Blair Witch Volume 1: Rustin Parr
Publisher: Gathering of Developers
Developer: Terminal Reality
Genre: Action & Adventure
ESRB: Mature
 
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Review by: David Laprad
Published: September 27, 2000

Blair Witch Volume 1: Rustin Parr ScreenshotThere are two basic methods for scaring filmgoers. One is to throw things into the frame in such a manner as to send an audience member's bone structure lurching out of his flesh: Homeless cats leaping out of nowhere. Harmless friends who amble into view and are announced with a sudden clash of music and a loud scream. Then there is the slow brewing horror that pierces our comfort zone with suggestions that something inconceivable is poised just off the edges of the screen. To date, games have excelled at the first brand of horror, thrusting Doom’s demons in our faces and screaming, “Gotcha!” The independent horror film “The Blair Witch Project” redefined the second approach, demonstrating that the most frightening things are those we cannot see--ever. A new game based on that classic blends these two approaches in an attempt to create genuine fear and dread, something a mere handful of PC titles have succeeded in doing. How effective is it? It is after midnight as I sit down to write this review, and every damn light in the house is on.

This should come as no surprise to fans of the third-person action and adventure game, Nocturne, one of the most competent blends of plot, teeth-chattering atmosphere and good old-fashioned gun slinging ever to hit the PC. Blair Witch Volume 1: Rustin Parr uses the same game engine, complete with minor enhancements, and ingeniously weaves together characters and events from the Nocturne and Blair Witch universes to fashion its story. Set in 1941, players step into the role of Spookhouse agent Doc Holliday, who travels to the infamous town of Burkittsville, Maryland to investigate claims that supernatural goings-on were behind the killings of seven children at the hand of a demented hermit. During her investigation, Doc interacts with the townspeople, gathers and pieces together clues, engages in a substantial amount of exploration throughout the town and surrounding forest, and battles a decidedly different set of enemies.

Blair Witch Volume 1: Rustin Parr ScreenshotAlthough Rustin Parr is being billed as a unique, stand-alone title with its own challenges and approach to gameplay, comparisons to Nocturne are unavoidable. This actually works in Terminal Reality’s favor, because it demonstrates how determined the design team was to avoid rubberstamping its 1999 hit. The first in a trio of small-scale Blair Witch games to come from publisher Gathering of Developers, Rustin Parr contains about one-fourth the content of Nocturne. Yet this is not an add-on or a mini-sequel; rather, TRI has incorporated considerable changes and original content, all of which stem from a contemplative exploration of the Blair Witch legend and the use of a more inquisitive female lead character rather than Nocturne’s guns-a-blazin’ Stranger.

Doc prefers research to the hunt, and comes armed with the tools of her trade, including a compass, a map and a journal for logging a host of information. She also carries a gadget called a Spectral Proximity Sensor, which enables her to detect ghosts and other apparitions at the expense of having a weapon drawn, and a pair of night vision goggles that are used to great effect. Due to the utilization of archaic video technologies in 1941, the goggles generate a first-person perspective that is riddled with static and interference. The perfect in-game translation of the film’s low-tech 16mm cameras, the goggles generate some incredible, heart-stopping moments, such as turning a corner and seeing the outline of a Daemite, one of the game’s more-or-less corporeal creatures, in Doc’s face. When combined with the game’s eerie music, the goggles generate the same claustrophobic fear as the movie.

The emphasis on adventure gaming does not completely upstage the action. Although the Stranger expresses his doubts that the happenings in Burkittsville are of a supernatural origin, Doc arrives prepared for the worst, hauling a P08 Luger pistol, a Delisle Carbine rifle, a shock prod for repelling foes during melee combat, and a Enhanced Charged Radiance Emitter for eliminating spectral enemies. The latter emits a charge similar to the Rail Gun in other games and has a re-charge period that seems eternal when battling the most lethal enemies. As with the Stranger’s arsenal, some of these implements can be outfitted with a flashlight for illuminating the darkened corners of the maps. Other tools, such as an axe and a shovel, can be found throughout the town. Even the combat has a cerebral side, as there are times when shooting someone--or something--can bring about disastrous results.

Blair Witch Volume 1: Rustin Parr ScreenshotRustin Parr is structured as a series of 13 acts that encompass four days, starting at the Spookhouse with the launch of Doc’s assignment, then moving to Burkittsville and eventually the surrounding woods. There is not a lot of geography involved--about the content of one of the larger acts from Nocturne--but Terminal Reality’s design team incorporates a persistent sense of progress and change. The second act, for example, allows Doc to sign in and begin her exploration of the town, chatting with the locals about the murders and legends, and getting familiar with the area. This short sequence sets the general tone for the game, with a strange woman appearing for a brief moment, then disappearing, as Doc is conversing with others in the diner. Before dawn, Doc hunts a shadow beast through the town and battles Daemites through the town, pumping a bit of adrenaline into the proceedings; this third act has a great twist that establishes the game's perpetual sense of imbalance.

Throughout, Doc will explore other locations from the film--including Coffin Rock and Rustin Parr’s ill-famed house--meet up with interesting characters, such as an Indian Shaman who reveals some startling new information about the Blair Witch legend, and navigate a path to a bizarre concluding act. All through the game, the designers ingeniously weave in elements of the film, including the idea of becoming lost in the woods (thankfully, Doc does not throw away her map), effectively using mental and supernatural elements such as altered perceptions, sleep deprivation and Native American spiritualism to create one of the most well-textured action and adventure games in recent memory.


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