While a video game based on the terrifying Blair Witch movies might sound like pure nightmare fuel, at least we know we can pet the dog in Bloober Team’s upcoming title. As we head back into the trees and our worst fears come to life, you now have the added pressure of trying to protect a dog from murderous forces — oh great!
It’s been 20 years since The Blair Witch Project kick-started the found-footage horror genre and had people pouring to cinemas in their droves. Pitched as a ‘real-life’ story, The Blair Witch Project is one of the most successful indie films of all time thanks to its impressive $250 million box office haul on a budget of just $60,000.
The franchise has grown with sequels, comic books, and video games, while the new Blair Witch game is also ready for a slice of the petrifying pie. First revealed in an E3 teaser, Blair Witch: Evil Hides in the Woods confirmed the game takes place in 1996 and tasks ex-policeman Ellis with finding his missing friend.
Heading into the cursed Black Hills Forest, Ellis takes his loyal dog called Bullet along for the ride. As the gameplay shows, Bullet can track scents, retrieve items from hard to reach places, and warn when monsters are nearby.
Blair Witch cleverly strengthens your bond with Bullet as the game continues. You can improve his skills by listening to him and (of course) giving him a pet. Evil Hides in the Woods might pull comparisons with 2013’s Outlast thanks to the mechanics of viewing things through a video camera, but did Outlast have a dog? No, I didn’t think so.
Recently, we’ve seen claustrophobic first-person horrors like Alien: Isolation and Resident Evil 7 buck the trend. You might think having a pet pooch around for company will make things a little less scary, but you’re wrong…dead wrong. Even though Bullet is there as a security blanket, it makes the few instances the game takes him away from you even more frightening.
Proving that dogs really are man’s best friend, players will find themselves wondering how on Earth they’d manage Evil Hides in the Woods without Bullet by their side. Coming to Xbox One and PC on August 30, Blair Witch: Evil Hides in the Woods is one game you’d be ‘barking’ mad to miss. It’s time for walkies!
[Featured Image: Bloober Team]