Blacktail is the kind of 00s adventure throwback that I want to see more

1 year 4 months ago

I've been playing Blacktail, ostensibly for review, but with all the seasonal nonsense going on I haven't played enough to give you a big wot I think. It's worth writing about though, so here I am, doing that. It's a weirdo little first-person action-adventure game where you play as the 16-year-old Yaga, who has been run into the forest because the local villagers think she's in league with the witch Baba. If you know any European folklore you may have reason to suspect they're right.

Yaga's childhood friends have all vanished, along with her sister, and the game sends you off to breadcrumb trails around a bright, unreal forest, to find the memories of what happened to the unfortunate kiddies. Along the way you grow in power and skill, using different types of arrows with your bow, as well as lures and spells. I like Blacktail because it's a little bit janky in ways that don't break the game, and is absolutely committed to its own particular flavour of odd. It's the kind of game you used to see a lot in the early-mid 00s, and just don't get much anymore.

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Author
Alice Bell