BLACKWOOD Review Summary

Fun gameplay, excellent combat, and a neat DVD store management system are undermined by bugs, jank, and widespread performance issues, so it's not recommended in its current state.

Fun and enjoyable gameplay: Many players find the core gameplay fun and enjoyable, with varied mechanics. This is a primary positive point across reviews.

Excellent combat mechanics: Combat is often highlighted as the best part, with mechanics that are cool and fun. It is a major draw for players.

High potential for improvement: Players see significant potential in the game, believing it has the makings of a great experience. This suggests a strong foundation but room for growth.

Decent weapon customization: Weapon customization offers a decent amount of depth, allowing players to modify guns. This feature is appreciated by those who enjoy tinkering.

Interesting DVD-store management: The idea of managing a DVD store, including restocking and setting prices, is considered interesting and unique. It adds a novel twist to the gameplay loop.

Buggy and janky game: Many players report the game is very jittery and buggy, with numerous bugs and a rough, unpolished feel. Several bugs were encountered within the first two hours of play.

Game feels unfinished: Many players feel the game is unfinished, with 80% of gameplay components incomplete. It doesn't feel like a proper game yet and should have been early access.

Melee combat is buggy and janky: Melee combat is awful with janky animations and counters that often fail. It is described as a janky mess, buggy, unresponsive, and poorly animated, feeling like hitting wet paper.

Poor graphics and blurry textures: Graphics are average at best, often blurry, with low-quality textures even on high settings. Animations and graphics are not impressive and are sometimes described as really bad.

Clunky movement and gameplay: Movement feels clunky and janky, making the overall gameplay experience unpolished. Combat and general controls are often described as a clunky mess.

DVD store management system: Players manage a DVD store by arranging, cleaning, buying, shelving, selling, restocking, pricing, and recommending DVDs. This business simulation includes customer service and upgrades.

Melee combat core gameplay: Combat is a central element, featuring melee and hand-to-hand fighting. Players engage in close-quarters battles with various moves.

Gun shooting mechanics: Shooting mechanics with guns are included, involving gunplay and takedowns. Combat often involves firearms.

Weapon customization and upgrades: The game features a weapon modification bench where players can upgrade and mod their guns. This allows for customization of firearms.

Act-based story structure: The game is structured in acts, with Act 1 being part of a larger narrative. The story is episodic.

Widespread Performance and Optimization Issues: Many reviewers report poor performance and optimization, including lag, low FPS, stutters, and freezes across various hardware configurations. This is a dominant theme in the feedback.

Stuttering and Freezing During Gameplay: Stuttering, hitching, and freezing occur frequently, especially during loading, cutscenes, or environmental transitions. This disrupts the gameplay experience.

DLSS and DX12 Impact Performance: Some users report improved performance with DLSS or DX12, while others find DX12 problematic. Results vary, but these settings significantly affect performance.

Mixed Optimization Experiences: A few reviewers find optimization good or acceptable, with stable performance on high-end hardware, but others rate it poorly. This suggests inconsistent optimization across systems.

Frequent Crashes and Stability Problems: Players experience crashes, lock-ups, and instability, sometimes shortly after purchase or in specific modes. This severely impacts playability.

Not recommended in current state: Many players explicitly state they cannot recommend the game in its current state due to bugs, performance issues, and lack of polish. This sentiment is widespread across numerous reviews.

Wait for updates and patches: Many reviewers recommend waiting for future updates, patches, or hotfixes before buying, as the game has numerous issues that need fixing.

Not worth money or time: Several players state the game is not worth the money or time in its current state, often advising others to avoid purchasing.

Refunded or requesting refunds: Several players have refunded the game or are requesting refunds due to its poor state, often citing plans to repurchase if improvements are made.

Price considered fair or worth it: Some reviewers find the game worth its price, especially at a discount, and recommend it for the value it offers.

Community fair range: $15.00 - $25.00.

Game completion: 4.0h.

Story completion: 3.0h.

Reviews report a poor early experience dominated by weak tutorials, clunky combat, and boring gameplay, with at least one refund in the starting tutorial. A few mild positives exist, but no reliable point is given at which the game becomes fun.

Friction: Rushed and unhelpful tutorial with missing combat guidance; No tutorial direction outside the opening combat sequence; Clunky combat, diving, gunplay, and poor-feeling guns; Boring, repetitive shop management and day-to-day dialogue; Janky design, robotic dialogue, and lack of movement keybinds; Pacing feels off and the repetitive gameplay loop frustrates.

John Wick Action Fantasist: Plays for stylish third-person shooting and action set pieces, accepting rough edges as a John Wick stopgap. Motivation: Enacting John Wick-style cinematic gunplay and takedowns. Stance: buy.

Polish-Demanding Shooter Veteran: Approaches the game as a technical action title, expecting precise controls, lock-on, and consistent hit detection. Motivation: Responsive, well-tuned third-person shooter combat with reliable hit feedback. Stance: no buy.

Price-Conscious Indie Supporter: Tolerates rough launch issues and treats it as a budget third-person shoot-'em-up that may improve over time. Motivation: Getting fair value for a low price and supporting a small developer that patches after feedback. Stance: buy.

Windows 12-15GB VRAM systems are split between strong high-framerate reports and recurring optimization complaints, while the under-8GB, 8-11GB and 16GB+ VRAM cohorts are dominated by stuttering, frame drops and instability.

Windows 12-15GB VRAM: mixed. About half report smooth, steady framerates up to 120 FPS at max settings, while the rest report hitches, loading stutters and weak optimization, so the evidence is evenly split.

Windows <8GB VRAM: negative. Most users report heavy stuttering, freezing and FPS drops, with only a few running it acceptably with DLSS enabled.

Windows 8-11GB VRAM: negative. Nearly all reports describe stutters, frame drops, hitches and crashes, with only one user recommending it.

Steam Deck: The audit finds limited direct Steam Deck reporting. The game offers controller support and some praised interface elements, but multiple reviews describe clunky gamepad controls, spongy input, and input lag that make the Deck experience less responsive. No evidence of Proton Experimental, external launchers, anti-cheat failures, crashes, or small text was found. Overall friction is moderate: the game is playable but requires tolerance for control and responsiveness issues.

Feels like early access: Many players note that despite not being labeled early access, the game has the jank and incompleteness typical of an early access title. It is criticized for releasing with only one act and being sold as a full game.

John Wick inspiration: Multiple reviewers compare the game to John Wick, noting it draws heavily from the franchise. Some feel it is a lazy attempt at copying scenes and ideas.

Indie small team development: The game is an indie title developed by a small team of about 5 people. It is noted as not an AAA title and has a low budget.

Max Payne comparisons: The game is frequently compared to Max Payne, especially in style and atmosphere for the gun-fu combat. Some say it plays like a poorly stylized Max Payne game.

Only Act 1 available: The game is structured as Act 1 of 3, with only the first act currently playable. This is seen as incomplete by many.