BLACK

Sometimes some good writing is all that’s needed in order to create a memorable atmosphere, especially in the case of adventure or role-playing games. Visual novels are even more sensitive in this regard, given the fact that the gameplay mechanics resume to a few clicks every now and again. It’s quite the challenge to create a compelling horror game, because the atmosphere is the most important element.

BLACK is a visual novel with survival and horror elements, in which the goal is to make the right choices in order to make sure your character survives for as long as possible. Your decisions affect the plot and the ending as well, so you can go back and make different choices in order to see everything the game has to offer. Even if there are no 3D environments, the creators have managed to create a pretty pressing atmosphere.

Everything begins when the main character wakes up in a strange, dark world that’s unfamiliar to him/her. Almost immediately a creature approaches you, and you get the choose whether to confront it or run away. Such choices come around quite often, given the theme of the game, and sometimes deciding to stay and face the danger is not the best solution, unless you are aiming for an early ending.

There’s a fair bit of dialog included in the game as well, and the story is quite well-written, not to mention scary most of the time. Your choices seem to have an actual effect on the story, especially since it’s obvious when you take a wrong step. The strange creatures are very intriguing as well, because their behavior is certainly unsettling, not to mention the fact that you need multiple playthroughs to truly understand the story.

As far as the graphics are concerned, the designers have managed to express a lot with very little actual artwork. Most of the screen is black during the gameplay, but every now and again you stumble upon interesting places as you explore the strange world. The sound effects are nothing too special, but they complete the atmosphere quite well, especially during the scary bits.

In the end, BLACK is quite capable of increasing your heart rate, especially thanks to the creepy story and the dark environments. The writing is great, so we can only hope that the complete project is going to be even better with future updates.