After Bloober Team, in partnership with Lionsgate, revealed the Blair Witch game at the Xbox E3 Briefing this summer, the title quickly got the attention of horror fans. Wandering and exploring the Black Hills Forest near Burkittsville, Maryland, sounds like a scary good time, and it is always great to see horror films get adapted for video games.
Even two decades later, The Blair Witch Project remains cinematically significant, so there is no doubt Bloober Team had their work cut out for them. Given that the company’s previous titles, which include the Layers of Fear series and Observer, are psychological mind-benders with rich environments, it would make sense that the IP lands in their hands. While the game has its signature gameplay style, the execution falls short at times.
The Blair Witch game takes place three years before the events of the 1999 film, veteran and former police officer Ellis and his emotional support dog, Bullet, go into the Black Hills Forest to help search for a missing boy. Arriving after the search party has headed out, they are on their own but keep in touch with the police and search party via radio. As they search, and as night falls, Ellis and Bullet begin experiencing unexplained phenomena surrounding the disappearance.
Since the Blair Witch game is based on a film featuring people who get lost in the woods, it is only natural that players are forced to do the same. There is no map or arrows to lead the way. There are some lighted areas to help guide you at times, but you will absolutely get LOST. Although this is expected, it does not take long for the experience to go from creepy to frustrating as you repeatedly hit invisible barriers or walk in literal circles for half an hour before figuring out your next step. Most of this happened to me within the first 2-3 hours but was an issue throughout.
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As mentioned, Ellis is accompanied by his trusted and loyal sidekick, Bullet. This is a dog you cannot help but fall in love with immediately and want to protect with your life. Aside from keeping Ellis company, he can also be quite useful. Bullet has the ability to follow scents, retrieve objects, and lead the way. This isn’t always a guarantee (see above paragraph), as many times you ask him to “seek” and he’s unable to. Your emotional well-being relies quite a bit on the dog, and thankfully he’s quick to come to your side if needed. You are also able to interact with the dog in a variety of ways, including pets and belly rubs. This was a big highlight of the game.
Aside from Bullet, players are given a flashlight, video camcorder, wallet, dog treats, phone, radio, and other miscellaneous items. There are a few things you can pick up upon finding, however, I never found any use for them. The inventory toggle system was a bit unstable, at times requiring me to select what I needed several times before it would switch. Thankfully, while getting a call on the phone or radio, a hot button was available.
After the initial two hours of gameplay, the mystery and story started picking up quite a bit. While I think the game is initially frustrating and drags in the story, the last hours begin to make up for it. As you piece the story together, use the camcorder in a completely unexpected way, and visit different sites in the forest, it draws you in more and more. Bloober Team played to their strengths with psychological storytelling and gorgeous, well-thought-out level designs.
That being said, if I did not know that this was a Blair Witch game beforehand and Ellis didn’t stumble across the now iconic branch symbols, I probably would not guess that the game was related to the film until the last chapters. It is more demonic and paranormal than Blair Witch and does not add anything to the lore, which is a missed opportunity.
Even with its flaws, the Blair Witch game does have its redeeming qualities, as long as players are willing to invest the time to get into the meat of it.
The game is now available on PC via Steam and for the Xbox One family of devices, including the Xbox One X, via the Xbox Games Store and Xbox Game Pass.
