The Blackout Club Review (PS4)

If you love playing games in Co-op mode with close friends, but you also enjoy thrilling experiences and the occasional scare, then this is definitely a title you should consider trying.

An interesting premise

So we're all used to home invasion movies, and we can all agree that that is terrifying.  More so, anyone who's watched at least half a dozen anime know that there is something about making teens and young adult the protagonists makes the story all the more interesting. Well, The Blackout Club has plenty of both, as you play as a random teen that has to team up with others that belong to the Blackout Club, and investigate just what exactly is happening with your hometown while everyone is sleeping. The only thing I have to comment about the story is that it is very cryptic and filled with symbolism, and you may end up playing the tutorial level several times just to figure out what exactly is going on. The game is mostly session-based, as you start off from the Blackout Club's headquarters, and that is where you can select missions, organize with your friends and customize your characters. All missions are currently available on the same map, and more of it gets discovered an accessible as your progress in level. Mission objectives will vary, from either gathering certain items to photographing certain areas and getting out undetected.

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You're helpless but self-sufficient at the same time

As you complete missions, you will receive experience and eventually level up. Each level will grant you skill points which you can allocate as you please, resulting in your being either more proficient at basic actions, or gaining access to facilities that your peers don't. One good example is how you can learn basic movements of what can be considered martial arts, allowing you more flexibility and less limitations when tackling enemies. Other skills will improve your proficiency with certain items you may wield, resulting in you being able to take better advantage of your phone, or stun gun. All in all, these skill are in no way the super powers you'd expect in a typical MMO, and should be considered more as "survival skills"

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An unusual cast of foes

For some yet-to-be-disclosed reason, during the night all adults are being taken over by an unknown force that renders them blind and makes them act like mindless zombies. However, you and all of your friends (and hopefully, your real friends in real life too) are immune to this, and are the only ones that can get to the bottom of the phenomenon. One of the horror elements within the game is that there is no actual way of combating the opposing forces. Since you're a teenager and the ones attacking you are most often adults, there's not much you can do other than pin down, incapacitate or stun them. More so, when they do catch you, they don't actually kill you. Instead, they drag you to where another entity, The Shape, resides and it will give you the finishing blow. Another cool mechanic is that you have to change your vision mode by "closing your eyes". You need to do this in order to find your way during a mission, as well as a way to avoid running into The Shape directly, as it will result in insta-death. If that wasn't enough, the Shape is attracted to the sins of a player (basically, the sleepers report seeing you as a sin), so if you can't manage to be stealthy and avoid the sleepers, this will eventually add up and the Shape will be hot on your trails.

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The visuals

I have to admit that I didn't get to test out the PC version of the game, but I have to admit I was very disappointed by the graphics of The Blackout Club, or at least the way they were handled  with the PS4 version. Surfaces look extremely glossy and unrealistic, and I have to admit I've seen indie games made in Unity that look way better than what they managed to pull off. More so, considering that the game isn't all that rich in content, you would have expected the few maps and other visual elements to look almost flawless. Models were also very disappointed, since the enemies you will be facing (the Sleepers) look like they were pulled out of a 2010 game, as models looked extremely raw, and they movements looked far too "puppet-like" to even be considered realistic. Additionally, the longest nail in the game's coffin (from a visual point of view at least), is the extremely limited and primitive character customization options. While you can change gender, skin color and various facial features, for some reason, pretty much everyone looks like everyone anyway.

I do have to admit that one of the few strokes of genius they did have was when they decided to use live-action footage for their cinematic, since their graphics would have definitely deterred anyone from playing it, especially after a gameplay trailer.

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The audio

I have to admit I was expecting a whole lot more from a  game where the enemies are mostly deaf, since the music was not helpful at all. While it was indeed very scary (the soundtrack alone would merit its own review), the way the audio is mixed is very unintuitive, as the music may sometimes actually prevent you from hearing how much noise you make. If you decide on playing the game, you'll realize that paying attention to the noise you make is quite a big deal, as sometimes even jumping or walking on the wrong surfaces can result in you putting a Sleeper hot on your trail.

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The Good

The Bad

Conclusion