Just over twenty years ago The Blair Witch Project kick-started the found footage film genre. Before 1999 the idea of basing an entire film on clips found on a camcorder would have been considered a practical impossibility. Flash forward to 2020 and there have been hundreds (if not thousands) of found footage films all hoping to emulate the success of The Blair Witch Project.
Just last year (2019) Polish developer Bloober Team (those of Layers of Fear fame) released their homage to the BWP on Xbox One and PS4. The game, which met with critical acclaim worldwide, has now finally been ported over to Nintendo’s Switch.
Like most ports onto the handheld Switch, some necessary sacrifices have been made with regards to the visuals. If you’ve already played Blair Witch on one of the bigger consoles you’ll notice a downgrading of texture and detail. An unavoidable fact of life as the Switch packs considerable less punch than its bigger and more powerful rivals. However, the reduced graphics aside, Blair Witch on the Switch still manages to immerse the player in its dark and terrifying world. Set in the original Blair Witch Project universe, the events in this Blair Witch take place some two years after the events in the original film. You play as seasoned former detective Ellis Lynch who travels to the Burkitsville Woods in Maryland to help find a missing boy. Anyone familiar with the 1999 Blair Witch Project will immediately realise that these are the same woods responsible for the disappearance of Heather, Mike and Josh.
For some (unexplained) reason, the Maryland cops aren’t too thrilled to have Ellis join their search. This could be because he has some sort of medical / psychological condition that is hinted at but not fully fleshed out. Instead Ellis is joined in his search by his dog Bullet who is with him throughout the game. Bullet plays a critical role in Blair Witch with Ellis asking him to search for clues, follow a trail and, in some cases, help fend off attackers in the wood.
Ellis gets to issue commands to Bullet by holding down a radial wheel and selecting an option.
Apart from the downscaled graphics, Blair Witch is still visually impressive. As most of the action takes place in the dark, the game manages to immerse you into the narrative with the use of great lighting, shadows and, during moments when it’s too dark to see without any help, you can illuminate areas of darkness with your torch. As you would imagine, Blair Witch is a stealth focused title rather than a guns blazing adventure. You spend most of your time searching through the woods looking for clues and fending off shadowy assailants.
Bloober Team have also introduced some interesting new mechanics in the game through the use of a camcorder. By fast forwarding or rewinding the scenes on the camcorder you can shift time. In some cases you’ll use the camcorder to see otherwise invisible enemies in the woods. Excellent. It’s also worth noting that, as this is a Switch port, Bloober Team have also thrown in the games Good Boy Pack for free. In the previous versions of the game this was a DLC that allows you to customise Bullet to your hearts content.
One area that really allows Blair Witch to stand out is in the audio department. The game boasts some of the best voice acting we’ve heard in a very log time. And the sound of the forest while you’re stumbling around searching for clues is truly impressive. Just the audio alone makes Blair Witch a must-play gaming experience. Offering some five to six hours of game play, Blair Witch is an immersive and gripping adventure that will satisfy both die-hard fans of the series and newbies alike. Highly recommended.
Rating out of 10
