The Blair Witch movie was getting stronger, with the release of The Blair Witch Project. The pseudo-documentary became a cultural touchstone, with its affiliate website and special TV casting the belief that the story of three missing students might have occurred. The follow-up failed to detect the magic of this first incident that happened, because it is fake to write what that magic really is. The Bloober team takes the boat with it for its Blair Witch game, telling the original story while touching on a few common things that the films share. The main character, Ellis, was a soldier and a police officer, but he is as vulnerable as anyone when it comes to missing a forest near Burkittsville.
Ellis and his dog, Bullet, are part of a party to search for the missing boy, but it wasn't long before the couple needed their help. The forest is big and confusing, and it is impossible to edit on a map. Get out of an abandoned car where awareness, for example, and eventually return to it. As soon as that first confusion of mind had gone, I just wanted to be able to reach where I needed to go. The bullet can help to get around by chasing clues, but it's hard to see in the dark forest and tend to move forward.
A bullet is more useful when encountering enemies. Unlike the films, which were more focused on creating a tone than over-exhibiting any supernatural creatures, you'll see some weird things in this game. In the first encounter program, Bullet barks at the enemies and lights up your lamp to make them scared. Repeat a few times, eventually they leave. Meeting other enemies is less forgiving. In these stealing parts, you should avoid getting caught by the creatures you can clearly see in your existing camcorder. If you saw it, the game was over. The balance between these two styles is not the same. Parts of the torch are relatively easy, and you are allowed to contaminate many times free of charge. On the other hand, the bad parts are unforgiving. At a particular stage, successes and failures appear to be based on risk; the visual is so dark and so exhausting that it seems impossible to know if you are in line for the appearance of the beast.
Thankfully, these problems are rare. Ellis and Bullet often roam the forest alone, save for a few radio interviews with the rest of the search team. It is a divisive task, and the atmosphere works perfectly well. The truth is well separated from the forest, as evidenced by that camcorder. During several sessions, you receive new videos. Some are just here to further the plan of what happens to the missing child, while others suggest things such as wrapping trees or sliding doors. By reusing footage, you can touch real-life experiences, such as pulling a fallen tree out of the way, or opening the door before it closes. It's a fun concept, but the puzzles are so obvious that they don't add much. Still, they are a fun way to pass the time rather than head back across a short strip of soft moebius to find valves, cranks, and other dads. Maybe Ellis summarized everything went well when she was phoned by a friend: "It's like we're trapped in an endless bull cycle." I'm with you, friend.
The first three kings of Blair Witch are spies, but they are redeemed by the last act. Here, Ellis accompanies his traumatic time as he looks at the interior of an abandoned house. It plays like a more straightforward version of P.T., with ridiculous engineering and disturbing imagery. It's a powerful argument throughout the game, and it makes good use of the Blair Witch franchise limited mythology. There is something bizarre about seeing dozens of baby-sized hands on the wall, especially if you know that it often happens to children in these cursed woods. It's not exactly scary, but a few decisions – and their consequences – stuck with me for hours after I put the controller down.
Blair Witch ends with a high note, but you need a lot of junk to get there. Navigating this world is tiring rather than frightening, especially when you feel you are not in serious danger of time. Instead, it is more about how to find the figures for the woods and to walk in the dark.
