Black Butterfly

Black Butterfly is a game which was created and released by one independent creator - Rafael Braza. The maker gave life to animations and took care of dubbing all the characters we can find in the game. He also independently released this title under the flag of Studio 616 Games. Black Butterfly is the artist's first full-fledged work. The game was released on January 7, 2020 and it is available on Steam at a favorable price, which certainly encourages the purchase.

The game starts with a short prologue. The terrifying voice of the narrator tells about the dark, eighteenth-century Black Butterfly sect, which aimed to transform all people into dangerous zombies. However, the plan was thwarted and many sect members were sentenced to death at the burning stake in the trial against witches. Several members of the Black Butterfly, however, escaped and hid in a forest in a small village.

In the prologue, we also encounter Isaac, who tells his story. The man used to live a happy life alongside his wife Jill and their little son - Carl in a small town. One night, however, an unfortunate accident occurred that resulted in the death of little Carl. Depressed parents tried to "move on", but the traumatic experiences did not let them forget about the death of their child. Isaac and Jill decided to move to a small village in the woods ... The game starts 2 years after moving out of town. We start in a large, elegant room at the Isaac&Jill’s house. Crossing the room and getting to know the surroundings takes a few moments. Despite the nice decor and noticeable wealth, the house seems cold, empty and gloomy. At this point we also meet Jill, who is clearly still unable to accept the death of her son - the woman sits motionless in a chair, staring at the "altar" created from the pictures of her child.

A moment later, after passing through the door, there is a cut scene, and we return to the story after another year. At this point, the game begins to serve real shivers on the back. There is a storm, the electricity went out, and the beautifully decorated house doesn’t look anything like before. It is full of old junk, wooden crates and empty furniture, as if much more time has passed and many more events have occurred... We find disturbing letters, frightening photos, traces of blood and much more terrible items which are suggesting something bad happened. Isaac wanders around the dark, empty house, searching drawers and cabinets, he also tries to find his wife. We can find a kerosene lamp, ammo and a pistol very quickly. At some point we also find Jill, who does not look like we remembered her from the photos and the first act of the game. The woman cries blood and screams at Isaac, who has to shoot her in self-defense. This gives rise to a series of disturbing events. The man discovers that the wife was trying to perform some dark ritual that could be the reason for her transformation...

After killing his wife, the devastated Isaac runs out of the house to discover that the whole village looks damaged and deserted. Dozens of corpses are found in neighboring houses, some in very poor condition, suggesting that it wasn't just Jill who had contact with the Dark Forces. At this point, the real roller-coaster ride begins. It is dark everywhere, and the tension is fueled by Isaac's accelerated, frightened breath that we constantly hear. At some point, we discover that policemen in scary masks covered in blood are running around the village, chasing our hero and laughing wildly. Then it's getting only worse ...

Despite the graphics suggesting production in 2005-2007, the game is very interestingly made. The overwhelming darkness and atmosphere of the game distract attention from inaccurate details and simple characters. During the first few minutes of the game we have the chance to become familiar with the mechanics and controls. Useful tips (tutorial) are shown in the upper right corner in the first act of the game, but you can also find them cleverly camouflaged in the game, for example on the wall in the form of a small poster, which is worth appreciating - both because of the idea and its implementation. At this point we also discover that the game, in addition to the heavy atmosphere of survival horror, also serves us interesting puzzles - there are logical elements at every stage of the game. Opening doors, boxes, performing certain tasks requires finding hints and a bit logical thinking.

It is also worth noting that the game offers very limited equipment. Isaac must often choose what he can take to the backpack. In addition, the opponents are quite tough and move quickly - a few shots from a distance are not enough to defeat an opponent. Also the strength of the opponents is high, a direct attack causes the death of Isaac. This only fuels the atmosphere of anxiety and the survival nature of the game. The whole story is not very long - without going into details, the title can be beaten in about 2 hours, but when looking behind every corner, the story can provide entertainment for about 4-5 hours. At a first glance the title strongly brings to mind the first games of the Silent Hill series. The creator himself boldly admits that he was inspired by the series when creating his game. In summary, Black Butterfly is an interesting proposition for fans of horrors and games that require a bit of skill and effort. As a minus, however, we could mention the dubbing - the game offers audio in English (and subtitles in Portuguese), however, the accent and pronunciation of the dialogs, especially for English native speakers, can be a bit irritating. But if you can turn a deaf ear to it, the game guarantees a really large dose of entertainment.