Blanc was released in February of 2023, and you can pick it up either on the Switch or through Steam. It is a co-op game that can be played either together on the couch, or remotely. Lady Dynamo and I played through this together over Steam, using a controller.
Gameplay
Blanc has very simple gameplay – there are not a lot of controls to worry about and you can’t ‘die’. Primarily you’ll get around the world by walking/running, jumping, and helping each other out. Much of the game involves puzzles that must both characters work together to solve.
The characters have no dialogue through the entire game, but they are expressive enough that it is still easy to understand what is happening. While none of the puzzles are difficult, some of them took a few tries for us to solve just because we would make a mistake at a later part and have to do it again.
The entire game is in black and white, and it is actually all hand drawn! The animal sounds used throughout the game fit perfectly, and the music fits the mood really well.
Dynamo and I finished Blanc in just under two hours. While we were aware it was a shorter game; we didn’t realize it was that short when we started – but we weren’t disappointed.
Story
Blanc starts out with a snowstorm, and then a fawn and a wolf cub wake up realizing they are alone. Each character begins looking for their families, and they run into each other. Wolves and deer don’t typically get along; so there is of course there is a bit of growling from the wolf or the deer being nervous at first, but they quickly become friends.
They are both following the trails of their families, and set off across a snowy landscape to try and find them. The pair will come across other characters – there is a goose who seems to be struggling to to get her goslings home, and a pair of goats who come out to play.
Most of the game involves helping each other get into places the other can’t reach – so the wolf crawls through small spaces, and the fawn allows the wolf to crawl up and over it so that it can reach higher places. Eventually, they’ll find their families and say their goodbyes as they go their separate ways.
It is incredibly endearing, and most of the game we couldn’t stop gushing about how adorable it was. Both Dynamo and I had an extreme reaction to an incident with the goats – we were pretty close to an emotional breakdown in the middle!
For a game that doesn’t use any dialogue, Blanc manages to deliver emotion amazingly well.
Overall Review
Overall, I am giving Blanc a 9 out of 10. It is adorable, and it is well made and clearly a lot of love went into this. We only experienced one issue that caused the game to crash, and it was able to boot back up and keep going pretty quickly.
Was it fun, though?
Yes! Dynamo and I both enjoyed it. It’s short, it’s meant to be played with two-people, and it’s fun. If you want something for a date night or something casual with friends, Blanc is a great fit. It is more casual and relaxing than It Takes Two was, for example.
I also found after looking up the game that on their website they have several very adorable crafting options – including crochet patterns for making your very own wolf and fawn! (I definitely downloaded them and will have to make a pair!)
The Bardic Unicorn 