The scariest thing you encounter in Blair Witch isn't the titular evil entity, but the escalating dread that threatens to consume your increasingly fragile mind. This foreboding comes courtesy of the fact you spend most of Bloober Team's first-person psychological horror adventure deep in the forest after dark.

An evening walk in the woods might not sound like the most terrifying idea, but Blair Witch's setting isn't your typical stretch of trees and underbrush. As PTSD-suffering ex-cop Ellis Lynch, players are called to the franchise's infamous Black Hills Forest, where a young boy's disappearance kicks off the protagonist's living nightmare.

The story unfolds two years after the events of The Blair Witch Project—1999's found-footage horror film phenomenon. But even without that history, the unsettling environment packs the potential to ratchet up your heart rate. Stuffed with atmospheric details, like old structures reclaimed by nature, abandoned railroad cars, and long-forgotten bunkers, the setting is more visually nuanced than your typical video game forest.

Still, those pulse-quickening elements could feasibly appear in any woodland area; this forest just outside of Burkittsville, Maryland, however, hosts details that go far beyond the curious. On top of creepy series call-backs, such as wood-carved talismans and walls covered in handprints, Ellis discovers disturbing Polaroid photos and 8mm tapes containing footage you won't want to watch if you hope to enjoy a peaceful night's sleep.

But if grainy video of a madman murdering someone with a shovel doesn't unnerve you, a trek through the woods' more tormented stretches might do the trick. Ellis' search for the boy—and his own peace of mind—is occasionally interrupted by the forest aggressively coming to life. Tree branches violently break and crash to the ground;piles of leaves move to-and-fro beneath the power of an unseen force; and beckoning whispers cut through the whipping wind, tempting Ellis to let go of what little sanity he has left.

With malevolent forces hunting him and his own mind betraying him, it would seem Ellis is destined to suffer the same fate as the film's wall-facing victims. But a number of inventive gameplay mechanics offer the doomed protagonist a fighting chance. Armed with a '90s era arsenal of tools— from a chunky cell phone to an 8mm camcorder—players can combat monsters, solve puzzles, and find their way through an increasingly labyrinthine environment.

Your absolute best asset is Bullet, Ellis' loyal German shepherd. The faithful pup can be given simple commands, but he also does just fine on his own—sniffing out clues, identifying story-progressing interactions, and emitting a throaty growl when threats lurk beyond Ellis' line of sight.

But whether barking at the woods' paranormal dangers or literally digging up its secrets, Bullet never feels like a tacked-on gameplay mechanic or just another tool in your inventory. His presence and companionship come across as authentic, while his place in the larger story feels organic. Plenty of games pair you with animal allies you can sic on foes, but few give you a friend like Bullet.

It doesn't hurt that you can affectionately pet his head, scratch his ears, rub his belly, and treat him to the occasional biscuit. If you like your psychological frights with a side of canine companionship, Blair Witch's haunted forest is well worth braving. Purchase or wishlist the game on Epic Games Store.