Blackwell Deception Review

Well folks, it’s done. I’ve munched through the last latest title in the Blackwell Series – The Blackwell Deception. And expected or not, the deception part in the title kinda sums up how I felt about this episode. Blackwell Deception has the feeling of a game from a series that is finally settling down. That is both good and bad I guess. The identity of the game is finally gaining contour – no more switching between eras and characters for good. As for Joey and Rosangela, they are no longer suffering from personality disorders (compared to the earliest episode at least). However, I do miss the exploration of ideas which were playfully brought back and forth, experiments that are common to earlier titles. I also felt like the story is taking a rather silly twist, with all the secret organization shenanigans.

But the Blackwell series was kind of based on the ghost saver cliche from the very beginning, so the Da Vinci Code twist in Blackwell Deception should not outrage anyone, right? And while the story teases the player with the fact that Joey might have a hidden dark side, you kind of feel tricked into swallowing other micro-stories, which are not as cohesive as we were used to in previous titles.

I don’t dig the new graphics either. They might allow the dynamic switching of lights on and off, but they look rather muddy and uninteresting, compared to Blackwell Convergence. In terms of gameplay though, Dave Gilbert’s games are getting better and better. You can really tell his evolution, as usual. What’s even more nice is the fact that he personally confirmed on my Twitter account that Blackwell Deception is far from the last title in the series. I simply can’t wait to contemplate his becoming as a game designer even further. As I’ve said it before, the commentaries for the Blackwell series make the experience twice as enjoyable, as it allows players to really delve into the process of game creation. It all feels close and personal and that gives it tremendous value.

Ow yeah, and if this post doesn’t make much sense to you it is because my reviewing process was iterative. So try reading my reviews of the Blackwell  series from the very beginning aka the first title The Blackwell Legacy. Links below.