Blair Witch is a game developed by Bloober Team (in charge of "The Layers of Fear" and "Observer") for Xbox One and PC, based on these events. In this "survival horror" in first person, we return to the forests of Burkitsville, Maryland. We play the role of Ellis, the former police officer investigating the disappearance of the boy Peter Shannon, in 1996, two years after the original film.
We are not armed, but we have three items to help us navigate the forest: our dog Bullet, a flashlight and a night vision camera. The flashlight has two purposes, the most obvious being to allow us to explore in the dark, but it can also be used as a means to keep the spiritual creatures that live in the forest from messing with us. The digital camera has been used more. On the one hand, it allows us to observe (and detect traces) in the dark in night vision mode. It also allows you to play video tapes that can be found throughout the development process and you can modify the scenery. How about that? Well, we just have to go to the place where the recording was made and stop the tape when the door is opened or a log is standing so that it appears "in reality".
But Blair Witch's real discovery was our German shepherd Bullet. This loyal companion can detect dangers, track paths and is a valuable company in the middle of the forest. In a short time, we felt the emotional connection with our four-legged friend, and we needed to protect him and keep him close as we went.
Blair Witch uses several resources to make us feel terrified. The plot takes place on two levels, looking for the missing child and the hallucinations that Ellis himself suffered. This allows us to learn more about his past and the trauma he suffered.
In addition, there are a good handful of scares, the traces of light and darkness are well treated and the stereo sound makes our hair stand on end with whispers, dog grunts and strange sounds. Even the HUD has been removed to make us feel more immersed. It has everything to give us a hard time.
In short, one of the most striking aspects of Blair Witch is that the game is short (can be completed in 5 hours), has a well narrated story, many elements that know how to get us into their world and make us feel in constant danger, interesting puzzles and the invaluable help of Bullet, who works as a playable axis in the adventure, and a plus is that you can play again. The key is that it allows us to enjoy different endings, this implies not only following a decision tree, but also a system that Bloober Team calls "reaction tracking". With this expression they mean that our way of playing affects the development of the story, but we are not aware of it.
Those who avoid the confrontation or explore harder will have a different end. In the same way, our time away from the dog will also affect us, but this game will not show it in an obvious way.
Playing in the right conditions (in the dark with surround sound to take advantage of the binaural audio), it is sure that we will be scared. However, fans of this genre will love this excellent horror game, especially for Bullet's company.
That's all for now, we'll see you in another post.
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