BLACKTAIL Reviews
Blacktail is an indie RPG survival game based on the Slavic Baba Yaga tale with some minor issues that don't stop it from competing with big names.
My time with Blacktail was frustrating. Not because it was a pain to play or that the writing was awful, but because there’s a strong game buried underneath some strange design decisions and disappointing performance issues. If you have the patience to see past some pretty major flaws, then you might get some enjoyment out of Blacktail. It’s one to skip for the rest of you though, and that’s a real shame.
Blacktail may not put every foot right, but it's still an enjoyable, compelling romp through a dark and beautiful fairytale world.
Beyond that though, the only thing Blacktail has against it is that it calls for patient, curious players. If you’re the sort who insists on only following a dotted line and ignoring everything off to the sides, you’ll miss out on some of the best moments in Blacktail, like saving a mushroom spymaster’s best agent, or spelunking through gorgeously lit caverns. Blacktail is a game to be savored, peeling away its world a little more at a time. If you meet it halfway, you’ll be left with a breath of fresh air rarely seen in the industry these days: a well paced game that only tries to be what it wants to be and never compromises that vision. A beautiful, touching piece of work that’s bound to stick with you long after you finish it, Blacktail is a world worth getting lost in.
Blacktail is a beautiful adventure steeped in Slavic dark fantasy, though this setting sometimes sits at odds with its pan-Atlantic voice acting and script.
Originality is a rare quality in games, and Blacktail has this in spades – the Slavic folklore, the surrealist narrative, the unusual plot structure, the craggy yet dreamlike artstyle, the archery-based gameplay. Sure, some of the systems could be simplified and streamlined, but at least they aim to test the boundaries and seek a different point of view. Blacktail may not be a graphical marvel or a masterstroke in action gameplay, but this indie title has a fascinating magic all its own that’s difficult to define and even harder to find in games today.
Blacktail is beautiful, from the sun-kissed rivers found in its summer-themed areas to its foreboding spider-infested caves, every inch of the world has been a pleasure to explore. While the morality system doesn't offer the impactful experience we had hoped, it's a lovely way to measure your interaction with the world, adding to the game's overarching enjoyability. Combat is fun and well-balanced but sits behind Blacktail's explorative elements as the most exciting feature on offer. It's stunning to look at, exciting to explore, and enjoyable to play... charming.
Blacktail is a rich and atmospheric piece that can be very enjoyable to any who can enjoy slavic folklore.
Review in Russian | Read full review
With its bewitching fairy-tale presentation, satisfying combat, enticing exploration of a beautiful world and a narrative that is lovingly inspired by dark Slavic fables, I really enjoyed my time with Blacktail. Though the various gameplay systems are very much inspired from what we've seen in similar games already and the platforming side of things isn't quite as polished as I might like, Blacktail nonetheless is a thoroughly enjoyable action RPG that serves as a stellar debut effort for Polish developer The Parasight. I can't wait to see what they come up with next.
In a landscape littered with copycat games, Blacktail’s originality make it a winner. Set aside the game’s mechanically frustrating and probably unnecessary boss battles. Blacktail’s world, characters and narrative are easily worth the very reasonable price of admission.
Blacktail offers so much with a strong tone throughout. While some areas could have had more polish, what we get is still fantastic.
Blacktail is a great game with some minor flaws here and there, but nothing that really takes away from the experience. The morality mechanics do a great job at shaping your abilities and what you're able to do and the storytelling is pretty well done. If you're not great at survival games you might struggle a bit with the game's resource management, especially since your bow and arrows are your only physical weapons. Overall though, as long as you remember that survival is priority one and firing arrows at everything in sight is priority zero, you should still have an enjoyable time with Blacktail.
Although the gameplay is a bit clunky and repetitive, Blacktail makes us want to keep playing more and more. If you're able to overlook the performance issues, it's a good game.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
If you have ever wanted to play a game where you actually feel like a witch in the woods, then you have every reason to pick up Blacktail and won’t regret it. Considering this is the first game from developer The Parasight, there is every reason to be incredibly excited about where they go from here.
Summing up, the first work of The Parasight turned out to be a surprise capable of surprising but also of leaving a bitter taste in the mouth, and this is unfortunately a feeling that comes well before the credits.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Blacktail’s art and captivating storytelling take the narrative genre in a new direction. Backed by a combination of solid gameplay and in-depth moral system, the game excels in almost every aspect.
Blacktail is one of the most unexpected, original and atmospheric games not only of December, but of the entire outgoing year. Of course, the authors still lack experience and skill, but they approached the concept of an adventure about the young Baba Yaga with soul and scope.
With fun exploration and an enjoyable world to get lost in, Blacktail is a whimsical journey of self-reflection through our favourite fairy tales; not too hot, not too cold but just right.
Blacktail isn't going for revolutionary status, and most of the things it does do are slight by comparison to the hitmakers of the genres it inhabits, but as a package, it's a delightfully dark fairy tale-infused adventure that keeps you invested throughout.