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+--- Thread: Community Playthrough: Blackwell Unbound (2007) (/showthread.php?tid=394)
RE: Community Playthrough: Blackwell Unbound (2007) - BobVP - 12-07-2025
After releasing two spirits into the great beyond, Lauren makes some macabre arrangements and steps out for another cigarette on the balcony. Subtle reminder of the subtext before the final confrontation:
I guess we're playing by Daventry rules tonight. The final puzzle isn't very complicated, but it is intense in a narrative sense. Afterwards, the game wraps up the horror and redirects our attention to familial reconcilliation, establishing the future connection between Joey and Rosa.
What did you think of the ending?
RE: Community Playthrough: Blackwell Unbound (2007) - LeftHandedGuitarist - 12-08-2025
(12-07-2025, 02:39 PM)BobVP Wrote:(12-07-2025, 02:20 PM)LeftHandedGuitarist Wrote: I've finished now too, and while I do think it's a stronger game than Legacy, I have quite conflicted feelings about it (as I do with all Wadjet Eye games).
Well done! I'm wrapping up in a final post later today. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this game (and Wadjet Eye in general).
Blackwell Unbound is a fair improvement over the first game, and part of that is due to how pared down and focused it is. I think Lauren is a more interesting protagonist than Rosa (despite all the smoking, which I despise!), and having just two ghosts to deal with ensures there's no fat on the game. It keeps you engaged and the pace feels pleasantly consistent, something which I can't say about the other Blackwell games. Thankfully there are no info dumps here, either! This game in particular also nails a creepy vibe when it comes to The Countess, which is well done.
These are all strong positives which are in stark contrast to how much I also feel like Wadjet Eye's games can push me away. I've mentioned this before, but I find it very difficult to say why I struggle with them. There's a vibe which just doesn't quite fit with me. I'm always excited to try out a new Wadjet Eye game at the start, but within the first 15 mins of playing I always start to feel tired.
I think I've begun to come up with at least some answers. The jazzy music isn't to my tastes. I don't like the voice acting at all. Something about it just grates on me, and the prime example in the Blackwell games is always Joey. I just want to mute the voices to make the experience more pleasant. I don't think the voice actors are particularly bad (...except Joey, sorry), so it more likely comes down to the writing and the direction. The characters and the worlds they inhabit feel empty to me, one-note depictions of particular personalities with no depth. Any attempt at emotional pull falls flat for me.
I really don't want to come off as sounding mean here, because at the same time I love what Wadjet Eye do. It can't be easy to create your own adventure game with limited resources, and what they have accomplished is magnificent when you step back and look at the big picture. I think I'm trying to say that their games are great, they just aren't for me. But you just know whatever they announce next is going on my wishlist!
Ugh, that was a silly rambling of thoughts.
RE: Community Playthrough: Blackwell Unbound (2007) - BobVP - 12-08-2025
(12-08-2025, 03:43 PM)LeftHandedGuitarist Wrote: Blackwell Unbound is a fair improvement over the first game, and part of that is due to how pared down and focused it is. I think Lauren is a more interesting protagonist than Rosa (despite all the smoking, which I despise!), and having just two ghosts to deal with ensures there's no fat on the game. It keeps you engaged and the pace feels pleasantly consistent, something which I can't say about the other Blackwell games. Thankfully there are no info dumps here, either! This game in particular also nails a creepy vibe when it comes to The Countess, which is well done.
Interesting outlook! I think most people tend to value more, which is something you get out of many Wadjet Eye games. More plot, more puzzles, more characters, etc. This game is way more like a professionalized freeware games in design. I think the Countess was a better antagonist than The Deacon.
Quote:There's a vibe which just doesn't quite fit with me. I'm always excited to try out a new Wadjet Eye game at the start, but within the first 15 mins of playing I always start to feel tired.
I think I've begun to come up with at least some answers. The jazzy music isn't to my tastes. I don't like the voice acting at all. Something about it just grates on me, and the prime example in the Blackwell games is always Joey. I just want to mute the voices to make the experience more pleasant. I don't think the voice actors are particularly bad (...except Joey, sorry), so it more likely comes down to the writing and the direction. The characters and the worlds they inhabit feel empty to me, one-note depictions of particular personalities with no depth. Any attempt at emotional pull falls flat for me.
I get what you mean! I don't entirely agree, but I have some thoughts on the characters and voice acting as well when I wrap things up. I'm taking your perspective into account.
Quote:I really don't want to come off as sounding mean here, because at the same time I love what Wadjet Eye do. It can't be easy to create your own adventure game with limited resources, and what they have accomplished is magnificent when you step back and look at the big picture. I think I'm trying to say that their games are great, they just aren't for me. But you just know whatever they announce next is going on my wishlist!
Ugh, that was a silly rambling of thoughts.
Playing the commentary, it was apparent how much of the game was determined by budget constraints and the indie scene as it was at the time. I think players of these retrospective playthroughs should feel free to be a bit more critical in their evaluation. Your contribution is appreciated!
RE: Community Playthrough: Blackwell Unbound (2007) - BobVP - 12-10-2025
The second game in the Blackwell series. It simplifies the formula - fewer ghosts, musical variation, colours and bottleneck puzzles. It was supposed to be a flashback in a larger game - I think it shows, but manages to stand on its own.
It's low budget, diy. People professionalizing on the fly.
Probably the gloomiest of the Blackwells, but quick to provide some banter or a plot point before anything sinks in too deep. Reminiscent of a solidly middlebrow tv show, the kind that was still dominating the media landscape at the time.
Some of the voice acting was really good. The most professional cast member was the actress playing Lauren. Some of it was a little goofy. Time, budget, social capital - it's part of the deal, maybe even part of the charm. A young woman doing "old lady voice" was a little off. Francisco Gonzalez doing a Jamacain accent was a choice - let's just be thankful he didn't go full Patois.
I was a little surprised at how traditional it was. In the end, we were playing by Daventry rules. The whole sequence, though exciting and climactic, was somewhat jarring to me. It resolved too quickly into the next, familial resolution. It ties up the backstory but it feels like some parts in this timeline are left unadressed.
Lauren's an interesting character. Despite the gloomy detachment of the intro, she seems quite driven and engaged.
(11-30-2025, 03:59 PM)ClusterLizard Wrote: . It's also worth listening to her dream journal on the dictaphone too - some of the entries are rather fascinating.
The puzzles were the weakest point of the game to me. Some of them were alright - others were just exhausting every option to trigger the necessary notebook addition. That said - I like the notebook system a lot. The phonebook parser puzzles too.
To the participants: thank you for sharing your thoughts and feelings on Blackwell Unbound! I was genuinely excited to read your contributions - each one of you had something unique and interesting to say.
RE: Community Playthrough: Blackwell Unbound (2007) - LeftHandedGuitarist - 12-10-2025
I had no idea there was stuff on the dictaphone!