Blair Witch’s announcement at E3 a few weeks ago caused quite the stir among fans of the horror genre, thanks to two things in particular – it has a cute German Shepherd dog as a companion, and it’s being developed by none other than Bloober Team, the Polish video game developers behind Layers of Fear and Observer.
We’ve seen very little since Blair Witch's initial announcement, amounting to only to a few minutes of gameplay footage. This time around, however, we get to know more, as Game Informer released an exclusive of some new gameplay footage involving the psychological horror game. Check it out below.
The footage starts off while there’s still light in the Black Hills forest, which could mean that it’s the beginning of the game. Blair Witch as a franchise is known to reside within its own horror conventions: people who find themselves in the Black Hills forest by nightfall are destined to never get out, as evidenced by the three films set within its universe.
A deeper focus was also made on Bullet, the dog of the game’s protagonist, Ellis. It seems that he is more integral to the game than what I anticipated, as there are a lot of mechanics and game aspects that need him and his skills to work. While I’m actually excited for this, seeing as I love games that do this, I fear for Bullet’s life as the forest is not very well-known for taking pity on any living thing that enters its domain. At this rate, I fully expect the dog to die – I just hope that he does so nobly.
It also seems that Blair Witch will be taking a page out of Alan Wake’s book, wherein Ellis can use his flashlight to ward off enemies. It’s a rather interesting departure from other Bloober Team horror titles, as all of those played out narratively with the only player input being choices and such. This time around there’s more tension as Blair Witch gives you the option to momentarily defend yourself with a source of light, if and when you’re surrounded by enemies.
After having recently finished Observer (rest in peace, Rutger Hauer) I’m very much excited as to what Bloober is cooking up next with Blair Witch. The developer has proven that they can handle original material when it comes to horror – time to see if they can work the same magic as well with an established world.
Blair Witch will be released on Xbox One and PC on August 31, 2019.
