Polish developer Bloober Team has just released Blair Witch on the Nintendo Switch, and I got the review copy of the game for the portable console. While the game has been out for nearly a year on consoles and PC, having released last year, I never got the opportunity to play it. Now that I have had a good chance of playing the game, I can now somewhat relate the gameplay features to the iconic Blair Witch Project film of the late ’90s. Another curious question was the game’s performance on the Nintendo Switch, as opposed to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles.
Before I dive into the visuals on the Nintendo Switch, what really caught my attention was how the game doesn’t stray from the horror aspects that the original movie portrayed so beautifully. The moment you start the game is where you are thrown back to the days when you first experienced The Blair Witch Project, stepping into the wooded forest without any real sense of where you are going or what to do. This feature adds to the horror aspect, and leaves the player right at the edge, while most of the time getting lost in the forest.
As far as the story of the game is concerned, it has nothing to do with the movie, which I think is really good for everyone. The game features an original story, based around the same horror elements that you might be familiar with if you have seen the movie. You play as Ellis, a former police officer who joins the search party to find a missing boy in the Black Hills Forest in Maryland. While you are mostly alone in the search right from the get-go, you also have your trusty companion Bullet, your dog. Bullet is a big part of the gameplay features from fetching items, to leading you to a point of interest by picking up a scent from an item.
As you step in the forest, you find yourself right in the heart of the dimly lit forest. You never actually find another member of the search party and are basically left to lead a search of your own, with Bullet by your side. The story of Blair Witch progresses as you find clues and important items that develop the link to the missing boy. While the game is not really an open-world adventure, it can easily feel like an endless forest when it gets dark, and you have no real path to follow besides going straight.
Bullet plays a good role here, as you can use him to scan the area for any clue and fetch it for you. Any key item found can then be used by Bullet to track its scent and lead you to another important clue or location. You also have a pretty simple interaction wheel with your dog, where you can pet him, reprimand him, order him to follow you, or stay put at a location. You might have to get used to Bullet, as ordering him to do something specific was at times annoying. This was apparent when I asked him to follow close, but he would rather stray somewhere else. But otherwise, Bullet is a great companion to look for any nearby clues and to keep you company.
The other gameplay features are the various puzzles that are quite unique and interesting. You quickly find a camcorder that can play the Red Tapes found in the forest. These are big gameplay items as they help you progress in the story. The camcorder works by replaying the Red Tapes that you find and playing a scene that were filmed by the stranger, usually in the same area that you are currently in. Slowly working around the video will allow you to manipulate time and spawn in clues out of thin air, raise fallen trees back to their standing positions, and open doors that are otherwise locked and shut tight. In addition, you also have the Blue Tapes, which feature more of a story or a scene that is key to the story.
All throughout the adventure, Ellis can interact with other party members like the Sheriff, using his walkie talkie. You also have a cell phone that works only if there is any service nearby, and allows you to call and receive messages and voice mails. The outcome of the story can depend on your choices, which means answering any calls on the walkie talkie or ignoring them can affect the end result. I usually found myself always answering any calls and messages, but might have missed a few in the action.
Moving on to the horror factor of Blair Witch, and I have to commend Bloober Team on how fantastically they have worked on capturing the true feeling of getting lost in the woods. The despair you feel when it gets dark, having no real sense of direction. At points, I found myself going around in circles, even though I could swear the path felt new. The first real hint of the Blair Witch becomes apparent when you come across her dreadful doll symbols made of sticks. People familiar with the movie will instantly recognize what these symbols represent, and how close they are to danger when they come across them.
Now let’s talk about the game running on the Nintendo Switch. While the developers have done a great job to run the game as smoothly as it can on the portable console, it is with the sacrifice of heavily downgrading on the visuals. Now I shouldn’t be complaining as the Nintendo Switch is only capable enough to run such heavy games on it. It doesn’t do justice to the game’s true graphics and visuals. In addition, I would have loved if the game could have had more jumpscares, a little more of the story, and a few more gameplay hours in it.
Final Verdict:
As a fan of the original movie, I was quite excited to see the first game in the franchise. Although it can do with a deeper story, the game does a good job with its horror aspects, the sense of getting lost in the woods, and psychologically manipulating the player and their overall experience. The camcorder feature of playing videos for clues, and figuring out puzzles will keep the player engaged, though they might not be so tricky to solve. Bloober Team is well known for creating fantastic horror titles, as it is also the creator of Layers of Fear, another really good horror franchise. I would highly recommend giving Blair Witch a try. However, the best way to experience the game is to play it on a PC if you want to experience its full visual fidelity.
Final Score: 8.5/10
