Blackhaven is a first-person mystery about the legacy of slavery

Blackhaven

Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it

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As a Canadian, I probably already know too much American history. I say “too much,” but there really isn’t such a thing when it comes to history. Especially when it comes to the darker side that we’d much rather not repeat. So, while we’re up here grappling with the implications of the discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves in residential schools set up for indigenous children by the church and government, maybe let’s look at someone else’s dark past.

Oh, look! It’s Blackhaven, a game where you explore a museum built around the burned remains of a colonial farm. You play as Kendra Turner, an HBCU sophomore and summer intern at the Blackhaven Hall Historical Society, who finds herself unraveling the true story behind the whitewashed history of the plantation.

Blackhaven Flag

Put together by HBCU students and historians, Blackhaven covers themes of slavery, emancipation, and white supremacy. All of this is told with carefully researched architecture, furniture, and documents. It’s a first-person narrative game that gives you free rein to explore and unravel the mysteries for yourself.

An uncomfortable topic for sure, but one worth learning about, and you can do so for free as Blackhaven releases July 27 on Steam. Brought to us by Historiated, it looks like a worthwhile experience that makes use of the video game medium to create an engaging history lesson.


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Author
Zoey Handley
Staff Writer - Zoey is a gaming gadabout. She got her start blogging with the community in 2018 and hit the front page soon after. Normally found exploring indie experiments and retro libraries, she does her best to remain chronically uncool.