Blair Witch: Deluxe Edition

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 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.

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.

An interesting horror game that never manages to escape the shadow of its '90s inspiration.

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.

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 is lumbering and predictable, as horror often is, and the rattling moments come mostly from jumpscares. The rest is a tepid sort of horror.

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.

Blair Witch's strongest aspect -- its eerie woodland setting -- is perfect for a focused, streamlined, horror experience. Unfortunately, that's not what this game is, and the superfluous, gimmicky gameplay mechanics that are thrown at you with reckless abandon only serve to make the game less effective as a whole. A disappointing story, frustrating level design, and precious few genuine scares leaves us hoping that this is one franchise that gets lost in the woods.