Blanc is a short adventure game centered around an unlikely partnership between a young wolf and a deer. They have been separated from their families and must help each other (and others) to find them. The beauty of this game lies not only in this moving story, but also in the hand-drawn art style of the visuals. Bran is presented in a unique way where there is no dialogue or reading aloud, just contextual cues and emotions.
The game begins with a wolf waking up to discover that his family is gone. When he found deer, he set out to find them. They start their relationship on difficult terms. If the wolf gets too close to the deer, he will growl and howl. However, as they continue their journey, the distance between the two becomes shorter.
The pair travel a long way to find their families, and in doing so find many obstacles to face and other animals to help. Deer can push things to help wolves reach higher places, while wolves can pull things to get through small spaces.
An example of helping other animals is when a deer and a wolf come across a duck. The duckling cannot cross some roads because of strong winds. Deer and wolves use their bodies to keep the wind from blowing onto ducklings crossing paths.
First, you’ll see a helpful tutorial on game controls and limitations. Speaking of limitations, there is no way to move the camera. This can get a little annoying at certain times in the game, but overall it wasn’t too much of an issue.Blanc can be played by one or two players (locally or online), We highly recommend playing with a partner. It’s much easier that way, and also a lot more fun.
I faced some interface issues while playing, but these could also be due to accuracy issues. You couldn’t do that unless you were in a very specific position. Also, I had to restart the game because I tried to open the door and it didn’t open at some point. Blanc autosaves frequently so this wasn’t a big issue.
As mentioned before, Blanc is presented in a hand-drawn style that adds a very comfortable storybook feel to the game. It is played entirely in black and white, with one being white and the other being black, so it also adds a deer and wolf split.Music is also very important to the game. The lack of dialogue helps players get a feel for what’s going on. Everything is done so beautifully, conveying the message and morals so well without words.
In Blanc, two characters who should hate each other get together and even form a friendship. The game teaches us that hatred is taught rather than instinctive, and that it can be a very comforting and encouraging experience.
