Welcome to the playthrough of Blackwell Unbound! New York City, 1973. Ghosts are not making it to the other side. Someone needs to help these poor souls find their way.

Our hero is Lauren, the  strong but weary aunt of the akward wallflower we came to embrace in the first game. We get the same sidekick, mentor and inexorable family curse: Joey the ghost.

Tonally, this part of the series leans most heavy to the side of neo-noir.
Even with the game's economic design, there are items to examine and details to explore with no direct bearing on gameplay or progress. This is optional, but I encourage you to look at things from the two different perspectives available in this game.

I'm not sure how many people will be participating, feel free to jump in at any time. I want to thank MenhirMike for the insightful observations and capturing what it was like playing the first game. I hope I can achieve the same for this one.

As a prelude, let's play until we meet our first ghost. If you get there early, meet the other one as well. From there, we'll pick a ghost to focus on first.

Thanks for leading this one! I've played the game before, but it's been a few years. I seem to remember enjoying it quite a bit more than the first one. I'll start my playthrough later tonight, and it will be fun to turn on the commentary track(s).

Welcome, good to have you on board!

I've also been playing with the commentary. It's been fun getting all sorts of insights into the production process, from voice acting to writing and making editorial decisions.

I've decided to play without the developer commentary turned on since I first played this a very long time ago and I don't remember too much of it so thought I'd play it 'properly'.

As a prelude, let's play until we meet our first ghost. If you get there early, meet the other one as well. From there, we'll pick a ghost to focus on first.

I've talked to both ghosts and followed up on a clue from the one on the promenade to a new location before leaving it there for tonight.

Good to see you here ClusterLizard!

Good call. I hope you enjoy the game. Which ghost did you go with first?

I'm doing a write up of some of the things that stood out to me in the first scenes of this game.

A question for everyone: what do you think about the soundtrack so far?

I just noticed that I do have this game in my library, and never played it (I think I never played any of those). I am wondering if I should have played another of the Blackwell games before playing this one ... but ... maybe I can join this playthrough.

I just noticed that I do have this game in my library, and never played it (I think I never played any of those). I am wondering if I should have played another of the Blackwell games before playing this one ... but ... maybe I can join this playthrough.

This is the second game and it's is a prequel to the whole series, sort of filling in the backstory, so technically it may be able to be played first. I can't recall if it spoils or references too much from the first game.

Interesting. I started playing it and was surprised about the very first ghost I met (after reading the first post here about meeting the first ghost ).

After this introduction, I would have expected that there was a previous game in the series where those two characters are introduced to each other. But when it's a prequel, it feels like it may make sense to just play this one now, instantly, instead of starting with the originally first game.

Hexenwerk, what a nice surprise; welcome on board!

Playing the first two games in reverse order works quite well. For those playing without the commentary: Dave Gilbert mentions this game started out as a flashback, embedded in The Blackwell Convergence. I'm glad it got its own release.

I'm taking a look at the intro and some of the things that stood out in Lauren's home in a couple of hours. At that point, we'll also move on to the next phase of the game. There's a lot going on beneath the surface already.

I thought it'd work best if we'd focus on one ghost first, but since we're a relatively small group, feel free to switch it up a little. Just be mindful about other players not having reached that point.

One thing about the soundtrack - I really associate this "moody jazz" with the Blackwell games. There are hints of it in the first game, but this one really sets the tone. It carries on in the next couple of games, though they switch it up a little more than Blackwell Unbound.

According to the commentary, Lauren by herself in the void was added at the last moment, to give the first scene with Joey a more sombre undertone. Do you think this was the right call?

Dave Gilbert's commentary is pretty entertaining. He's great at telling a story and presenting it well. He likes the banter between Joey and Lauren, based in the comfort of familiarity. I see the charm, but to me, Joey's troubled side is also more pronounced in Blackwell Unbound.

One early example of this are his comments on Patricia Blackwell when checking out the family photograph.

   

This is a woman whose life was ruined by his presence. To be fair to Joey, he didn't choose his position either. But he's so one-sided and judgemental. I think the canonical attitude towards Patricia is she failed to live up to the task bestowed on her. The fandom wiki even goes so far as to say:

"She was the first Blackwell medium, but shirked her duty and went insane because of it."

I feel she got a rough deal. She had good reason to hide her condition, considering how psychiatrists handle this in the game's universe. She carried a heavy burden while trying to keep a family together. Her final time on Earth was ghastly, because of some cosmic coincidence, or a long term plan to bind Joey to Rosangela by powers beyond us. Either way - she deserved better.

We also see Joey and a young Lauren. Joey haunted Patricia for about seven months and Lauren is a college student visiting home, so this may be the first time they're in the same room. Considering their future dynamic, I feel this is a bit unnerving as well: Joey was hovering around, looking at her when she was unaware of his presence.

Alright, let's not get caught up in the gloomy side of human-ghost cohabitation. Lauren has accepted the situation. Even though she's not feeling it anymore, the writing implies she took to this life and adapted pretty well. Maybe, at some point, she liked the thrill of it all. One interpretation of her chainsmoking is a coping mechanism, Dave Gilbert refers to her as having something of an "addictive personality". She's also not easily spooked, all in all a much better fit for the ghost liberation business.

After a couple of duds, our heroes find two legitimate cases. I could focus on either one for the next big post - which one would you prefer?

Feel free to discuss all your thoughts on the game so far - maybe your outlook is not as bleak as mine. That is more than welcome.