Release Date: 04/04/2017
Played On: Win
Available On: PS4 / Win / XBO
Time Played: 1h 30m
Progress: 100% Complete
Developer: PaperSeven
Publisher: Vision Games
In the last few years, I've come to the understanding that a bit of narrative surrealism might well be up there as one of my favourite genres in gaming. When I was younger, all I needed was some fun first person shooting action from id Software or Epic Games to keep me amused. These days however, I really appreciate how deep a good narrative game can take you.
We're all aware of the big titles like Gone Home, Everybody's Gone To The Rapture, and Firewatch. Amongst others, these games showed us that the so-called "walking simulator" has a lot more potential than we might have originally thought.
A lot of people might argue that games involving little more than plot and basic movement controls is lacking in some way, but I would argue that nothing is further from the truth. These titles show us just how diverse and wide the spectrum of video game experiences can be. The interactivity of these games (no matter how small) creates an experience unlike that of books, movies, or music.
It's not about whether or not games can deliver a "better" story than other mediums; it's about telling it in a way that's special to gaming. That's the real joy of playing through these experiences, as they are an interactive medium that maintains a directed sequence of events. They're less passive than watching a movie, but perhaps more linear than a piece of art, or a song could ever be.
With games like Gone Home and Firewatch, the narrative is delivered in a very straight forward manner akin to realism and an authentic experience. Other titles like Everybody's Gone To The Rapture and the masterful Virginia, have introduced a certain about of abstraction and surrealism that I am completely in love with. By leaning into some ambiguity, these stories open themselves up for more emotional interpretation, which I feel elevates the experience to a whole new level.
This need for interpretation tends to be present in other media as well. I suspect that it's part of why I prefer more abstract music than your typical top 40 love ballads, or why I'd rather read Angela Carter than Dan Brown. I'm not here to dog-pile on any genres or forms of media, but it always fascinates me why some things resonate more than others.
Which finally brings me right around to Blackwood Crossing.
Blackwood Crossing…
I suppose all of the above became my thought process in a way to contextualise what I have to say about this game. It wouldn't be fair to talk about my experience with Blackwood Crossing, without at least conceding that it fits what a genre I'm currently engrossed by. It feels like the next step in narrative surrealism, which you should know by now is right up my alley.
This is a short game with a linear path from start to finish. There are some simple puzzles along the way, which barely feel like puzzles as the steps to their completion are always clearly laid out for you.
Witness a complete lack of surprise when I tell you that I don't want to talk too much about the story for fear of spoilers. Unfortunately that doesn't leave a lot else to talk about in a narrative game like this. However, to keep it brief: Blackwood Crossing is about the relationship between a girl and her younger brother. You play as the girl who is trying to figure out what's going on with your brother as you follow him through memories and places from your past. Along the way you encounter other family members and elements that build an abstract portrait of why you're moving through this dream-like state in the first place.
This really is a game that needs to be experienced for yourself, so if any of that sounds appealing then I urge you to do just that. It's always hard to talk about these games without spoiling anything, but the biggest take-away I had from Blackwood Crossing is that it's a game that explores the relationship between a brother and sister with gentle acuteness.
Maybe having an older sister gave me reason to connect deeply with this story, but I think it's relatable to anyone who's grown up with a sibling. Not to reduce all of our relationships to a single theme, but there are certain parts that I feel will resonate well with a large group of people.
I mean, there were times throughout this game that I found myself having to stop playing because I couldn't see the screen anymore. Suffice to say that there were certain lines and moments in the story that reduced me to a blubbering mess. I can't think of any other game that's elicited such a strong and genuine emotional reaction from me.
This is why I feel like Blackwood Crossing is a marker in games growing up and proving themselves as art. Not simply because it had me in tears, but more because it did that thing that all great art does and reached deep into my being to stir up something visceral and significant. Other games have done this in the past, but not with such ferocity and impact. Previously such an experience was only something I encountered while reading great literature, or getting lost in beautiful art and music.
On one hand I want to recognise that obviously there's no objective result that everyone will have while playing this game. On the other hand, I have to be honest about how much Blackwood Crossing meant to me, even if it's just a subjective experience limited to my unique interaction. However, there has to be a common thread in everything we experience, which leads me to believe that all of this was intentional and the developers have created this experience to make the very point that hit me. If you're waiting for me to explain what that point is or why the game made such an impression, you're going to be sorely disappointed. I've already told you as much about the actual game as I'm going to, so go play it for yourself.
I'm a gamer who enjoys a wide variety of games, as they all offer something unique to explore and experience. Even when I'm not really into a genre (like platforming) I can still see what others enjoy about it. I'd love it if the general buzz in the gaming world was filled with a bunch of gamers high-fiving each other for their love of gaming, instead of trolls attempting to divide us into categories to judge and discriminate. One of the big reasons for this is because then some more people might be turned onto the smaller experiences like Blackwood Crossing that really show what some games are capable of.
By way of an example, at the moment I'm also playing through Just Cause 3, which is a big open world sandbox game for blowing things up in interesting ways. Blackwood Crossing could be argued as occupying the complete opposite end of the gaming spectrum, but I feel like they each having something important to offer. Just Cause 3 is a fantastic fusion of big budget spectacle with white-knuckle moments that would put big action movies to shame. All the while, Blackwood Crossing holds your hand and tells a personal and emotional story about a boy and his big sister.
This is why I love playing games.
So I suppose I'll wrap it up with this tangent-ridden rant on Blackwood Crossing by adding that it's currently in the top few titles that I'm considering for my Game Of The Year. It's so hard to choose when there are so many different experiences on the table, but let's just say that if I scored things, this would be near to perfect in almost every way.
For the more technically minded folk out there: the graphics have a clean, relatable style; the voice acting is superb; the writing is delicate and subtle; the controls feel fine, despite the mouse-look feeling a little floaty. There are some minor choices throughout the plot, but for the most part this is an entirely linear experience. The soundtrack punctuates the poignant moments and I have to give another note of praise to the voice actors. I find child characters annoying as all hell in most mediums, but your brother never gets annoying. Similarly your own voice as his big sister is genuine and there's a certain tone of affection that comes through during some key moments. The other characters have few lines, but their dialogue is delivered excellently in its distant surreal space.
I try not to gush too much and avoid hyperbole when I'm writing about games, but sometimes I don't really know how. If you want my honest impression of a game that I instantly love, then this is what you'll get. It's better to understand that I'm coming from this perspective, than try and hide it. So perhaps I'm just a silly fan of this type of game, but at the end of the day, maybe you are as well.
Or perhaps you're the kind of gamer that enjoys diverse experiences and stories. At the end of the day it doesn't matter, because however you want to frame it: Blackwood Crossing is a fine example of how diverse gaming can be. It's the kind of surreal narrative that leaves me eager to find out what's going to happen next. What will be the next leap in story-telling that video games can help usher into the world.
Embrace the change and evolution of story-telling, as it's only going to get more interesting as time rolls on.