The Blackout Club

"The Blackout Club"

Reviewed By: Carless Yen

Developed by: Questions LLC

Platforms: Xbox, PS4, Steam

The BlackOut Club is like a bunch of things I love wrapped into one. The 4 player Coop really reminds me of Left 4 Dead, The atmosphere and feel just gives off that Stranger Things/They Live vibe, and it's stealth and devices aspect really feels a lot like Alien Isolation. All that in one little package adds up to something that just feels really fresh. I really loved the fact you are kids so your really under powered against grown men and beings. So you have to find ways to take them down, and they are your friends and neighbors under control by something so you want to do so with out really harming them. You will use things like tranq darts, trip wires, stun guns, and even prank call them to sneak by which is hilarious. You will hear them get scam calls which cracks me up because I get ones just like them all the time. You start out with your choice of weapon a stun gun, crossbow, or grappling hook. The rest of the things you find hidden in crates through out the neighborhood or its tunnels below. You can also get some by choosing your special or minor powers that you can level up. Some the powers are minor like starting with bandages all the way up to major special take downs of the enemies or special drones.

The story is this creepy cult has taken over your neighborhood, and at night it turns people into mindless zombies that will hunt you down. Your a kid group of investigators trying to collect evidence against them. They have a leader you can only see when you close your eyes called "The Shape" he is really strong and hard to escape if he is after you. He only comes after you though if your stealth isn't up to par, and you get spotted a lot. When you close your eyes you can also see footprints telling you where to go for your objective. The objectives range from things like planting bugs, hanging posters, rescuing kidnapped kids, investigating break ins. and many more. Some times they will seem a bit repetitive but if you have a good group of friends to play with you don't really mind that much. The devs also seem to really be putting a lot into this game so I see updates coming a lot. Another thing I love is the mysteries that still remain. Question LLC doesn't give you all the answers. There is a lot of things left to figure out for yourself and that makes it pretty addictive. I found myself saying one more game, one more game all night. The more you play the more neighborhood, missions, and tunnels you unlock so it's really rewarding. The custom items you can unlock are kind of weak though. As well as the character creation. That is probably my only complaint is every one looks like little girls, and the same. I hope they add a little more as far as that.

I really think this game is a can't miss though. I think you will love it if you have a lot of friends to play with. It is pretty easy to make them while playing as well. I made a few very quickly. You will also run into tons of morons as well who don't even try to play stealthy. That is with everything though, and some times adds up to even more fun and laughs. Do your self a favor don't miss out on "The Black Out Club" its frights, mysteries, and coop fun is just something really unique and entertaining in a slow summer season of game releases.

Pros: Atmosphere and Environment feels real and haunting

The devices and weapons are fun to use

Challenging as you progress

Loaded with mystery

Coop is a blast

Really fresh feeling

Cons: Custom Characters and character items fall a little short

Overall: 9.5 A can't miss. One of those Summer of 2019 experiences like hard seltzer waters. You and your friends won't be able to step away from it. What the Stranger Things game should have really been like.