As a first-person shooter, Blindfire is part of a legacy spanning decades dating back to Maze War in the 1970s. Although the genre has undoubtedly come a long way from shooting eyeballs in wireframe corridors, there are some seemingly unavoidable problems that multiplayer first-person shooters in particular have had to contend with time and time again. Gunplay, movement, graphics, progression, and myriad other systems have evolved considerably, but issues like camping or downtime for defeated players have long continued to be a pain point for even the most successful franchises.
Blindfire‘s creative premise puts it in a unique position to address these issues: in Blindfire, players can neither see each other nor the environment. Matches begin in complete darkness, and the game is all about players using their senses to reveal one another, illuminating themselves and their targets once the first shots are exchanged. As a result, the game’s relationship with darkness is both a novel twist for the genre and an inspiration for addressing longstanding shortcomings in the genre. In an interview with Game Rant, Blindfire lead game designer Matt Dunthorne breaks down how the team at Double Eleven used this dynamic to their advantage in eliminating both campers and downtime for defeated competitors.
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Blindfire – PlayStation Release Trailer
Double Eleven’s FPS action game Blindfire is available now in Early Access on PlayStation 5. Take a look at the PlayStation release trailer here.
Blindfire’s Spectator Mode Eliminates Downtime
Although other players are a constant danger, Blindfire‘s maps are also littered with traps that can illuminate their surroundings and paint a bullseye on unsuspecting players. To top it off, spectating players can manually control these traps. Dunthorne notes that Blindfire has eliminated the downtime usually experienced by players defeated early in a round by turning defeated players into active participants in spectator mode.
We try to make it so that each trap has a different effect depending on whether a spectator triggers it or a player does. For example, if a player bumps into a car, they get a black-and-white flash of lights. But if a spectator triggers it, there’s a burst of sparks to show that the spectator activated it. Then you get the full siren and longer lights, so the player knows,
“Right, someone’s trying to mess with me. I need to be even more careful.”
To expand on this, Dunthorne revealed that the team plans to award spectators points for successful trap trickery in a future update. This move encourages spectators to stay engaged throughout the round and gives them a fighting chance to come out on top with the points they’ve earned during downtime. Contrary to most first-person shooters, success in Blindfire will depend on players’ skills both as competitors on the ground and after they’ve been eliminated. As Dunthorne said,
In the next update, we’ll also allow spectators to earn points. They won’t earn a lot, but if they use their traps carefully, they can earn enough to stay in contention and not feel like they have no chance of winning by round four.
Blindfire Cleverly Handles Camping
Although camping may be viewed as a legitimate strategy in first-person shooter games, it can’t be argued that it’s a frustrating technique to compete against. In Blindfire‘s case, Dunthorne pointed to several features that explicitly discourage this passive playstyle:
On top of that, we also had to add an anti-camping feature. If you stay still for too long, your mask lights up, revealing your location. The game essentially tells you,
“Don’t be a camper.”
One of our main goals is to keep players moving so that they have to make noise—their footsteps have to be heard. This keeps players moving while also staying aware of their surroundings, which added a lot to the gameplay flow. It especially affects how traps work. You can be as careful as you want, but if someone in spectator mode is controlling the traps and they decide to turn on a light above your head, you’re forced to react and change your plan.
Blindfire‘s anti-camping features do more than just discourage camping, however; these features also push players to move around and produce noise–one of the primary means of players discovering each other. It’s a one-two punch that both fosters a healthier competitive environment and also emphasizes the gameplay that makes Blindfiresuch a unique shooter to begin with.
WEAPONS LIVE, LIGHTS OUT
Blindfire is an online multiplayer first-person shooter that takes place in the dark. Set in a shadowy underworld, the ultra-wealthy bet on illicit bloodsports beneath a neon skyline. For contestants lured by the promise of untold riches and unimaginable glory, it’s kill or be killed.
EVERY KILL COUNTS
Brave the arena alone or team up in matches of up to 8 players. In Bodycount mode, score the most points over five rapid-fire rounds. Be the last person standing when the lights come on and earn your place in the winner’s showcase.
DANGER LURKS IN THE DARK
Light is a rarity in close-quarter arenas riddled with traps for intense firefights. Players must decide where and when to fire at the risk of exposing their position. Hone your senses with the room-scanning Echo mechanic to help you navigate the arena and locate your opponents.
REVENGE UNDER THE BLACKLIGHTS
When defeated, spectators gain access to the arena’s cutting-edge night vision cameras. Blacklight reveals the vibrant hues of hidden street art and transforms the slick designs of contestants’ outfits. The eliminated spectators can assume control of traps in the arena to influence the outcome of the match and exact revenge.
LIGHT THEM UP
The pitch-black battlefields of Blindfire turn the first-person shooter genre on its head. Stalk the shadows as the tension builds, then run for cover as the shots start flying in a volley of muzzle flashes. Think you’ve got what it takes to eliminate the competition in Blindfire? Then grab your weapon and LIGHT THEM UP.
- Developer(s)
- Double Eleven Limited
- Publisher(s)
- Double Eleven Limited
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Violence, Blood
- Number of Players
- 1-8