Blackwood Crossing is one of the most unique first-person games on Xbox One. The title is set on a moving train as two children—Scarlett and Finn—learn to navigate their relationship, until their paths cross with a mysterious creature. Various topics like the bond between siblings, growing up and death are explored throughout their short journey. While the game is a masterpiece in terms of storytelling and creativity, its performance on Xbox One is absolutely atrocious. This detracts from the entire experience because you’re struggling with the controls when you should be focusing on the story.
Blackwood Crossing features simple yet effective mechanics. You either go around exploring various rooms on the train—which can transport you to magical places—or collect items to solve puzzles. The puzzles may be simple but they’re vital because they unlock key details about Scarlett and Finn’s past. They also play an important role in understanding the paranormal events occurring on the train.
Despite its humble beginnings, the game features a deep story and is one of the few games which focuses on all facets of a relationship between two siblings. Every brother and sister have moments where they argue, disagree and eventually come together. Growing up also changes relationships because interests and the ability to connect changes due to different circumstances at home or at school. The developers clearly understood the complexity of these dynamics when making Blackwood Crossing.
Characters like the children’s parents and extended family also make an appearance. All of these individuals help paint a picture of what’s going on in the lives of the protagonists. The game has many subtle layers of storytelling and with each passing moment you learn more. The plot is revealed one brushstroke at a time instead of through any other crude method. That’s where the praise ends though.
As mentioned earlier, the game suffers from odd technical issues on Xbox One. Firstly, the title—despite being not as visually advanced as other next-generation experiences—runs at 30 FPS on the console. However, even then it feels like there are frame rate drops which give it a choppy appearance. I’m not sure if this is an issue with the frame rate or frame pacing but the gameplay just isn’t smooth. There aren’t any large drops but it’s clear the game isn’t steady at 30 FPS. Even my old laptop can run Blackwood Crossing better than the console.
Secondly, the controls aren’t optimized for Xbox One and you’re always wrestling with them. Much of the game revolves around picking up objects so the tasks become almost impossible and frustrating. Even opening doors is a chore because you’re wobbling around like a madman! If this was a gameplay mechanic like Layers of Fear I would understand, but in this case it’s not. Player should easily be able to interact with objects when using a controller. The game needs much more polish on Xbox One because it can’t be truly enjoyed in its current state.
Summary
Blackwood Crossing is a great game and if you can look past the clunky controls and odd frame pacing issues, it’s a blast to play. However, the majority of gamers will be aggravated by the problems with the controls. The developers need to address these issues soon because it’s a treat to play on PC but not on Xbox One.
Antonio was a regular ICXM contributor between 2016–2017, publishing 112 articles across game reviews, Windows and PC, and Xbox news. Their work focused on hands-on reviews, platform commentary, and breaking-news reporting during the Xbox One X launch year and Microsoft’s wider Play Anywhere / UWP gaming initiative.