Blair Witch Reviews
An interesting horror game that never manages to escape the shadow of its '90s inspiration.
Blair Witch is a harrowing walk in the woods that deserves a spot in the horror game pantheon alongside Amnesia, Silent Hill, and their like.
Blair Witch certainly has its shortcomings, but it's easily the best thing to happen to the franchise since the original Blair Witch Project movie.
Though its lack of polish, pacing problems, and predictable story make it difficult to recommend unreservedly, Blair Witch is nonetheless packed with a number of successful scares and memorable set-pieces that draw admirably on the franchise's lore - and oh, do I love that dog.
A fine take on psychological horror cut down by bugs and wonkiness.
Blair Witch does a good job capturing the sensation of getting lost – something I actively try to avoid. A memorable final act partially redeems the tedium of getting to that point
Blair Witch too often lets trivial combat and simple puzzles get in the way of an engrossing and unsettling setting that captures the true spirit of the original film.
The stakes are high in Blair Witch, as these woods aren’t known to take prisoners. But with two characters at the heart of this game, I only really care about one of them coming home alive.
Blair Witch makes a valiant effort to revive the franchise, and while it won't generate the hype of the 1999 film, it's a worthwhile horror title despite some flaws discussed above.
Blair Witch is lumbering and predictable, as horror often is, and the rattling moments come mostly from jumpscares. The rest is a tepid sort of horror.
Blair Witch starts off strong, throwing its players into a setting that comes with some pretty terrifying baggage for anyone who's familiar with the film upon which it is based. It's got a handful of fun mechanics, including the absolute star of the show, Bullet, and its story comes on strong towards the end, injecting the final third with some real tension. However, this is also a game that plods along for the most part, making no real use of its spooky setting, instead hemming players into small areas and forcing them to partake in a string of simplistic and rather hackneyed puzzles and busywork at the expense of any real tension. Overall then, Blair Witch is something of a mixed bag; it's not the worst horror game we've played recently, but it also doesn't do enough to earn a hearty recommendation.
Blair Witch nails the feeling of the original movie, producing the same paranoia and terror as many felt in the cinemas back in 1999. An essential experience for any horror fan. [OpenCritic note: Gary Bailey separately reviewed the console [9] and Switch [8] versions. Their scores have been averaged.]
Blair Witch is great at building tension and letting you get lost in its unforgiving forest, but sometimes it takes that too literally. It mostly overcomes that, however, thanks to your magic camcorder and superb pooch.
Undoubtedly the best thing to happen to the Blair Witch since the 1999 film.
Blair Witch VR Edition is an effective transposition into virtual reality of an horror game that is certainly not essential but has a nice dark and evil atmosphere.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Blair Witch VR should have been the definitive way to play this interesting psychological horror title, but the new limitations overshadow the increased immersion. Admittedly, this is compared to my experience original release, but exploring the woods feels more on-rails than before. Some changes do suit the format, but I would have liked to see more ambition and confidence in the players. As a result, this is an interesting but not essential version of a flawed original.
So, is the Blair Witch game a good fit for a franchise many have mostly written off by now? As a fan of said series, I would say yes. It absolutely has its faults, with the poorly paced gameplay and story elements being the worst offenders, but the amazing set pieces and psychological horror do a great job of raising the heart rate of anyone willing to venture through the forest. Ultimately, there are a lot of interesting ideas here, but they simply don't come together like they needed to in order to make the best of them.
Believe me when I say Terminal Reality's three-volume Blair Witch series is a better use of your time. Or better yet, watch the original found footage classic The Blair Witch Project if you haven't already seen it. It may be hokey, but it's culturally significant – and you may actually walk away a bit shaken.
Blair Witch manages to offer a gameplay that has reached its limits by propping it up with an intriguing storyline, a good dose of atmosphere and a couple of interesting mechanics. However, it tends to overdo in the end and, above all, he needs a little more technical cleaning.
Review in Italian | Read full review
An uneven mix of tense psychological drama and buggy, half-broken gameplay mechanics but the end result is still one of the better movie tie-ins of recent years.