izigame.me

I enjoyed my 30 hours in Blacktail with one glaring exception, which is what prompted me to write this.
Overall, this was a wonderfully surreal narrative adventure. It conjured up fond memories of my youth, playing games like Kings Quest IV, seeing new spins and clever twists on classic fairy tales. Story is first and foremost. For a non-triple A title, this game was mechanically brilliant, with writing and most of the voice acting (about 95%) absolutely fantastic.
A few examples of what this game did well include:
- A codex whose quests re-write or add to themselves the more you progress
- Character entries get added to and further explained the further you get
- You unlock skills using collected materials, but most skills aren't described or able to be unlocked until you first find a corresponding scroll in the game world (ensuring you don't grind to max level in the first few hours, and always have something new to see)
- Side quests are based on exploring, and you need not worry about accidentally stumbling upon an area too soon, breaking a quest (things work as intended)
- The challenge is well balanced even after you've acquired most abilities
- You can backtrack to earlier map areas when you want to complete side quests, find items you missed, etc
- Music and most of the voice acting was great, particularly Jack and Borvy, the Voice (same person that did Megaera in Hades), and Yaga
This is a narrative action/adventure game, with story and exploration at the forefront. What is there is enough, and the side quests are sometimes even more interesting than the main quest.
I could explain the game, but so much of my enjoyment came from going in and making sense of the mechanics, the world, and the characters all on my own that I do not wish to ruin that for others. All Steam Achievements can be completed on a single save profile. However, it can take you hours upon hours before you unlock a single one.
I thoroughly enjoyed everything I did in Blacktail. I loved it. I was so excited to see how it ended and declare this one of the only "perfect" games I've ever played (and I've played 950+ commercially sold PC games from start to finish... I keep track).
But the ending... was terrible. I'm not going to spoil it, but suffice it to say, it went against the format of every other quest you did. After all game events, the codex updates, giving a recap, detail, clarity, on events, people, and backgrounds for everything that transpired. Often, the game does a unique spin on a classic fairy tale, and you can read about that too (particularly side stories from world collectibles). The game's ending though brushes aside key plot points, driving motivations behind why you just sunk 30 hours into this charming, colourful, and memorable world. Considering that everything else was fully envisioned and ultimately explained, that the ending cinematic is left vague and confusing, not to mention brushing aside, like I said, a key plot point prior to the final battle, left me massively saddened and upset. There is so much good. So many things done brilliantly.
Alas, I felt they worked more to justify not having more than one ending (which they didn't need anyway, one good ending would have sufficed), than giving me what I was seeking all the way along. That being, their vision, their unique take on the Baba Yaga lore, their unique take on the characters and the world that they presented, just as they gave for everything else. I don't think "artistic intent" can be used as an excuse, when nothing else in the world was left vague or lacking.
Long story short, Blacktail was a whisker away from being perfect. I'm very saddened that all those pleasant hours are now tainted, much like the roots, by my last memory of the game, that being bewilderment and disappointment.