Blackwell Unbound

Blackwell Unbound

released on Dec 23, 2006

Blackwell Unbound

released on Dec 23, 2006

The year is 1973. The sound of a lone, ethereal saxophone drifts over the Roosevelt Island promenade, while a series of accidents plague a midtown construction site. The citizens of Manhattan take no notice of these events, let alone think they are connected. Embittered medium Lauren Blackwell and her spirit guide Joey Mallone are the only ones who believe that there is anything strange going on, and they are the only ones who can stop an enigmatic killer from striking again...


Also in series

The Blackwell Epiphany
The Blackwell Epiphany
The Blackwell Deception
The Blackwell Deception
Blackwell Convergence
Blackwell Convergence
The Blackwell Legacy
The Blackwell Legacy

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Reviews View More

A couple puzzles that I got frustrated with but I really like the small scale these games operate in and that theyre basically solvable without a walkthrough. This one doesn't have a wild twist the way the first one did but it's got a better intertwined set of mysteries and the way you can swap between the two protagonists is smart. Good stuff!

Well, Unbound was a step up from Legacy in basically all ways, I think. The atmosphere was particularly great, with the jazz-filled soundtrack and gritty backgrounds giving an even stronger noir vibe. Characters and voice acting were great again, too.

Přijít po prvním dílu, který sotva stihl položit základy a ještě se sám nikterak nerozjel, namísto regulérního pokračování s prequelem je zvláštní, ale budiž. Ještě zvláštnější je, že je to prequel, který nemá dějově pro hlavní linii žádný význam a nic (ani nikoho) nikam neposune. Ještě divnější pak je, že je to tak kraťoulinké, že to dohrajete rychleji než si v kdekterém RPGčku stihnete vytvořit postavu. A vůbec nejzvláštnější je, že je to odfláknuté; po stránce hádanek, příběhu i grafiky. Co tím chtěl autor říci nevyjeví hra samotná, ale až komentář tvůrců. A vysvětlení to sice pochopitelné je, nikoli však i ospravedlnitelné ve chvíli, kdy za to chtějí peníze. Zbytečný díl, který sérii dělá spíše medvědí službu.

Sights & Sounds
- The pixel art is quite good, just like the prequel. The character portraits are improved, though.
- The sound design is far improved from the first game. In addition to using higher quality mics (the step up in voice quality is noticeable), the voice actors for Rosa and Joey sound much more comfortable and natural than they did in The Blackwell Legacy
- The music is also way better. Very jazzy in a way that emphasizes the noir influences

Story & Vibes
- The story, unfortunately, takes a small step back. Don't worry, there's still plenty of intrigue to be enjoyed, but the overall narrative just isn't as interesting as the prequel
- That's not to say there hasn't been any improvement in the writing. The reduction in exposition from everyone you meet is a welcome change
- Without giving anything away, you're given the option of choosing between two separate cases. By the end of the game, those stories intertwine, eventually leading to the plot's climax
- Hope you enjoy noir overtones, because this game leans much more strongly into those than Legacy

Playability & Replayability
- It's a point and click adventure game. 'Nuff said
- Not sure I'm ever going to come back for the achievements I missed

Overall Impressions & Performance
- I'm only on the second game out of five, but I like where the series is going. Hoping to see it keep up its momentum
- Played it on Steam Deck. The trackpads are nice, but it's probably still going to feel more natural playing it with a mouse

Final Verdict
- 7/10. In all, it improves quite a bit on the first game, even if the narrative was a little ho-hum in comparison

Second installment of the Blackwell series. This one acts as prequel and brings two ghostly mysteries to solve. AS enjoyable as the first entry and adding a new mechanic to switch between characters taking advantage of the perks of being a ghost.

Played on Steam Deck.

A Interesting sequel. This time you play as the girl's aunt and get to switch places with Joey, which adds more to the gameplay by using the ghost for certain things and her for others, including how to interact with ghosts.

Things have certainly become more interesting and there are now bigger questions to ask, leading me to want to know more about what'll happen in the future and what's going on behind the scenes as well as who Joey was when he was alive.