Blair Witch Vol 3: Elly Kedward

Point-n-Click/Keyboard/Gamepad, Action/Adventure Horror

December 2000

Ritual Entertainment
Gathering of Developers

Alternate Title:
Blair Witch: Czesc III: Historia Elly Kedward (Poland)

Third Person

"BW3 is more action-oriented than the first two games, but if you have played either of them, chances are you will be comfortable with the keyboard- or gamepad-based combat system. The combat is spell-based, with some weapons familiar to the period—such as a flintlock—also available, and besides the usual lightning and fire spells, there is also a nifty voodoo doll that chatters like a rattlesnake when danger is near and a book of exorcism that sucks the souls from your enemies. For adventure gamers who might be reluctant to try the Blair Witch games because of the action elements, be advised that there is a god code that can be activated to prevent your character from dying. Rather than view this as cheating, see it instead as alternate path through the game.

"As with the first two volumes, there is a considerable amount of time spent in the woods. Not only has the auto-mapping feature been improved, but it seems the developers have taken some of the previous criticism to heart, as what would have been an elongated romp in the first volume has now been shortened by having some characters meet you at the end of certain quests instead of your trudging back through the woods to their location. The puzzles mostly consist of finding an object and then exploring who or what to use it with, but this is a game that is more concerned with telling a story rather than frustrating the player.

"If you have not yet played any of the Blair Witch games, I would recommend starting with volume 3. One thing that did disappoint me was that I was waiting for a startling explanation as to why the game was released in reverse chronological order, but unless I overlooked the obvious, none was ever forthcoming. Still, if you're just looking to have a good time and enjoy horror based action/adventure games, then the Blair Witch trilogy is a nice walk in the woods."