When discussing the most terrifying horror games of all time, P.T. and Outlast often end up near the top of the list. The former, Hideo Kojima’s beloved teaser for a Silent Hill game that never was, manages to make just one enemy and a single hallway consistently scary. The latter stands out by arming players with nothing but a camera as they explore an asylum full of disturbing killers, with its innovative visual style being instantly recognizable. It seems like the developer of Steam’s Blackwall [LIVE] is striving to follow in Outlast’s footsteps, embracing its own special camera work in a setting full of P.T.-like hallways.
One look at this Steam game will be enough to notice how it differs from these two iconic inspirations, though, as the protagonist wields a handful of weaponry to fight the creatures they encounter on their mission. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like this will make the game any less scary. For starters, the rifles and pistols players are armed with have very limited ammunition, so players have to pick and choose their fights. Additionally, not all the horrifying creatures in Blackwall [LIVE] can be fought, so players will have to do their share of sneaking and running just like they’d do in other horror games.
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Blackwall [LIVE] Features at a Glance
- EXPERIENCE a unique bodycam perspective, which impacts exploration and creates fresh opportunities for scares.
- PLAN out your usage of guns like pistols and shotguns to ensure your survival.
- INVESTIGATE the mystery of missing people in the area by finding documents, listening to recordings, and taking in environmental storytelling.
- SOLVE puzzles to open access to new areas.
- ENCOUNTER unsettling creatures like sprinting zombies and a large, multi-headed monstrosity on spider legs.
A first-person psychological horror experience. One step changes everything, corridors shift, rooms distort, and monsters hunt you. Trapped in a living maze, you must fight to survive what should not exist and find an escape through your live bodycam.
Blackwall [LIVE] Makes You a SWAT Member in the Backrooms
While the trailer for Blackwall [LIVE] lays out the stakes clearly — the player character is called to rescue a lost woman who is trapped in an endlessly changing maze of hallways — it seems like that’s only part of what players will encounter as they progress through the game. In addition to this environment that feels like it’s been ripped right out of A24’s Backrooms film, players will explore a forest and a range of trippy settings, like a rickety bridge surrounded by doors and some floating platforms. They’ll also find some unsettling creatures, with humanoid running enemies and a very disturbing spider-like creature being shown in the promotional material.
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Whether this spider can actually be hurt is unclear; VylonX Games states that not every creature can be damaged with the protagonist’s arsenal of guns, so just like in the Resident Evil series, players will have to figure out which enemies are worth wasting ammo on. And like other horror games, not only will environmental storytelling help explain what’s going on, but recordings and documents will offer story fans some extra lore to piece together. Aside from fighting and fleeing creatures, Blackwall [LIVE] will have its share of puzzles to solve, which will tear down the titular walls and open up new areas to explore.
It’s Blackwall [LIVE]’s camera perspective that really brings everything together. Much like Outlast’s green night vision camera added to its sense of immersion, Blackwall [LIVE] using helmetcams for the entirety of the experience makes it a unique entry in the horror genre. Not only is everything the protagonist sees seemingly being livestreamed, opening up intriguing storytelling opportunities, but the distinct camera angle (which looks like the spectator cam from an FPS like Marathon) limits peripheral vision and likely makes aiming tougher until players adjust. Since the whole game is built around the bodycam, every encounter should feel challenging without being clunky, allowing Blackwall [LIVE] to shine brightly because of its special trait. While traversing the hallway area could give flashbacks to P.T., and the constant presence of camera elements on the HUD could have Outlast fans feeling at home, the usage of weapons and enemy designs should be enough to make this Steam title feel like its own game.
