Blair Witch
- August 30, 2019
- Bloober Team SA
- 7h median play time
Blair Witch is a first-person psychological horror game based on the film series. Players explore the Black Hills Forest as Ellis, a former cop with a troubled past, searching for a missing boy while being haunted by the Blair Witch. Using a camcorder and other tools, players must solve puzzles, navigate through supernatural environments, and avoid or confront the Blair Witch's minions to uncover the truth.
Reviews
- The atmosphere of the game is deeply immersive and effectively creates a sense of dread.
- The dog companion, Bullet, adds a unique and emotional element to the gameplay.
- The game features multiple endings based on player choices, encouraging replayability.
- The pacing drags significantly in the final chapters, making the experience tedious.
- The story can be confusing and lacks clarity, especially for players unfamiliar with the Blair Witch lore.
- Technical issues and bugs can disrupt gameplay, leading to frustrating moments.
- story1,062 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The story of "Blair Witch" is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating its psychological depth and character development, particularly the protagonist Ellis's struggle with PTSD. While some found the narrative engaging and immersive, others criticized it for being predictable, convoluted, or disconnected from the original film's lore. The game features multiple endings influenced by player choices, but many felt that the pacing and execution of the story, especially in the latter half, detracted from the overall experience.
“Great story, and fun to have a little dog companion keep you company through the horrors of the forest.”
“The story is engaging with multiple possible endings based on the player's choices.”
“The story is haunting and its complexity makes it beautiful and challenging to play.”
“The story is also not great; you barely feel attached to it.”
“The plot is pretty lame and easy to guess, not engaging at all.”
“The story is extremely predictable: within an hour, it was obvious that the guy who kidnapped the kid was the player character.”
- gameplay493 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Blair Witch" has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its unique mechanics, such as the use of a camcorder to manipulate the environment and the companion dog, Bullet, which adds an emotional layer to the experience. However, criticisms include repetitive gameplay, technical glitches, and a lack of depth in mechanics, leading to a feeling of tedium, especially in the latter parts of the game. Overall, while the atmosphere and story are praised, the gameplay is often described as simplistic and at times frustrating, making it more of a walking simulator than a fully engaging horror experience.
“Very solid psychological horror with awesome mechanics and graphics.”
“Amazing atmosphere, and the enemy mechanics are really cool!”
“The gameplay consists of some basic puzzles, and a bit of exploration.”
“The gameplay is weird and stuttery, and it's annoying that I can't change the FOV.”
“Numerous glitches interrupted gameplay, leading to frequent reloads and loss of progress.”
“The gameplay is minimal, and basically revolves around keeping your dog near you, some basic puzzles, and a bit of exploration.”
- atmosphere412 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and unsettling qualities, effectively capturing the eerie essence of the original Blair Witch film. Players appreciate the combination of stunning graphics, sound design, and environmental details that create a sense of dread and tension, although some note that the game relies more on atmosphere than genuine scares. While the initial experience is often described as captivating and chilling, opinions vary on the game's ability to maintain this atmosphere throughout, with some feeling it becomes repetitive or loses its impact in later stages.
“I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of horror and atmosphere this game offers.”
“The atmosphere is creepy, and there are plenty of moments that made me jump.”
“They nailed the environment and atmosphere of being trapped in the spooky woods.”
“The atmosphere is often undermined by bugs and repetitive gameplay.”
“The atmosphere is oppressive, and it's almost unplayable.”
“The storyline is bland and disrupts the creepy atmosphere most of the time.”
- graphics377 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 37 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their outstanding quality and immersive atmosphere, with many reviewers highlighting the stunning visuals and effective sound design that enhance the horror experience. While some players noted performance issues and optimization challenges, the overall consensus is that the graphics are a strong point of the game, contributing significantly to its eerie and engaging environment. Despite minor criticisms regarding technical aspects, the game's visual presentation is often described as beautiful and captivating, making it a standout feature.
“Outstanding graphics and rich atmosphere.”
“The graphics are fantastic and running around with a flashlight definitely gets spooky.”
“The graphics are beautiful, a compelling story, intriguing gameplay, a pleasant sense of dread and horror.”
“The graphics are mediocre.”
“For some reason, the graphics are blurry and smudgy.”
“The story was boring, there were a ton of graphic and audio problems with extreme stuttering during every cutscene despite optimizing my settings, the game crashed multiple times.”
- optimization193 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 26 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many players reporting significant performance issues such as frame rate drops, stuttering, and crashes, even on high-end systems. While some users noted improvements following patches, the consensus remains that the game is poorly optimized, making it difficult to recommend at full price. Overall, players suggest waiting for further updates or purchasing the game at a discount due to its ongoing optimization challenges.
“I had absolutely no performance issues whatsoever.”
“New update has solved any performance and optimization issues I’ve had so far.”
“The game is also unoptimized and crashed when I unlocked the framerate.”
“Despite the graphics looking decent, the performance demands are ludicrous - despite a performance update.”
“I never thought I would find a game more poorly optimized than Rust; the game starts, sponsor screens, Lionsgate and Corsair iCUE, onto a photosensitive epilepsy warning followed by the game crashing.”
- stability99 mentions
- 5 % positive mentions
- 1 % neutral mentions
- 94 % negative mentions
The stability of the game has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with numerous players reporting significant bugs and glitches that disrupt gameplay and immersion. Many have experienced game-breaking issues, such as characters getting stuck or failing to trigger necessary events, leading to frustration and loss of progress. While a few players noted a smoother experience, the consensus is that the game is plagued by instability, making it difficult to recommend until substantial fixes are implemented.
“The game is very stable and bug-free with a great atmosphere.”
“The game looks stunning, and runs great on maximum graphics settings.”
“Regarding the performance, I can say: the game looks and runs great on my machine.”
“Numerous glitches interrupted gameplay, leading to frequent reloads and loss of progress.”
“The main issue is all the bugs and glitches that get to me; I couldn't even finish the game because it glitched out and wouldn't spawn what I needed to finish it.”
“My playthrough also ended because the entire game is a buggy mess littered with game-breaking glitches and horrible artificial intelligence.”
- music60 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to enhance the creepy atmosphere, with a mix of dark ambient, drone, and violin pieces that effectively build tension and immersion. Reviewers highlight the excellent sound design and audio cues, noting that the soundtrack complements the gameplay and contributes to a chilling experience. While some suggest that a more restrained use of music could improve the overall impact, the consensus is that the soundtrack is a significant strength of the game, adding depth and emotional resonance.
“The music adds so much to putting the player in the mood of the main character and creates feelings, making you feel deeper into the game.”
“The combination of visuals, music, and ambiance make this game very immersive.”
“The soundtrack is amazing and the way it interacts with the player gives you chills.”
“Although, I do think that a little less music, a little less dialogue, and a little less story might have made this game much better than it is.”
“Voice acting is pretty standard, nothing particularly memorable either way while the effects and music are roughly the same.”
“A couple of times the music would overpower dialogue though.”
- replayability52 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The reviews for replayability are mixed, with some players noting the presence of multiple endings and collectibles that offer decent replay value, while others criticize the slow pacing and minimal gameplay, leading to a lack of motivation for repeated playthroughs. Overall, many agree that while there are elements that could encourage replaying, such as achievements and different endings, the game's execution often leaves players feeling that a single playthrough is sufficient.
“There is a lot of detail to increase the replayability.”
“Multiple endings to achieve make for replayability.”
“With multiple different endings, the replayability of this title is above what most of the genre is offering.”
“Blair Witch is possibly the least replayable game you can imagine: it takes forever to get anywhere, it's slow, the gameplay is minimal, and the pacing drags a little even on the first playthrough.”
“Since the gameplay is so boring, however, the game doesn't have any replay value and the motivation to try to get the good ending is absent.”
“It does have some replay value when it comes to trying to get collectibles or other achievements, and I imagine that 100%ing the game will take the average player around 15 to 20 hours (10 if the player uses a guide for collectibles).”
- grinding45 mentions
- 2 % positive mentions
- 4 % neutral mentions
- 93 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and drawn out, particularly in the latter sections where exploration and puzzle-solving become repetitive and frustrating. While the game starts strong, many reviewers note that the final act overstays its welcome, leading to a lack of engagement and enjoyment. Despite some redeeming qualities, the excessive tedium detracts significantly from the overall experience.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“The first hour or so was good and had the atmosphere from the first movie, but then the quality of the writing drops drastically and the game gets extremely tedious and boring.”
“One of the most tedious games I've played.”
“Blair Witch is a first half hour of a well-paced, tense build-up, that is followed by almost 6 hours of poorly designed tedious puzzles, struggling against the clunky controls and not giving a crap about the badly written story and characters.”
- emotional42 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is heavily centered around the bond with the dog, Bullet, which many players found to be a powerful and heartwarming experience that elicited strong feelings, including tears. However, some critics argue that the emotional moments feel contrived and rely on cheap manipulation rather than genuine character development, detracting from the overall impact. Despite mixed opinions on the execution, the game is noted for its ability to create a sense of vulnerability and connection, making it a memorable emotional journey for many players.
“The actors' voices are emotional; they manage to convey any feeling of anxiety, worry, or concern.”
“Bullet acts as an emotional anchor, and when he's in danger, you really feel invested.”
“This game felt like an authentic horror movie experience, complete with scary monsters, unexpected twists, and even some heart-wrenching moments.”
- humor12 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as a mix of absurdity and childishness, with some players finding it both hilarious and annoying. While some moments evoke genuine laughter, others are criticized for being in poor taste or overly reliant on ableist themes. Overall, the humor is polarizing, with some appreciating its quirky elements and others deeming it ineffective or inappropriate.
“It's stupid, funny, and absurd.”
“Some folks were raising a rant about that being 'unorthodox', but I found that hilarious.”
“You also get SMS messages from unknown sources, messing with the protagonist's head, trying to invoke feelings of guilt in him, in such a childish and funny way, 'do you remember what you did', 'who are you really, Ellis?' and stuff like that.”
- character development8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is a mixed bag, with some players praising the depth and believability of characters like the sheriff and protagonist Ellis, whose backstories enhance the narrative. However, others criticize the overall execution, noting that character arcs can feel overshadowed by the plot or lack depth, leading to a disjointed experience. Overall, while some find the character development engaging and integral to the story, others feel it falls short, resulting in a varied reception.
“The sheriff being worried about you but enabling you to cowboy it up can be enough character development.”
“Great storyline and awesome character development!”
“The character development of the main protagonist is believable; I actually think Ellis will inevitably walk to his bad end as this game's normal end, as his backstory slowly reveals.”
“It instead turns into a character development/backstory exploration, and the objective of finding the boy gets pushed to the back of the mind of the storyline and becomes basically irrelevant.”
“Poor story and character development, tryhard psychology, lackluster scares, drab atmosphere, too many loops, monotonous climax, annoying monsters.”
“Plot and character development is so-so.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as a cash grab, leveraging the Blair Witch name without delivering substantial value to players.
“They used the Blair Witch name as a cash grab.”
“The monetization strategy feels exploitative and detracts from the overall experience.”
“It's frustrating to see so many features locked behind paywalls.”
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