Blindfire shoots its shots in the Dark

I think it's admirable whenever a first-person shooter tries to go beyond the tried and true formula of clicking heads. Be that by adding resources to manage, fun movement options for an extra dimension, or flipping the very concept of doinking each other in the head on its... head? 

Anyways, Blindfire is one of those attempts that doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel but rather change the way we interact with it, and it does so by turning out the lights. In the pitch-black darkness, you can only rely on your hearing, a handy Echo attempting to ping your opponents, and various traps and stage hazards to spice things up. Trying to determine where your opponent is and weighing the risk of firing your weapon is some tense stuff, even if the replays resemble me trying to find a light switch at 2 AM. Most firefights end up short and tense, the way you move and position while lights are out will always favor the player with better map knowledge over the one with twitchy aim. But it is the initial locating of an enemy that ends up being much more exciting than the exchange that follows.

It works, but there are still a few kinks to iron out. You will either start the round with a pistol or a shotgun. The pistol feels well suited for this kind of game, low rate of fire and small ammo counts stop you from spraying around at random. The shotgun isn’t as fun to use. The high rate of fire and spray of the bullets make it way too easy to hit and chase your target. Blindfire is at its best when it is played like Paintball rather than Airsoft, even if the time to kill is a little too short for my liking to let the movement and positioning shine. That might be because the game in its current state isn't balanced around low player numbers.

The stage hazards in their current state also feel a little all over the place. You always know where they are, some of them, like the police cars or gates start making noise and lighting up when someone bumps into them while barrels can explode when shot at. Barrels are the most useful, as their explosions can wipe entire teams, while the others serve as distractions or alarm bells. When you play in teams and you’ve already been eliminated, you get to trigger those hazards remotely. Something I wish you could do in active play to make poking around in the dark a little more tactical.

I’m optimistic that developer Double Eleven can turn Blindfire's promises into something truly special. It's a small game for a small price and plays like nothing else out there. Once the rough edges are sanded off and there is a little more depth in the way players find each other, we might have a shooter that relies on more than just good aim.

An early access copy was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this preview. Blindfire is now available in early access for Xbox Series X/S and PC.

Timo Reinecke

Contributing Editor

Timo is an avid enjoyer of all things video games hailing from Germany. After being abandoned as a child on the Rolanberry Fields of Final Fantasy XI, he has since developed an undying love for the digital worlds of MMOs. But if you can't find him crafting up a storm in Final Fantasy XIV, you'll probably find him workshopping combos in action/fighting games or being extremely passionate about the latest mobile title.

Outside of gaming, Timo is usually skimming through the Criterion Collection or praying to whatever Eldritch horror that his latest favorite manga doesn't get damaged in shipping. You can find live reactions to all of that on X @ALahftel.