Blanc - Review
The classic tale of an unlikely friendship is what you can expect from indie developer Casus Ludi’s artistic non-dialogue adventure platformer. Blanc follows a wolf cub and fawn that had been left behind after what seems to be a snow storm, hence the title meaning ‘white’ in French.
First off, the game’s visual style and art are absolutely stunning, thanks to the wonderful hand-drawn style that has been used. Both cub and fawn movements are absolutely gorgeous when controlling them through the snow, even when doing a simple task like jumping onto obstacles or objects. The attention to detail isn’t just for the animals, the way that the snow moves as you walk on it or drag objects through it is very well implemented. Even the wind and footprints that you leave behind, help to imbue the game with a real sense of majesty and shouldn’t be taken for granted. As stated before, white is definitely the theme of the game, as the entire game is presented in black and white, which plays on the contrast of the two characters you control, being a shorter black coloured wolf cub, and a white elegant little fawn.
Through the game, if you opt to play solo then you will control both characters as you attempt to navigate them back to their respective groups. Should you play with a friend, then you each control one of the critters and just need to work together to get back home. As the game doesn’t provide any dialogue or captions, everything you learn about the two characters, is done by their actions, which means that you can see their friendship blossoms over time, from keeping a distance to the point of helping each other. The help generally comes in the form of the fawn being taller and able to assist the shorter cub up on its back to get to higher platforms, or the cub being able to get through smaller areas to keep the pair moving forwards. Blanc has a handful of clever little puzzles designed for players to think about how they need to overcome their obstacles, even when helping other animals you meet along the way. You might think that no dialogue or any words at all, would be a detriment to the experience, but the lack of them doesn’t mean the game won’t pull on your heartstrings.
As mentioned before Blanc is a game that can be played either solo, where you control both characters, or by sharing with another player. Though playing solo is simple enough to do, there are times where controlling both characters at one time does get a little tricky, as each joystick (left and right) would be controlling only one of the two younglings. For those seeking to play through the game with a friend or partner, you can do so locally, which on the Switch means sharing a Joy-Con, but the game also supports two-players via online. If you want to do the latter, then just be aware that you have to send an invite to a friend and not be jumping into a random player’s game. In this instance, local with two Switch consoles or sharing a controller is definitely the better way to play, but no matter which method you chose, you can tell that Blanc was created to be a two player game.
Blanc is a great example of what an indie developer can create, especially when they are passionate. Though it’s somewhat simple, it definitely has its fun challenges to work out and finding how to get through each level, is rewarding. It’s very clear from the get-go that it was made to be played cooperatively, however, the option to play single is perfectly fine and does actually give a little more challenge, as you need to perfect your coordination skills. The lack of dialogue and captions definitely seem to have been done on purpose for players to focus more on what friends do for each other, which they’ve absolutely nailed. Perhaps the biggest complaint that I can raise for the game is that it is a little on the short side and while it is fun enough to leave players wanting more, it is something to be aware of. If you were curious about this adventure game, then we would highly recommend it, as it isn’t one you would want to blanc on.
The Score
8.0
Review code provided by Gearbox Publishing
The Pros
+Beautiful artwork and game design
+Fantastic narrative without dialogue or captions
The Cons
-A little too short to complete game
-Could come across a little too basic/simple
