Originally published in 2019, Blacksad: Under the Skin received a new opportunity in 2024. The title of Pendulo Studios based on the comics by the Spanish Juan Díaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido has arrived on Xbox Series X|S and PS5 with some improvements.
How is the noir detective’s work doing now? Has it improved on a much-criticized performance the year it was originally released? A good detective always has questions, so we invite you to stick around and read this analysis to answer them.
A story you won’t want to miss
Blacksad: Under the Skinlike the comic strip, takes place in the America in the 1950s under a dark and decadent world in the purest style of dark novels. We control John Blacksad, Private Detective who took part in World War II and is responsible for what is, to date, his most important work: investigate alleged suicide of boxing gym owner. From here, The plot becomes more and more intriguing and interesting. in equal parts, with constant unexpected plot twists that will leave us wondering what is really going on until we reach the end of the plot.
It is important to talk about it the characters, because they are not human as they are. They are anthropomorphic animals that, far from removing the seriousness or the crudeness of the storyadd an original touch that suits you like a glove. Each character has special abilities depending on the type of animal they are.; For example, the protagonist is a cat, which allows him to have heightened senses that will facilitate certain investigations. This is implemented in the same gameplay, through a “scan” that can be performed on certain characters.
In the same way, the color of each animal’s hair influences the way it is treated, with blacks being the ones that everyone distrusts and tries to separate themselves from society (there is no doubt about the criticisms against racism). But not only that, since the type of animal each one is also It is very important to determine at first glance what personality a person may possess.
Blacksad: Under the Skin seeks redemption and achieves it
If you remember, Blacksad: Under the Skin It was initially released in 2019 on Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch and PC. At that time, there was too much noise on social networks due to its poor optimization and technical failures in general that did not allow the title to be enjoyed properly. Now, 5 years later, it’s getting a relaunch this time on Xbox Series X|S and PS5, where I can confirm that all the issues it suffered from are behind it..
The fps rate is completely stable, there are almost no bugs (apart from a strange flickering in some textures or the sudden disappearance of music on very rare occasions), there are no crashes, no strange animations or textures that do not load. The game is already perfectly enjoyable from start to finish without any really noticeable drawbacks. Now, it is undoubtedly worth it to embark on this raw detective story from the hand of John Blacksad without having to fear its technical performances. Yes, Graphically, it’s not that there’s been a big leap between the previous generation consoles and the current one.all is said.
A classic point-and-click adventure
Blacksad: Under the Skin looks at the kind of point and click adventure game, but allowing us to move around the scenes (with obvious limitations). Must search for possible clues, talk to other characters and even fight in action scenes with QTE (quick time events) that will force us to shine all our reflexes so as not to miss any button we have to press. But the most important thing is the original track relationship system. Once we have gathered a series of clues that can be linked to each other, we can open a menu where we have all of Blacksad’s thoughts with the questions we have investigated. After relating the clues, we obtain valuable evidence that will allow us to advance the plot.
For this, another curious system already seen in other previous proposals is implemented: the decision. with up to 6 possible endings depending on decisions that we took along throughout the adventure, which gives a lot of replayability as well as the a huge amount of collectibles in the form of trading cards that we can collect in each scenario, in Blacksad: Under the Skin We will be so involved in the plot that we will feel the constant need to make the right decisions. That’s why we are allowed to repeat passages already completed in order to correct decisions taken
Blacksad: Under the Skin is as dark and realistic as the comic book
“Appearances can be deceiving,” it is often said. We have before us a work that does not mince its words when it comes to talking about certain subjects or showing certain things.They will talk about issues of racial discrimination, existential questions about oneself, death, various crimes of all kinds (and the worst that can be committed), etc.
Without going any further, The first image we see of the game is of the supposedly suicidal victim we are to investigate, Joe Dunn, who is found hanged.. And the first topic addressed is an infidelity committed by a rhinoceros whose wife has retained the services of Blacksad to find out if he really has something with another woman. This first intrigue First of all It only lasts a few minutes, although we quickly realize that it will have some connection with the rest of the protagonist’s investigation.
Blacksad: Under the Skin presents an original story created specifically for the video game, although it maintains characters already seen in the comics with their same personalities, in addition to maintaining the same touch of darkness and black of the work of Juan Díaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido. It can be summarized in that it is as faithful as it is original so as not to fall back on the same stories, offering us a totally new one that will allow us to fully enjoy it even if we already know the comics.
A dreamy dubbing and soundtrack
The dubbing of Blacksad: Under the Skin This is the highest level you can hear today.. It is localized in several languages, but here the one that interests us is Spanish. It has renowned professional dubbing actors who give the adventure a necessary cinematic touch that suits it incredibly well. There are no voices left and that is not easy to achieve.
The same thing happens with the soundtrack, led by classic American jazz songs typical of this dark genre. to which it belongs sad black. A better selection of dubbing and soundtracks could not have been made for a title that wonderfully represents the United States of the 1950s, with great detail even in what we may not even notice at first glance. The representation is at the level of the greatest creations coming from these same lands..
Blacksad Conclusions: Under the Skin
Eventually, Blacksad: Under the Skin It was always an interesting point-and-click proposition, with decision-making hampered by a series of tedious technical problems. Today, these problems are almost completely solved.which leaves us with a superb noir detective title with a a story that keeps you in suspense and intrigued, an original system of clue relationships and enormous fidelity to the comicwith the same violence and the same difficult subjects to approach, despite the presentation of a unprecedented intrigue. He also has a replayability thanks to the different possible endings and the large number of collectibles found in each scenario.
Without a doubt, with a Estimated duration of approximately 9 to 11 hours Depending on your skills, I would consider it an essential for any fan of this type of narrative adventure. We just hope that Pendulo Studios will manage to redeem itself in front of the entire audience and that players will once again have confidence in what they have to tell us. Believe me, you will not regret it at all.
Blacksad: Under the Skin It is available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Since Xbox Space, home of current video games for fans of the Microsoft console, we greatly appreciate Southern Games by the code provided with which this analysis you have just read could be carried out. Of course, we also thank you, our readers.
Pro.
- A captivating and intriguing story throughout.
- Dubbing of the highest level.
- The curious system of relationship between the tracks.
- An exquisite soundtrack.
- He doesn’t skimp on how to show certain things, as is the case in comics.
Contra.
- Graphically and in animations, it’s not as impressive as one would like.
- Some technical issues, not very important but they are there.
I’ve been playing video games for as long as I can remember, so you could say I enjoy talking about them a little.
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