The Blackout Club’s tutorial is terrifying – even for Halloween….
As the night draws in and Halloween is upon is, who knew it’d be an indie horror game that would keep team Trusted up at night?
The Blackout Club has stalked its way onto Steam’s Early Access platform today, and it’s terrifying. We’ll have a full preview for you when we’ve experimented with the multiplayer and got to grips with the game’s early build. For now though, let’s talk about its introduction.
Immediately, the game is terrifying and plays on primal fears. It’s getting late, you’re home alone. The soundtrack is bassy and throbbing, and the lighting picks up small details, these elements and many others combining to make something as simple as walking down a hallway to watch television nerve-jangling.
This seems… fine
The introductory level, which delivers a one-two punch of solid scares and a decent understanding of how to play the game, could be the perfect way to spend Halloween. It immediately draws in elements of Amnesia, BBC golden-age horror (think a bloodless Quatermass and you’re halfway there) and immersive sims, delivering a spooky 15 minutes before you even get started with the co-op multiplayer gameplay on offer.
A disclaimer: I’m not a horror aficionado. I’m famously scared of horror games, and have endured years of mocking after I burst into panicked tears during a round of multiplayer Slender, sobbing my way through a rendition of The Lion King’s Hakuna Matata to try and calm myself as a player-controlled monster closed in.
I regret my earlier assessment
I am not brave. But The Blackout Club’s opening scared the hell out of me, and it could scare the hell out of you too, if you give it a chance. Expect a full preview of The Blackout Club on the site sometime soon, where we’ll be trying to work out if the game’s multiplayer can keep the atmosphere when there are four friends running around screaming about sleepwalkers and how they’re trying to wiggle to safety.
For now, there’s a short and spooky 45 minutes of horror hidden in the game’s tutorial, and it’s a real Halloween treat.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
