I know what you are thinking to yourself. A Blair Witch game? In 2020? (Or 2019 if you own an Xbox One or PC) It’s a strange idea at this stage, but hey, who didn’t enjoy the 1999 cult hit, right? Many have blocked out the sequel that came a year later and the reboot that happened in 2016, but is the game doomed to the same fate? Or is Blooper Team finally bringing the franchise back to prominence?
Unfortunately for the most part the answer is no. While Blair Witch does show some promise in certain areas, it fails overall in terms of fun. You play as Ellis, a former cop who joins a search party for a missing boy with his trusty dog Bullet by his side. Why he joins the search is a bit of a mystery. Presumably it’s out of the goodness of his heart, but if so he could do with being less of a knob about it.
The bulk of the gameplay is exploration, but it’s just not that interesting. Being stuck in the woods sounds like a great, atmospheric idea, but in practice it becomes frustrating real quick. You walk around aimlessly for longer than I deem acceptable too often throughout the roughly seven hour campaign. Clues are picked up via both a walkie-talkie conversations with police also searching the wooded area and clues which Bullet will sniff and follow the scent.
The game does feature multiple endings which is a nice touch, but the bland gameplay and exploration is unlikely to have you buzzing to play through more than once. There are also some side objectives to work on throughout, like distance travelled, but these are only required if you are interested in trophies/achievements. The main thing that kept me coming back to the game was Bullet, who you do build a real connection with.
During your time exploring the wilderness you will find a video camera that can alter reality. Why it can do this is never really explained, but this introduces a strange time manipulation puzzle mechanic where you can pause the video to alter different aspects of the real world. It feels out of place, but it did add some much needed depth to the game. Combat is also introduced a fair chunk into the game, but without spoiling anything it leaves a lot to be desired.
The game comes with a platinum trophy that includes story progression and completion, finishing the game under certain conditions and a few different collectibles. It’s a good varied list and one that isn’t too difficult, but may be a war of attrition by the end. The platinum rarity currently sits at 15.40% with a fastest time of 10:34.
Overall Blair Witch is unfortunately a missed opportunity. You can see P.T has been a partial inspiration along with the original subject matter but large bouts of empty wilderness leave you more frustrated and bored than on the edge of your seat. Despite it’s relatively short length, it would have been better if it lasted half as long. If you are a huge Blair Witch fan, check this out. If however you are just looking for the next great horror game, a rental or skipping it is my recommendation.
-Jock
A review disk for this product was kindly provided by the publisher. Reviewed on PS4 Slim.
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