I first saw Blackwood some time ago when the game was announced, and I immediately thought it looked stylish. It has so many of the elements I’ve been missing from third-person shooters.
I really miss games like Max Payne. These days, there aren’t many titles that scratch that particular itch. We have a lot of Soulslikes and great combat-focused games, but I miss those stylish third-person shooters centered around crime, gangs, and criminals.
Blackwood has many of those elements, and that was enough to get me genuinely excited. After playing Act One, I can say that I really enjoyed the game and its core ideas. However, there are also some flaws that need to be addressed.

The DVD Shop


One of the things that surprised me most about Blackwood was how much I ended up enjoying the DVD shop simulator.
At the beginning, I honestly thought working in the shop was going to be boring. You spend your days stocking shelves with movies from different genres, such as action, adventure, and romance. Customers come in looking for something specific, and you can recommend titles based on their preferences.
The interesting part is that you actually have to remember the movies you have available. Customers can return later, allowing you to recommend new titles based on their established tastes.
Eventually, I started running out of movies to stock, which made me wonder what to do next. That’s when I realized I could use the computer in the shop to order more movies.


The computer features an online shopping system where you can order coffee, food, clothes, and other supplies. The game even includes its own fake versions of familiar real-world brands, which I thought was a nice touch.
Once I figured all of this out, the shop became surprisingly engaging. You can buy movies and check their ratings, which directly impacts your business. If you recommend a one-star movie to a customer, they won’t be happy, and your shop’s popularity will drop.
You also have to pay attention to daily trends. If romance movies are popular, you’ll want to make sure you have highly rated romance titles in stock. If action starts trending, you’ll need to stock up on good action films.
It sounds simple, but I genuinely enjoyed this mechanic. It feels like having a small shop simulator built into a third-person shooter, and I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did.

Missions and Variety


You receive missions through your computer via “The Dark Mail,” where you can also access contracts and purchase equipment.
Act One took me around three hours to complete for the main story, though there are plenty of additional activities outside of the primary campaign.


These aren’t traditional side quests. Instead, you get shorter missions and activities such as shooting ranges, underground fights, car races, and contract hits where you eliminate targets or perform as a stunt actor doing cool CQC and choreographed combat.
I really enjoyed these. There’s a good amount of variety, which helps keep the loop from becoming repetitive.
It is also encouraging that this is only Act One. With more acts planned, the game has plenty of room to expand. This also gives the developers time to polish the experience, especially in the areas that need work.

Weapons and Equipment


Blackwood offers a very nice variety of weapons, which you can modify with different attachments and upgrades. You can also purchase ammunition, mods, gear, and tactical optics.
I did run into a funny situation, though.
I accidentally sold my weapon and suddenly had nothing equipped. I bought another weapon, checked my closet, and couldn’t find it. Thinking the game had glitched, I bought another one—and still couldn’t find it.


Eventually, I walked to the door and discovered that all of my purchases had been delivered in physical boxes. My weapons, ammunition, mods, and other equipment were all waiting outside for me.
I really liked this detail. Instead of simply having items magically appear in your inventory, the game treats your purchases as actual deliveries.

Melee Combat


This is where Blackwood becomes a bit hit-or-miss.
To start with the positives: the shooting is great.
The gunplay feels stylish, the weapon sounds are satisfying, and there are some really intense action sequences. I genuinely enjoyed shooting, taking cover, and executing close-combat moves when enemies closed the distance.
You can also purchase and learn different close-combat moves in the garage, which is a great system.
Blackwood clearly takes inspiration from properties like John Wick, The Matrix, and Max Payne 3. When you eliminate the last enemy in an area, the game triggers a slow-motion camera effect that feels very satisfying.
However, the melee combat is where issues arise.
At times, it feels like a less polished version of 007: First Light. It isn’t terrible, but the combat doesn’t always feel precise. It can feel clumsy and loose rather than heavy and responsive.
The enemy AI is aggressive and will attack simultaneously rather than waiting patiently in line, which keeps encounters intense. However, this aggressive AI creates secondary problems. There were moments when enemies bombarded me with relentless attacks, making it difficult to time dodges or counters. The camera angles during these tight brawls also caused issues.
This is one area where the game needs significantly more refinement. The shooting is solid, but the melee mechanics need work.
The final boss was another pain point. Certain attacks felt virtually unavoidable or unblockable, leaving it unclear how to properly react. I eventually cleared the fight, but it definitely needs tuning.
Additionally, there were moments where I took cover yet continued to take damage from behind solid objects.
While the shooting and close-combat mechanics are enjoyable overall, the baseline melee combat needs more time in the oven.

Saving System


The save system is another element to keep in mind.
While the game features auto-saving, it does not always save progress mid-mission. If you quit during a mission before reaching a hard checkpoint, you may have to restart the entire mission or rerun the entire in-game day.
I learned this the hard way after stopping mid-mission and losing my progress. A more forgiving save system or manual checkpoint option would be a major quality-of-life improvement.

Story and Presentation


For Act One, the story is fine. It didn’t completely hook me, but it served its purpose well enough.
The overall ambition is what impressed me most. Blackwood feels like a blend of John Wick, Max PAYNE, and classic third-person action games, paired with an unexpected shop-management system.
The gunplay feels good, the sound design is strong, and the music fits the mood. However, the soundtrack does get repetitive after extended play. Adding two or three additional action tracks would help keep the combat sequences feeling fresh.

Driving


The driving sections were another pleasant surprise.
They offer a nice change of pace from the gunplay and melee encounters, and the vehicle handling is executed surprisingly well. It adds to the overall variety, and I hope to see expanded driving segments in future acts.


Accessibility & Options


Blackwood offers several handy gameplay and accessibility toggles, including:
Difficulty settings
Reload ammo loss (toggle)
Auto-cover
Camera shake adjustment
Driving line assist
It is good to see these options included, especially given how many different gameplay styles the game attempts to mix together.

Verdict


Blackwood is a very ambitious indie title with a strong core identity.
The weapon variety is great, the shop simulator is surprisingly engaging, the shooting feels crisp, the sound design is solid, the driving is fun, and there is plenty of mission variety to keep you occupied. Most importantly, it nails the specific crime-and-gang action aesthetic that third-person shooter fans have been missing.
However, it still requires refinement when it comes to melee combat precision, camera management, boss encounter design, and the save system. But is Blackwood worth buying right now?
For me, it’s a “wait-for-a-sale” recommendation.
At $24.99, it is best to wait for a discount or 20$ would be the sweet spot. And give the developers time to roll out patches and balance updates. That said, if you love the concept and want to support a unique indie project, the quality of the shooting and weapon systems alone makes a strong case for picking it up early because the shooting is fun.
Blackwood has a ton of potential. I enjoyed my time with Act One, and I’m interested to see how the developers build on this foundation in future updates. And finally, thank you to IZilla Games for providing a key to check out the game.