Remember A Nightmare on Elm Street, and the many sequels, in which the characters would do their all to stay awake, afraid to close their eyes, because of a lurking Freddy Krueger? That's almost the same atmosphere conjured up in new co-op horror game The Blackout Club, with one huge difference - you have to close your eyes if you want to succeed.
A group of kids in a suburban neighbourhood have come together to tackle a huge problem; friends and family are sleepwalking to places unknown, whilst a figure seen only when your eyes are shut, named 'The Shape', is stalking residents and dragging them to what one can only assume is their demise.
Players should jump into the single-player 25-minute tutorial, which also serves as a prologue, before rushing into the main game. Often, there's a willingness from gamers to skip the instructions and dive right in, but that'd be a big mistake here. There are lots of mechanics at play which you'll need to master if you want to get the most out of The Blackout Club, and the tutorial explains them perfectly.
The most important of all, is the ability to unearth clues and discover direction, when shutting your eyes. A deep red takes over your lack of vision, and there's always the opportunity for a jump scare when you bring yourself back to the real world.
Once you're up to speed with how the game goes, you can invite friends on in to tackle the mysteries surrounding your neighbourhood together. An arsenal of mind-bending weapons are at your disposal, from grappling hooks to sleep darts, and plenty of booby traps to make your missions a little safer.
Missions vary in location, but the real fun starts at level five, when you're given the opportunity to join a game as a stalker. These moles will sabotage operations, by filming kids breaking the rules, reporting back to the adults, and leading them to the group.
One of the truly groundbreaking aspects of The Blackout Club is the introduction of a system that will record your screams and murmurings, so long as you give it permission, and then use them as part of the game's soundscape.
Usually, I'd have a gripe about the short replayability options on offer from the game, but at just a third of the price of full-length titles, it's hard to criticise. It'd also be very simple for developers to continue adding to this world, in the form of DLC packs and the like, so we'll be keeping an eye out for anything that may crop up in the future.
The Blackout Club is available now on PC and consoles. Female First were given a code for the game on Xbox One, in exchange for a fair and honest review.