Blackwell Unbound

Blackwell Unbound: Now With 50% More Insufferable Protagonist ★★★☆☆ Remember how Rosa was charmingly awkward and relatably anxious? Well, meet Lauren Blackwell, her aunt, who apparently inherited all the family's psychic abilities and none of its likability. This prequel jumps back to the '70s, and Lauren is... a lot. She's got that special brand of self-righteousness that makes you want to throw your mouse at the screen. Where Rosa stumbled through ghost encounters with endearing uncertainty, Lauren barges in like she's doing the dead a huge favor by acknowledging their existence. Thanks, Lauren. Very generous of you. The good news? Joey's still here, and he's somehow even snarkier dealing with Lauren's attitude. Watching him try to reign in her ego while she bulldozes through supernatural situations is like watching a very patient babysitter manage a particularly stubborn toddler. Except the toddler can see dead people and won't shut up about it. The mystery itself is solid—something about a jazz club and musicians who died under suspicious circumstances. The '70s setting gives everything a grittier vibe, and the pixel art nails that seedy nightclub atmosphere. The puzzles are trickier this time around, which is either a blessing or a curse depending on how much you enjoyed pixel-hunting in the first game. But man, Lauren just will not stop talking about how important and necessary her work is. Lady, you're helping ghosts fill out their afterlife paperwork. Dial it back a notch. Still worth playing if you're invested in the series, but prepare to miss Rosa's neurotic charm real quick. The Verdict: Good game, shame about the protagonist's personality transplant.