BLACKWOOD Review: A Gritty Hitman Sim Trapped in Jank

Stepping into the shoes of Anton, a DVD rental clerk who moonlights as an underworld hitman, offers one of the most intriguing action setups of the year. Welcome to our definitive BLACKWOOD review, where we analyze whether this bold crime thriller delivers on its massive cinematic promise. With the game launching Act 1 to a mixed reception on Steam, this BLACKWOOD review breaks down whether the current build represents an unmissable indie gem or an unpolished project that needed more time in the oven.

Developed by AttritoM7 Productions and co-published with IZilla Games, the title attempts to weave the kinetic combat of modern action cinema with mundane life simulation. Players juggle counter service, customer recommendations, and inventory margins before taking on lethal evening contracts. Beneath its high-concept narrative and stylish takedowns, however, lies an experience caught between brilliance and mechanical frustration.

Dual Lives: Balancing 2012 DVD Retail and Midnight Contracts

The narrative hook revolves around Anton's double life in New York circa 2012. Instead of treating Anton's daytime cover as a simple cutscene backdrop, the game forces you to step behind the counter of your small rental shop. You run inventory, wipe down surfaces, order stock through an in-game desktop computer, and interact with your coworker Amelie.

Customer interactions require quick thinking. Shoppers approach the counter or browse aisles with specific genre preferences and minimum star ratings. You have roughly five to seven seconds to provide a suitable recommendation before customer patience expires. Community reports note that this system can feel overly punitive; satisfying dozens of patrons yields modest popularity gains, while a single missed recommendation can send your store rating tumbling.

Between shifts, Anton's apartment provides an atmospheric breather. You can turn on the television to catch news broadcasts covering the shootouts you orchestrated the previous night, browse fictional websites, or check emails. While player experiences highlight that these apartment routines give the world texture, the day-and-night progression can feel rigid. Rather than offering true schedule freedom, the loop generally follows a scripted cadence of working the store, accepting a single contract, and sleeping to advance the calendar.

Combat Mechanics: Satisfying Gunplay Undermined by Melee Friction

When Anton leaves the counter, the game transitions into a third-person shooter driven by contextual takedowns, shootdodging, and heavy gunplay. In evaluating the combat loop for this BLACKWOOD review, the firearm encounters stand out as the strongest component. Weapons deliver punchy impacts, and chaining a pistol headshot straight into a brutal environmental execution captures genuine action-movie flair.

Weapon modification also shines. Anton can customize firearms with suppressors, extended magazines, lasers, flashlights, and various optics. However, player experiences point out that certain modifications, such as scopes, feel largely cosmetic because the game lacks an authentic first-person aim-down-sights or picture-in-picture zoom mechanic.

Unfortunately, hand-to-hand combat fails to match the quality of the firefights. Melee relies on dodges, blocks, and counters, but the mechanical execution suffers from several critical flaws:

• Inconsistent Parry Windows: Enemy attack animations do not always telegraph danger clearly. Prompts frequently appear at the precise moment of impact or even after an enemy swing has begun.
• Absence of Invulnerability Frames: When initiating an execution or parry against one foe, nearby hostiles continue attacking. You can easily take fatal damage while locked into a lengthy takedown animation.
• Clunky Target Tracking: Anton requires precise directional alignment to land blows. Players report swinging into thin air following an evasive roll because Anton failed to track nearby assailants.
• Unforgiving Boss Encounters: Late-act encounters, particularly the melee brawl against Silas wielding an iron pipe, become punishing exercises in trial and error due to erratic hit detection and unblockable strikes.

The cover system also presents friction. Unsnapping from cover requires moving your character directly away from geometry rather than tapping a dedicated disengage button, causing Anton to cling to low walls while attempting to evade incoming flanking squads.

Act Structure, Content Length, and Side Missions

Rather than launching as a standard Early Access title, the developers opted for an episodic full-release model. Purchasing the base game grants access to all three planned acts at no additional charge.

A key distinction in this BLACKWOOD review is how the game divides its pacing across Act 1. The main campaign consists of only four story missions, which skilled players can complete in approximately two hours. These main missions feature set pieces such as a multi-floor subway firefight and an escape through city streets.

Outside the core campaign, players can undertake side jobs to earn clean currency for store upgrades or dirty cash for black-market weaponry:

1. IronGate Trials: A grueling 10-wave survival challenge set in enclosed arenas, testing resource conservation and target prioritization.
2. Contract Hits: Repeatable combat engagements that reuse campaign assets, such as warehouse districts and train platforms.
3. Stunt Double Gigs: Film-set combat sequences requiring specific choreographic moves and contextual takedowns under strict failure conditions.
4. Fight Club Brawls: Underground bare-knuckle tournaments focused strictly on mastering the game's melee and parry timings.

While these activities provide extra gameplay hours, community reports highlight frustrating design quirks. In survival challenges and side missions, enemies often spawn directly in Anton's line of sight or behind cleared corners, leaving players vulnerable to instant elimination.

Technical Performance, Controls, and Settings Optimization

During testing for this BLACKWOOD review, technical stability emerged as a significant talking point among players on the official Steam community forums. The title features both DirectX 11 and DirectX 12 renderers, but stability varies substantially depending on your chosen API and hardware.

Community reports consistently confirm that running the game under DirectX 12 introduces severe traversal stuttering and frame drops, even on modern graphics cards like the RTX 5060 Ti. Switching to DirectX 11 produces far more reliable frame times. Specific missions featuring heavy volumetric lighting and particle effects, such as the burning cigarette warehouse, still cause sudden performance dips.

Input handling also requires polish. While the game natively advertises full gamepad support, players navigating computers, wardrobe menus, or equipment lockers with a controller report that the D-pad and analog sticks often stop registering input entirely, forcing users to keep a mouse nearby. Steam Deck users can achieve playable frame rates on low-to-medium settings, but trackpad and gyro mouse-aiming configurations can trigger erratic camera snapping.

Comprehensive Breakdown: Pros, Cons, and System Specs

To help determine if your hardware can handle Anton's double life, review the official system requirements below:

To weigh your purchasing decision, consider the main strengths and weaknesses identified across player feedback and game analysis:

You can verify the latest patch notes, hotfixes, and roadmap updates directly on the official BLACKWOOD Steam store page.

Final Verdict: Is Act 1 Worth Your Money?

Our overall BLACKWOOD review findings suggest that AttritoM7 Productions has assembled a compelling foundation that is held back by mechanical jank and pacing stumbles. The developer's post-launch patches have begun addressing aim responsiveness and shop balance, but fundamental systems like melee telegraphing, cover transitions, and vehicle physics still need extensive tuning.

At its current price of $24.99 (frequently discounted to $22.49), the value proposition depends on your tolerance for eurojank action games. If you are seeking an immaculate, polished shooter on par with modern AAA releases, you should wait until Act 2 arrives in March 2027. However, if you enjoy quirky hybrid games, crime thrillers, and stylish run-and-gun combat, picking up the game now secures the entire three-act storyline at a reasonable entry price.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How long does it take to beat Act 1 of BLACKWOOD?

The core story campaign of Act 1 contains four main missions that take roughly 2 to 3 hours to finish. Engaging with side content, such as store management, underground fight clubs, stunt work contracts, and the 10-wave IronGate Trials, can extend your total playtime to anywhere between 8 and 15 hours.

Do I have to buy Act 2 and Act 3 separately?

No. When you purchase the game, you own the entire title. The developers have scheduled Act 2 for March 2027 and Act 3 for September 2027, and both will be delivered as free updates to existing game owners.

Why does this BLACKWOOD review emphasize playing on DirectX 11?

Community testing shows that running the game via DirectX 12 causes frequent stuttering, frame pacing hitches, and asset loading lag across various modern GPUs. Selecting DirectX 11 in the launcher settings resolves most micro-stutters and provides a substantially smoother frame rate.

Can you skip the DVD store management parts?

While recent updates have reduced the penalties associated with the shop, managing your store remains an integrated component of Anton's daily schedule. You need store profits to pay civilian expenses and buy DVDs, though you can automate certain routines if you prefer to spend most of your time on mercenary contracts.

Related guides

• BLACKWOOD How Long to Beat: Act 1 & Full Game Length
• BLACKWOOD Replayability Guide: End Game Loop & Modes
• BLACKWOOD Demo Impressions: Gameplay, Pricing & Details
• BLACKWOOD Download Guide: PC Specs, Price, and Editions