The Blackout Club – PC Preview

The Blackout Club –  PC Preview

Genre: Action, Indie, Simulation, Early Access
Developer: Question
Publisher: Question
Franchise: The Blackout Club
Release Date: Oct 30, 2018
Edited by Thorstag

The Blackout Club is a psychological co-op horror game where you play as a teen from a small town, where sleepwalking is the least of your worries! Every time you wake up, it’s hard to distinguish what was real and what was not with no memory from the night before. There are other teens just like you that have the same problem, you and your new friends form a group called The Blackout Club. This club is not like any other, and it’s time for you and your new friends to uncover the truth behind all this craziness and mayhem!

 

This game released in late October as early access, and there have been some decent updates since then. When asked to review this game, not knowing anything about this game at all, I was hesitant in doing so. All that was explained to me is this is a horror game, and you like horror games so play it and write a review. Going in with a clear open mindset I was prepared to review this game. However, the trailer looked decent enough to grab my attention in watching the gameplay. My attention span did not last long as I was playing the game.

Let’s talk about the controls of the game, the keyboard and mouse worked really well with the game. The keys were mapped out well, the way the game handled worked just as good. The way the tutorial taught you the controls was excellent. As being a pc gamer and always use keyboard and mouse they did a fantastic job with this. The tutorial I felt was very informative and well done; I just thought they dragged it out a little too much. Meaning they made the tutorial really long. If they were to shorten it a bit cause the controls are basic enough that you wouldn’t need to have something that extensive.

The graphics are outstanding. The shadowing and lighting, for example, are astonishing, with reflections on the windows and mirrors. You can tell they put in the work to achieve these effects as well as other mechanics for the game. The closing of the eyes to see the blood trails is a nice touch, gave me goosebumps every time. It’s nice to see some extra work put in the game especially in such detail and being in early access. The characters, buildings, and environment have a consistently high-quality look to them.

The ambiance of the game and the associated sound effects made this game POP! When you’re trying to creep around in the dark in a stealthy way it gives me shivers. Especially the mechanic in the game where if you run you make a lot of noise and the parents can track you that way. The only way to fix that issue is to sneak around which lowers the detection of you walking in bedrooms and hallways and even outdoors. The trick is to work together as a team to achieve evidence to complete the level aka the dream.

What I do have to say is that in the dream state each map may be different, but the concept is very repetitive. The leveling up process is pretty interesting utilizing talent trees and spending points to customize your character. All and all the game is fun for the most part but like I mentioned it didn’t hold my interest longer than about an hour at most. The co-op aspect is fun when you have people that want to work together as a team and complete the level without rushing the level. A lot of times I noticed when I would go into a co-op gameplay everyone just rushed the level and was in it for themselves. For me, this was a turn off because I was trying to figure things out in the game, and explore the levels and I find that it’s impossible in most cases when rushing around.

If you’re looking for a regular story mode, this won’t be the game for you. The only story single player mode is the tutorial, however, if you want to play solo I mean you can, but you won’t have anyone to rescue you if you get caught. The story, in general, was decent for what it is but after the tutorial that’s it. It’s just mostly co-op gameplay without a story. Its rinse and repeat at that point.

Pros:

  • Price Point
  • Game Concept
  • Graphics and Sound set the mood
  • Co-op

Cons:

  • No Single Player
  • Lack of Story
  • Repetitive

Wagz (WolvesGamingDen) Gives The Blackout Club a Drastik Measure of 8.5 out of 10 (85)

I did have some fun playing The Blackout Club, and the mechanics of the game were different enough to make this game stand out. However, for me I want to see more of a storyline behind this game. The tutorial was a nice solid intro for the game, but I would like to know how the game would end instead of just being repetitive with the levels in co-op play.

This game is on Steam and at the time of this review is $19.99 which I think for a Co-op horror game is a fair price for this game