullet solves that problem by leading you where you need to go in situations where that might be unclear.Īlso, you can pet the dog.
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Part of the appeal of Blair Witch is how mind-numbingly similar the woods seem, however, in video game form this could just come across as frustrating if you don’t know where you are and how to navigate the surroundings. Following him when he’s caught a scent is actually a very smart design decision. He can bring you items that you can’t reach, go looking for collectibles and track the scent of items that the missing boy might have dropped. Much of the game’s progression is tied to your adorable german shepherd, Bullet. Walking through the woods and unravelling a mystery is just as satisfying. That’s one of the more simpler examples from the game, but many of the puzzles can be genuinely fun and spooky spot-the-difference challenges, while also being a nice ode to the series’ found-footage roots. For example, if you pause at a moment where a door opens, that same door will open in real life. Pausing the tape on your camera at a particular moment will change different things in the environment. The puzzles are one of Blair Witch’s more innovative ideas and throughout the woods, Ellis will find tapes showing the environment you’re standing in, in a different time. It mostly consists of puzzle solving and tracking down the missing boy. The rest of the gameplay is actually quite interesting. This makes the woods feel inescapable and so, so eery. As you’re talking about where you are and where you’ve been, he has absolutely no idea what you’re talking about. Talking to the Sheriff on your walkie talkie early on in the game shows how much potential this idea has. This is used to great effect in the first and last hours of the game.
The iconography of the Blair Witch shows up almost everywhere as she plays with Ellis like a meal. The environment will often morph around you, behind you and even before your very eyes. It replicates the sounds of growling and screeching in musical form and its main violin track is beautifully haunting.īut Blair Witch’s great visual and audio design aren’t the only thing that make the woods terrifying again.
The snapping of twigs in the distance, the overwhelming choir of bugs and the ominous ambient noise always left me feeling as if I was being stalked and preyed upon from afar. Trees stretch way higher than normal, their branches are contorted grotesquely and the one-note colour palette gives you a sense deja vu even if you know you’ve never been to these parts of the woods before.
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It’s the same Black Hills woods from the original movie and it’s lovingly recreated here.
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