In a way, Blood is the most perfect FPS of the 90’s. In a time where Quake basically launched officially the tech race, Blood goes in the opposite direction: Dev’s decided to stick to what was already known in the industry, and get the best out of it. And man, they definitely did it. Blood not only takes the best out of the Build Engine (even with it’s issues, it was arguably the best engine for 2.5D shooters of it’s time), but they also show how aknowledge of the genre they were, and how determined they were in perfect it, not only in it’s gameplay aspects but also in it’s artistic possibilities.
To me, it feels like the devs spent years taking notes of other shooter’s flaws and how to fix them.
- Ever thought that hitscan enemies in early fps (With the exception of chaingunners in Doom II) were a little bit too easy in general? Blood’s approach on hitscan enemies is pretty avant-garde, in my opinion. This guys are really tough and unforgiving, they can kill in less than seconds, and they are placed everywhere around the game. Even if some other enemies might look more frightening and threatening in appearence, the truth is that even the bosses can pale in comparison to the two varieties of hitscanners, which are The Cultists and The Fanatics. By the second level of the game you’ve already meet both of them. And i think they are somehow avant-garde, since they pioneered this style of hitscanning that would become more popular on games like Half-Life and Counter Strike: it’s so unforgiving that you can get killed in just one shot. This definitely forces you to be strategic in your way of approaching them, more than any other fps at the time, and that’s not just the core of Blood’s gameplay but it would also become pretty influential, despite not earning enough recognition for it. ✔
- Ever felt like pistols were always the worst weapon in the game? Well, Blood replace the pistol with a flaregun, a whole different weapon, which is pretty useful even if you’re pretty stocked with ammo from other weapons. ✔
- Ever felt like most of incendiary weapons were interesting in concept but sucked in execution? Well, Blood not only fixes this but is also the most flammable shooter of the 90’s and is fantastic for that. ✔
- Ever felt kinda wrong that, despite having multiple weapons, enemies only had two death animations as much? Well, Blood has tons of death animations, and enemies can be gibbed in many different ways, feeling at times like a Brutal Doom precursor. ✔
- Ever thought that no FPS offered you a spooky and scary experience the way your first Doom playthrough did? Well, Blood succeeds like no one at the time (Except for Quake, obviously) at putting you in a horror-like mood. ✔
All of this, packed with all the typical Build engine goodies, such as mouse freelook, jumping and crouching, exploding walls and demolishing buildings, etc.
Blood’s arsenal, which is inspired by the possibilities of the early XXth century, is not only incredibly original and huge, but it also incorporates the novelty of the alternative fire, which will become a landmark for modern FPS onwards.
And i have to say this is also the most detailed spritework ever put into a 90’s 2.5D FPS, which shows the often overlooked artistic possibilities of the genre.
As for the episodes:
Episode 1 is by far the most iconic. It’s also the one with the strongest sense of storytelling: You wake up in a cementery in Map 1, then go to a train station in map 2, then you enjoy a train ride in map 3. In map 4, you explore the carnival where your train crashed. Map 5 and 6 are focused on cultist temples, which lead you to the boss fight in map 8. Is a quest for revenge and also, a quest for the truth. Gameplay wise, is absolutely perfect, and is just amazing how every level seems to be better than the one before.
Episode 2 is also amazing and has tons of memorable moments. It’s in my opinion, the one with the stronger and most authentic identity, which is mostly divided between snowy landscapes and gothic mansions. This episode even puts some mazes but they are so well designed that you can hardly get frustrated by them. You can say that, at moments, the episode seems to be a little more focused on exploration. But of course, there’s tons of action in here.
Episode 3 is the weakest. It starts out in a very promising way, introducing you to two city levels (The first one has huge Duke3D vibes despite it’s early XXth century aesthetic), but then it changes the subject rather quickly introducing a more industrial theme (including an infamous sewer level because this is a 90’s shooter after all) that goes one for the rest of the episode. Map 1 is the only one that i genuinely enjoyed from beginnig to end in here. It’s not like the maps are actually bad, it’s just that the average level from Episode 1 and 2 is so goddamn high, that you can’t help but noticing a decrease in quality.
Finally, Episode 4 is definitely better than Episode 3 when it comes to level design, but it’s also the most eclectic, almost feeling incoherent at times. One could think that this episode was probably made up of leftover maps that couldn’t fit properly into the other three episodes, all of them having a pretty well defined theme or aesthetic going on in them. Here, you reach from a medieval castle at the beginning, to a horror film-like hospital, to a modern shopping mall and a modern aquarium (both of them could easily fit on Duke3D without the need of the slightest modification). Map 2 looks pretty much like what Dusk would do decades later. Map 6 is the standout of the episode for me, despite being a bit disliked by fans. And map 7, “In the flesh”, is simply an abomination, an ode to bad taste. The boss fight in map 8 was probably the most interesting boss fight of the whole game in my opinion.
Despite this downgrades in the last two episodes (which are not really bad by themselves, is just that the first two episodes set the bar way too high) Blood is a near perfect game. This is probably my favourite FPS from the 90s after Doom and Half-Life. If you’re into this kind of stuff, chances are that you’ve already played Blood. But if you haven’t, please, go check it right now.
Favourite maps: E1M3: Phantom Express / E1M4: Dark Carnival / E2M4: The Overlooked Hotel
Worst maps: E3M3: Raw Sewage / E4M7: In the Flesh
To me, it feels like the devs spent years taking notes of other shooter’s flaws and how to fix them.
- Ever thought that hitscan enemies in early fps (With the exception of chaingunners in Doom II) were a little bit too easy in general? Blood’s approach on hitscan enemies is pretty avant-garde, in my opinion. This guys are really tough and unforgiving, they can kill in less than seconds, and they are placed everywhere around the game. Even if some other enemies might look more frightening and threatening in appearence, the truth is that even the bosses can pale in comparison to the two varieties of hitscanners, which are The Cultists and The Fanatics. By the second level of the game you’ve already meet both of them. And i think they are somehow avant-garde, since they pioneered this style of hitscanning that would become more popular on games like Half-Life and Counter Strike: it’s so unforgiving that you can get killed in just one shot. This definitely forces you to be strategic in your way of approaching them, more than any other fps at the time, and that’s not just the core of Blood’s gameplay but it would also become pretty influential, despite not earning enough recognition for it. ✔
- Ever felt like pistols were always the worst weapon in the game? Well, Blood replace the pistol with a flaregun, a whole different weapon, which is pretty useful even if you’re pretty stocked with ammo from other weapons. ✔
- Ever felt like most of incendiary weapons were interesting in concept but sucked in execution? Well, Blood not only fixes this but is also the most flammable shooter of the 90’s and is fantastic for that. ✔
- Ever felt kinda wrong that, despite having multiple weapons, enemies only had two death animations as much? Well, Blood has tons of death animations, and enemies can be gibbed in many different ways, feeling at times like a Brutal Doom precursor. ✔
- Ever thought that no FPS offered you a spooky and scary experience the way your first Doom playthrough did? Well, Blood succeeds like no one at the time (Except for Quake, obviously) at putting you in a horror-like mood. ✔
All of this, packed with all the typical Build engine goodies, such as mouse freelook, jumping and crouching, exploding walls and demolishing buildings, etc.
Blood’s arsenal, which is inspired by the possibilities of the early XXth century, is not only incredibly original and huge, but it also incorporates the novelty of the alternative fire, which will become a landmark for modern FPS onwards.
And i have to say this is also the most detailed spritework ever put into a 90’s 2.5D FPS, which shows the often overlooked artistic possibilities of the genre.
As for the episodes:
Episode 1 is by far the most iconic. It’s also the one with the strongest sense of storytelling: You wake up in a cementery in Map 1, then go to a train station in map 2, then you enjoy a train ride in map 3. In map 4, you explore the carnival where your train crashed. Map 5 and 6 are focused on cultist temples, which lead you to the boss fight in map 8. Is a quest for revenge and also, a quest for the truth. Gameplay wise, is absolutely perfect, and is just amazing how every level seems to be better than the one before.
Episode 2 is also amazing and has tons of memorable moments. It’s in my opinion, the one with the stronger and most authentic identity, which is mostly divided between snowy landscapes and gothic mansions. This episode even puts some mazes but they are so well designed that you can hardly get frustrated by them. You can say that, at moments, the episode seems to be a little more focused on exploration. But of course, there’s tons of action in here.
Episode 3 is the weakest. It starts out in a very promising way, introducing you to two city levels (The first one has huge Duke3D vibes despite it’s early XXth century aesthetic), but then it changes the subject rather quickly introducing a more industrial theme (including an infamous sewer level because this is a 90’s shooter after all) that goes one for the rest of the episode. Map 1 is the only one that i genuinely enjoyed from beginnig to end in here. It’s not like the maps are actually bad, it’s just that the average level from Episode 1 and 2 is so goddamn high, that you can’t help but noticing a decrease in quality.
Finally, Episode 4 is definitely better than Episode 3 when it comes to level design, but it’s also the most eclectic, almost feeling incoherent at times. One could think that this episode was probably made up of leftover maps that couldn’t fit properly into the other three episodes, all of them having a pretty well defined theme or aesthetic going on in them. Here, you reach from a medieval castle at the beginning, to a horror film-like hospital, to a modern shopping mall and a modern aquarium (both of them could easily fit on Duke3D without the need of the slightest modification). Map 2 looks pretty much like what Dusk would do decades later. Map 6 is the standout of the episode for me, despite being a bit disliked by fans. And map 7, “In the flesh”, is simply an abomination, an ode to bad taste. The boss fight in map 8 was probably the most interesting boss fight of the whole game in my opinion.
Despite this downgrades in the last two episodes (which are not really bad by themselves, is just that the first two episodes set the bar way too high) Blood is a near perfect game. This is probably my favourite FPS from the 90s after Doom and Half-Life. If you’re into this kind of stuff, chances are that you’ve already played Blood. But if you haven’t, please, go check it right now.
Favourite maps: E1M3: Phantom Express / E1M4: Dark Carnival / E2M4: The Overlooked Hotel
Worst maps: E3M3: Raw Sewage / E4M7: In the Flesh
Cara, é muito complicado falar de Blood.
Pensa em um jogo composto apenas de partes ótima e partes horríveis, sem meio termo, e com uma gameplay que pende constantemente entre ambos esses pontos numa espécie de dança caótica e selvagem incansável.
Isso é a experiência de jogar Blood.
Antes de aprofundar, eu aviso que vou basear essa análise no ponto de vista de alguém jogando a primeira vez (que foi o meu caso). Blood é um jogo que se torna muuuuuuito mais confortável e divertido de jogar ao entender como tudo funciona (e acredite, há MUITOS pormenores e detalhes no jogo a serem entendidos), então a primeira vez vai ser a pior experiência justamente por você ser largado em um jogo brutal e contraintuitivo, lutando pra pegar o mínimo do jeito da coisa enquanto praticamente tudo consegue lavar fácil o chão com a sua cara.
E já que estamos falando de "Jogar a primeira vez", permitam-me começar falando do que é o começo menos convidativo que eu já vi em um jogo - isso é, a primeira campanha (The Way of all Flesh).
Normalmente a primeira campanha de jogos 2.5D é construída de duas maneiras: ou é feita em uma qualidade bem superior ao resto (como em Shadow Warrior) ou é feita de forma a ser uma apresentação ao jogo, num ritmo de tutorial acelerado, para o jogador pegar o jeito rápido (como em Heretic). O começo de Blood foge desses padrões e constrói uma introdução repudiável, tacando uma dificuldade ridícula que escala muito rápido em um cenário com pouca vida, pouca munição e algumas armas bem exóticas que levam um tempo pra entender como usar efetivamente.
Junto a isso o jogador é introduzido aos inimigos iniciais, que são zumbis e cultistas. Os zumbis (como esperado, parando pra pensar agora) teimam muito pra morrer. Há formas eficazes e ineficazes de lidar com eles, mas isso você descobre só testando armas (e no começo você tem bem poucas - e com pouca munição). Já os cultistas são um bando de arrombados. TODOS ELES são regados a Hitscan, eles te perseguem, eles deitam no chão pra desviar dos seus tiros (o que funciona e dificulta o trabalho de matar eles) enquanto continuam atirando, eles usam metralhadoras, escopetas, jogam dinamite, etc. Pensa num ser DESGRAÇADO! Esses são os cultistas.
E agora a adição mais importante da primeira campanha: Junto a falta de vida e munição, adicione o fato que o jogo SPAMMA SEM MEDO os inimigos em vários lugares das fases. Um quarto fechado e apertado que a parede quebra e saem 8 zumbis em cima de ti ou um salão regado por uns 12 cultistas, todos mirando e atirando em você de todos os lados.
Como eu disse: "É o começo menos convidativo que eu já vi em um jogo".
Mas depois desse começo, o que vem? Essa que é a parte divertida. Depois desse maldito batismo de fogo que te força a aprender na marra alguns elementos do jogo, você entra nas duas melhores campanhas do jogo - e que são boas MESMO!
Lembra que eu falei que Blood é composto por partes ótimas e horríveis? Então, isso se reflete também nas campanhas. O jogo tem 6 campanhas (contando a expansão Cryptic Passage) e elas estão divididas meio a meio, com 3 campanhas ótimas e 3 campanhas horríveis - no caso, as melhores são a 2°, 3° e 6°campanhas (a 6° sendo a expansão).
O resumo das piores campanhas é justamente o spam de inimigos. São fases inteiras só com bicho aparecendo um atrás do outro, até mesmo bosses de campanhas anteriores - que tem vida e dano absurdos - sendo colocados como se fossem meros inimigos mais fortes. E somado a isso, pra vocês verem como esse spam é só uma tentativa porca de adicionar mais dificuldade nas fases, é possível só tocar o foda-se para a muca de inimigos e sair correndo e pulando por cima deles, progredindo a fase até completar ela matando o mínimo possível.
MAS, fora essa questão dos inimigos, eu gostaria de deixar algo BEM CLARO aqui: Não importa a campanha, o level design das fases do Blood é FENOMENAL! Se teve algo que os caras souberam fazer nesse jogo foi o design das fases! Eles ousaram e abusaram de diversos cenários, efeitos e construções de fase que faz com que, mesmo nas piores campanhas, você queira continuar jogando só pra ver como vão ser as próximas fases.
Além das fases, todas as armas do jogo são únicas e efetivas e os gráficos são extremamente bem feitos - de longe Blood, honrando seu título, tem os gráfico mais brutais e sanguinolentos dos jogos 2.5D, e isso nem pela forma como os inimigos morrem, mas sim pelo clima pesado, grotesco e infernal dos cenários e fases.
E já que estou na sessão de elogios, não tem como eu deixar de dizer o quão FODA é a quantidade de referências à filmes de terror que tem no jogo. Pra vocês terem ideia, tem fases inteiras feitas com base em O Iluminado e Sexta-Feira 13, além de diversas referencias perdidas aqui e alí pelos cenários ou em áreas secretas. Cara, pra quem é fã de terror, é um deleite gigantesco topar nessas referencias, vocês não fazem ideia.
Com tudo isso, sim, é um jogo que vale muito a pena jogar se você curte FPS's 2.5D, mas estejam avisados que ele tem partes exageradamente difíceis (e ruins) também. Então vai envolver um certo esforço pra querer continuar jogando, dependendo da campanha escolhida.
E antes de fechar, como de costume, pra quem quiser jogar esse jogo em sistemas mais novos, recomendo usar a versão original do jogo (que vem junto com a versão Fresh Supply) e rodar ela no Raze.
Raze é, praticamente, um GZDoom pra engine do Duke Nukem 3D, então ele também configura o jogo pra rodar em sistemas mais novos e resoluções mais altas de tela sem problemas.
Pensa em um jogo composto apenas de partes ótima e partes horríveis, sem meio termo, e com uma gameplay que pende constantemente entre ambos esses pontos numa espécie de dança caótica e selvagem incansável.
Isso é a experiência de jogar Blood.
Antes de aprofundar, eu aviso que vou basear essa análise no ponto de vista de alguém jogando a primeira vez (que foi o meu caso). Blood é um jogo que se torna muuuuuuito mais confortável e divertido de jogar ao entender como tudo funciona (e acredite, há MUITOS pormenores e detalhes no jogo a serem entendidos), então a primeira vez vai ser a pior experiência justamente por você ser largado em um jogo brutal e contraintuitivo, lutando pra pegar o mínimo do jeito da coisa enquanto praticamente tudo consegue lavar fácil o chão com a sua cara.
E já que estamos falando de "Jogar a primeira vez", permitam-me começar falando do que é o começo menos convidativo que eu já vi em um jogo - isso é, a primeira campanha (The Way of all Flesh).
Normalmente a primeira campanha de jogos 2.5D é construída de duas maneiras: ou é feita em uma qualidade bem superior ao resto (como em Shadow Warrior) ou é feita de forma a ser uma apresentação ao jogo, num ritmo de tutorial acelerado, para o jogador pegar o jeito rápido (como em Heretic). O começo de Blood foge desses padrões e constrói uma introdução repudiável, tacando uma dificuldade ridícula que escala muito rápido em um cenário com pouca vida, pouca munição e algumas armas bem exóticas que levam um tempo pra entender como usar efetivamente.
Junto a isso o jogador é introduzido aos inimigos iniciais, que são zumbis e cultistas. Os zumbis (como esperado, parando pra pensar agora) teimam muito pra morrer. Há formas eficazes e ineficazes de lidar com eles, mas isso você descobre só testando armas (e no começo você tem bem poucas - e com pouca munição). Já os cultistas são um bando de arrombados. TODOS ELES são regados a Hitscan, eles te perseguem, eles deitam no chão pra desviar dos seus tiros (o que funciona e dificulta o trabalho de matar eles) enquanto continuam atirando, eles usam metralhadoras, escopetas, jogam dinamite, etc. Pensa num ser DESGRAÇADO! Esses são os cultistas.
E agora a adição mais importante da primeira campanha: Junto a falta de vida e munição, adicione o fato que o jogo SPAMMA SEM MEDO os inimigos em vários lugares das fases. Um quarto fechado e apertado que a parede quebra e saem 8 zumbis em cima de ti ou um salão regado por uns 12 cultistas, todos mirando e atirando em você de todos os lados.
Como eu disse: "É o começo menos convidativo que eu já vi em um jogo".
Mas depois desse começo, o que vem? Essa que é a parte divertida. Depois desse maldito batismo de fogo que te força a aprender na marra alguns elementos do jogo, você entra nas duas melhores campanhas do jogo - e que são boas MESMO!
Lembra que eu falei que Blood é composto por partes ótimas e horríveis? Então, isso se reflete também nas campanhas. O jogo tem 6 campanhas (contando a expansão Cryptic Passage) e elas estão divididas meio a meio, com 3 campanhas ótimas e 3 campanhas horríveis - no caso, as melhores são a 2°, 3° e 6°campanhas (a 6° sendo a expansão).
O resumo das piores campanhas é justamente o spam de inimigos. São fases inteiras só com bicho aparecendo um atrás do outro, até mesmo bosses de campanhas anteriores - que tem vida e dano absurdos - sendo colocados como se fossem meros inimigos mais fortes. E somado a isso, pra vocês verem como esse spam é só uma tentativa porca de adicionar mais dificuldade nas fases, é possível só tocar o foda-se para a muca de inimigos e sair correndo e pulando por cima deles, progredindo a fase até completar ela matando o mínimo possível.
MAS, fora essa questão dos inimigos, eu gostaria de deixar algo BEM CLARO aqui: Não importa a campanha, o level design das fases do Blood é FENOMENAL! Se teve algo que os caras souberam fazer nesse jogo foi o design das fases! Eles ousaram e abusaram de diversos cenários, efeitos e construções de fase que faz com que, mesmo nas piores campanhas, você queira continuar jogando só pra ver como vão ser as próximas fases.
Além das fases, todas as armas do jogo são únicas e efetivas e os gráficos são extremamente bem feitos - de longe Blood, honrando seu título, tem os gráfico mais brutais e sanguinolentos dos jogos 2.5D, e isso nem pela forma como os inimigos morrem, mas sim pelo clima pesado, grotesco e infernal dos cenários e fases.
E já que estou na sessão de elogios, não tem como eu deixar de dizer o quão FODA é a quantidade de referências à filmes de terror que tem no jogo. Pra vocês terem ideia, tem fases inteiras feitas com base em O Iluminado e Sexta-Feira 13, além de diversas referencias perdidas aqui e alí pelos cenários ou em áreas secretas. Cara, pra quem é fã de terror, é um deleite gigantesco topar nessas referencias, vocês não fazem ideia.
Com tudo isso, sim, é um jogo que vale muito a pena jogar se você curte FPS's 2.5D, mas estejam avisados que ele tem partes exageradamente difíceis (e ruins) também. Então vai envolver um certo esforço pra querer continuar jogando, dependendo da campanha escolhida.
E antes de fechar, como de costume, pra quem quiser jogar esse jogo em sistemas mais novos, recomendo usar a versão original do jogo (que vem junto com a versão Fresh Supply) e rodar ela no Raze.
Raze é, praticamente, um GZDoom pra engine do Duke Nukem 3D, então ele também configura o jogo pra rodar em sistemas mais novos e resoluções mais altas de tela sem problemas.
ENG: The year is 1997. At id Software, without John Romero due to creative disputes with John Carmack, the launch of Quake II is being prepared. Quake II had only the name, since the lovecraftian aesthetics was replaced with a militaristic-futuristic aesthetics and the soundtrack went from being ambient with industrial horror touches to heavy metal. It sold well, but had mixed reviews.
None of this matters... much, though. I'm just commenting on it to sort of follow up with my Duke Nukem 3D review. Or if it matters... at all. And the thing is, even though Doom was a thing of the past for id Software, it wasn't for many people. Duke Nukem 3D was not the last gasp of a class of technologically outdated games.
The year is 1997. Blood is released by Monolith Productions.
If Duke Nukem 3D was the next step in terms of Doom-style FPS, Blood was the refinement of that formula.
Blood has, mainly, two things that make it stand out from the rest: the weapons and the setting. It's true that Duke Nukem 3D already had some curious weapons compared to its predecessor, Doom. However, it was Blood who took this topic to its maximum expression: a pack of dynamite, an aerosol can, a flare gun, a voodoo doll, among so many others that I forget. On the other hand, the setting. If Duke Nukem 3D was an ode to Hollywood action movies of the 80s, Blood was an ode to Hollywood horror movies of any era. It is not a horror game per se, because it is still a frenetic FPS of its time, and yet, thanks to its setting, it gives a very different feeling to what we were accustomed to the FPS of those times.
Caleb is the protagonist of this story... a story that doesn't matter much, I know. But what does matter, just like in Duke Nukem 3D, is the protagonist. Duke is mocking and ironic. But a good guy at the end of the day, his mission is to save the world. Caleb, on the other hand, is sadistic and ruthlessly sarcastic. His mission is not to save the world. He's involved in a personal crusade and doesn't mind killing civilians. Where the voice acting was comical in Duke's character, it is also comical in Caleb, only in a more perverse and cruel way.
Blood isn't perfect, as much as I'd like it to be. Like Duke Nukem 3D, maybe it wears a little thin at the end.
Despite that, Caleb lives, again!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svzMK33PMUk&ab_channel=KurtHecticJukebox.
ESP: El año es 1997. En id Software, ya sin John Romero debido a disputas creativas con John Carmack, se prepara el lanzamiento de Quake II. Que de Quake tenía solo el nombre, puesto que la estética lovecraftiana se reemplazo con una estética militarista-futurista y el soundtrack pasó de ser ambiental con toques terroríficos industriales a ser un heavy metal bien pesado. Vendió bien, pero tuvo críticas mixtas.
Aunque nada de esto importa... mucho. Solo lo comento para hacer una suerte de seguimiento con mi reseña de Duke Nukem 3D. O si importa... algo. Y es que, aunque en id Software Doom ya era pasado pisado, para mucha gente no. Duke Nukem 3D no fue el último suspiro de una clase de juegos desfasados tecnológicamente.
El año es 1997. Blood sale a la venta por Monolith Productions.
Si Duke Nukem 3D era el siguiente paso en cuestión a FPS estilo Doom, Blood era el refinamiento de esa formula.
Blood tiene, principalmente, dos cosas que lo hacen destacar del resto: las armas y la ambientación. Es verdad que Duke Nukem 3D ya tenía armas cuanto menos curiosas en comparación con su predecesor, Doom. Sin embargo, fue Blood quien llevó este tópico a su máxima expresión: un paquete de dinamita, una lata de aerosol, una pistola de bengalas, un muñeco vudú, entre tantos otros que me olvido. Por otra parte, la ambientación. Si Duke Nukem 3D era una oda a las películas de acción hollywoodenses de los 80s, Blood lo era a las películas de terror de hollywoodenses de cualquier época. No es un juego de terror per se, debido a que sigue siendo un FPS frenético propio de su tiempo, y aun así, gracias a su ambientación, da una sensación muy distinta a la que nos tenían acostumbrados los FPS de esos tiempos.
Caleb es el protagonista de esta historia... historia que no importa mucho, ya se. Pero lo que si importa, al igual que en Duke Nukem 3D, es el protagonista. Duke es burlón e irónico. Pero un buen tipo a final de cuentas, su misión es salvar al mundo. En cambio, Caleb es sádico y despiadadamente sarcástico. Su misión no es salvar al mundo. Está envuelto en una cruzada personal y no le importa matar cíviles. Donde la actuación de voz era cómica en el personaje de Duke, en Caleb también lo es, solo que de una manera más perversa y cruel.
Blood no es perfecto, por mucho que me gustaría que lo fuera. Al igual que Duke Nukem 3D, a lo mejor al final se va desgastando un poco.
Pero que mierda digo, yo voy a seguir con Caleb, caretas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svzMK33PMUk&ab_channel=KurtHecticJukebox.
None of this matters... much, though. I'm just commenting on it to sort of follow up with my Duke Nukem 3D review. Or if it matters... at all. And the thing is, even though Doom was a thing of the past for id Software, it wasn't for many people. Duke Nukem 3D was not the last gasp of a class of technologically outdated games.
The year is 1997. Blood is released by Monolith Productions.
If Duke Nukem 3D was the next step in terms of Doom-style FPS, Blood was the refinement of that formula.
Blood has, mainly, two things that make it stand out from the rest: the weapons and the setting. It's true that Duke Nukem 3D already had some curious weapons compared to its predecessor, Doom. However, it was Blood who took this topic to its maximum expression: a pack of dynamite, an aerosol can, a flare gun, a voodoo doll, among so many others that I forget. On the other hand, the setting. If Duke Nukem 3D was an ode to Hollywood action movies of the 80s, Blood was an ode to Hollywood horror movies of any era. It is not a horror game per se, because it is still a frenetic FPS of its time, and yet, thanks to its setting, it gives a very different feeling to what we were accustomed to the FPS of those times.
Caleb is the protagonist of this story... a story that doesn't matter much, I know. But what does matter, just like in Duke Nukem 3D, is the protagonist. Duke is mocking and ironic. But a good guy at the end of the day, his mission is to save the world. Caleb, on the other hand, is sadistic and ruthlessly sarcastic. His mission is not to save the world. He's involved in a personal crusade and doesn't mind killing civilians. Where the voice acting was comical in Duke's character, it is also comical in Caleb, only in a more perverse and cruel way.
Blood isn't perfect, as much as I'd like it to be. Like Duke Nukem 3D, maybe it wears a little thin at the end.
Despite that, Caleb lives, again!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svzMK33PMUk&ab_channel=KurtHecticJukebox.
ESP: El año es 1997. En id Software, ya sin John Romero debido a disputas creativas con John Carmack, se prepara el lanzamiento de Quake II. Que de Quake tenía solo el nombre, puesto que la estética lovecraftiana se reemplazo con una estética militarista-futurista y el soundtrack pasó de ser ambiental con toques terroríficos industriales a ser un heavy metal bien pesado. Vendió bien, pero tuvo críticas mixtas.
Aunque nada de esto importa... mucho. Solo lo comento para hacer una suerte de seguimiento con mi reseña de Duke Nukem 3D. O si importa... algo. Y es que, aunque en id Software Doom ya era pasado pisado, para mucha gente no. Duke Nukem 3D no fue el último suspiro de una clase de juegos desfasados tecnológicamente.
El año es 1997. Blood sale a la venta por Monolith Productions.
Si Duke Nukem 3D era el siguiente paso en cuestión a FPS estilo Doom, Blood era el refinamiento de esa formula.
Blood tiene, principalmente, dos cosas que lo hacen destacar del resto: las armas y la ambientación. Es verdad que Duke Nukem 3D ya tenía armas cuanto menos curiosas en comparación con su predecesor, Doom. Sin embargo, fue Blood quien llevó este tópico a su máxima expresión: un paquete de dinamita, una lata de aerosol, una pistola de bengalas, un muñeco vudú, entre tantos otros que me olvido. Por otra parte, la ambientación. Si Duke Nukem 3D era una oda a las películas de acción hollywoodenses de los 80s, Blood lo era a las películas de terror de hollywoodenses de cualquier época. No es un juego de terror per se, debido a que sigue siendo un FPS frenético propio de su tiempo, y aun así, gracias a su ambientación, da una sensación muy distinta a la que nos tenían acostumbrados los FPS de esos tiempos.
Caleb es el protagonista de esta historia... historia que no importa mucho, ya se. Pero lo que si importa, al igual que en Duke Nukem 3D, es el protagonista. Duke es burlón e irónico. Pero un buen tipo a final de cuentas, su misión es salvar al mundo. En cambio, Caleb es sádico y despiadadamente sarcástico. Su misión no es salvar al mundo. Está envuelto en una cruzada personal y no le importa matar cíviles. Donde la actuación de voz era cómica en el personaje de Duke, en Caleb también lo es, solo que de una manera más perversa y cruel.
Blood no es perfecto, por mucho que me gustaría que lo fuera. Al igual que Duke Nukem 3D, a lo mejor al final se va desgastando un poco.
Pero que mierda digo, yo voy a seguir con Caleb, caretas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svzMK33PMUk&ab_channel=KurtHecticJukebox.
A vile, sickening, depraved, fucked up piece of filth. 10/10.
I said in my review of Cultic that it was my new favourite boomer shooter. Scratch that. This is my new favourite boomer shooter. I'm gonna start with the few negatives just to get those out of the way. The numerous pop culture references can often feel a bit cheap, the sense of humor is a bit childish at times and some of the abilities you can pick up like jump boots and beast vision (what does that even do) feel pointless. Other than that this game absolutely slaps.
The weapon variaty is insane with everything from the standard shotgun to dynamite to voodoo dolls to laser skulls. This is a level of variety that most shooters can't even dream of and it keeps blowing up cultists fresh throughout the game's runtime. Along with that there's also the fantastic blood and gore. As you blast your foes their blood will paint the walls red, their chests will be blasted open, their heads will pop off and it all looks fantastic. The movement is so much fun and always feels fantastic, except for the platforming segments which thankfully aren't plentiful.
If you're going to be running around shooting things for eight hours the environments better be fun to look at and this game goes above and beyond in that department. The atmosphere is thick and engrossing and refuses to let you go. It's hard to put this game down. All the level design is fantastic, the mansion in the hedge maze, and the hospital being standouts with their open and winding design that somehow never gets annoyingly confusing. This combined with the outstanding atmosphere makes for some of the best shooter levels I have ever played through. Hell, some of the best video game segments in general. It's a mastahpiece.
The weapon variaty is insane with everything from the standard shotgun to dynamite to voodoo dolls to laser skulls. This is a level of variety that most shooters can't even dream of and it keeps blowing up cultists fresh throughout the game's runtime. Along with that there's also the fantastic blood and gore. As you blast your foes their blood will paint the walls red, their chests will be blasted open, their heads will pop off and it all looks fantastic. The movement is so much fun and always feels fantastic, except for the platforming segments which thankfully aren't plentiful.
If you're going to be running around shooting things for eight hours the environments better be fun to look at and this game goes above and beyond in that department. The atmosphere is thick and engrossing and refuses to let you go. It's hard to put this game down. All the level design is fantastic, the mansion in the hedge maze, and the hospital being standouts with their open and winding design that somehow never gets annoyingly confusing. This combined with the outstanding atmosphere makes for some of the best shooter levels I have ever played through. Hell, some of the best video game segments in general. It's a mastahpiece.
Bram Stoker's Evil Dead
It's insane how ahead of the time this is. It feels like a game that would be made today as a tribute to retro shooters but it actually did come out 24 years ago
It`s amazing the kind of stuff PC game devs used to get away with. Was really fun. The later episodes were a bit too maze-like for me, but the earlier episodes` levels were incredible.
The world's only crouch 'n' bounce FPS
you gonna scroll by without saying CRUDOX CRUO?!
its bullshit but i like it
The first episode is brutal on well done difficulty for a first play, but the other episodes were perfect. I tried out lightly broiled too on a replay, though it's a lot fewer enemies and you can almost ignore cultists. I think the game is just one of those that becomes even better on replay, so you know what to expect with cultists (and knowing that crouch helps a lot). Lots of these levels were so great that I reloaded the save to play through them again since most of them can also be completed in different ways or with funny jump boots. I didn't really dislike any of them, but there were a couple of spots that tried to change my mind.
Like every other build engine game, there are tons of explosions on the level and with your weapons. Here every weapon has an alt-fire, and they even added another element of fire for half of your weapons, with a lot of enemies weak to it as well. It was nice to still use the flare gun to 2 shot butchers who normally resist your shotgun, snipe cultists, or just alt-fire a cluster of them. I think this might be the best set of weapons I've used in a shooter, and the multi-use weapons help with that. They even added a lot of death animations depending on what type of weapon you used to kill each enemy. It really seems like they put in a lot of effort to make the weapons stand out.
Like every other build engine game, there are tons of explosions on the level and with your weapons. Here every weapon has an alt-fire, and they even added another element of fire for half of your weapons, with a lot of enemies weak to it as well. It was nice to still use the flare gun to 2 shot butchers who normally resist your shotgun, snipe cultists, or just alt-fire a cluster of them. I think this might be the best set of weapons I've used in a shooter, and the multi-use weapons help with that. They even added a lot of death animations depending on what type of weapon you used to kill each enemy. It really seems like they put in a lot of effort to make the weapons stand out.
way better than Doom, Doom II: Hell on Earth, Quake, and likely other alumni. also way better than many games aping it and its peers: Dusk, Prodeus, and so on. it's actually kind of surprising how good it is, actually, given details regarding its production. is way harder than any of the aforementioned games. that can largely be pinned on something of a signature and infamous feature: the Cultists (and Fanatics): a common mook, the second monster met, is a fairly long-range high-damage shotgun hitscanner, with an elite tommy gun counterpart. they can't really be dodged or outranged, and they kill faster than an enemy first met in the penultimate episode. their presence alters the first-person-shooting on a close-to-if-not fundamental level, requiring peeking and pre-firing given that every half-second spent around a corner could cost ~50 health. learning how to counter them is counterintuitive and excruciating but rewarding; it's something special and not a sort of experience that would be replicated in the genre for around two decades.
there are only two real issues. first, the use of bullet-sponge boss enemies as recurring enemies after their boss fights -- boss fights which aren't even good. second, some maps (more parts of maps) are relatively and needlessly labyrinthine, bordering on reminiscence to contemporaries, but this is basically a nitpick in the face of largely above-par level design.
there are only two real issues. first, the use of bullet-sponge boss enemies as recurring enemies after their boss fights -- boss fights which aren't even good. second, some maps (more parts of maps) are relatively and needlessly labyrinthine, bordering on reminiscence to contemporaries, but this is basically a nitpick in the face of largely above-par level design.
One of the most viscerally satisfying shooters ever made
(Played on “Lightly Broiled” which is this games equivalent to normal difficulty.)
A Must play for a any fan of the genre.
Great level design with interactivity, engaging exploration, fun combat encounters and memorable locations. something i especially like about Blood's levels is there are a lot of alternate paths withing them. making them feel very open and elaborate, but without making them into labyrinths like so many other shooters of its age. I can’t really think of any level I disliked.
Enemies are all pretty fun to fight too. Not really any I would call annoying. Though, I think the shotgunners could do for a reaction time nerf.
Weapons are great. Not much overlap and they are all fun to use. There are obvious FPS mainstays including a shotgun, machine gun and a rocket launcher. But there are many other more unique weapons that make Blood’s arsenal as interesting as it is. Such as a flare gun that ignites enemies, a voodoo doll and a staff that can run off of your own health.
Though by far my favorite of the bunch is the dynamite. An explosive that (dependent on the type you use) can be detonated via remote, proximity, time or just on impact. You can also adjust how far you throw it and (for non-impact types) bounce it off walls which is great for taking enemies out from around corners. I don’t think I have ever used a grenade type of weapon this much in a boomer-shooter. Let alone had so much fun with one. Seriously one of the most satisfying weapons in a shooter. In the same realm as the DooM II SSG, Quake Rocket launcher, the Quake II railgun and the Marathon 2 Dual shotguns.
One criticism I do have is that the final boss was probably the easiest and most anti-climactic boss I have ever fought. It took only, what? Maybe seven rockets to kill? Just like that. Within literally ten seconds it was dead. I guess that’s better than a frustrating final boss but it being so easy made it feel like the game didn't really end, it just kinda stopped.
In my opinion this game deserves just as much if not more attention than Duke Nukem 3D gets.
A Must play for a any fan of the genre.
Great level design with interactivity, engaging exploration, fun combat encounters and memorable locations. something i especially like about Blood's levels is there are a lot of alternate paths withing them. making them feel very open and elaborate, but without making them into labyrinths like so many other shooters of its age. I can’t really think of any level I disliked.
Enemies are all pretty fun to fight too. Not really any I would call annoying. Though, I think the shotgunners could do for a reaction time nerf.
Weapons are great. Not much overlap and they are all fun to use. There are obvious FPS mainstays including a shotgun, machine gun and a rocket launcher. But there are many other more unique weapons that make Blood’s arsenal as interesting as it is. Such as a flare gun that ignites enemies, a voodoo doll and a staff that can run off of your own health.
Though by far my favorite of the bunch is the dynamite. An explosive that (dependent on the type you use) can be detonated via remote, proximity, time or just on impact. You can also adjust how far you throw it and (for non-impact types) bounce it off walls which is great for taking enemies out from around corners. I don’t think I have ever used a grenade type of weapon this much in a boomer-shooter. Let alone had so much fun with one. Seriously one of the most satisfying weapons in a shooter. In the same realm as the DooM II SSG, Quake Rocket launcher, the Quake II railgun and the Marathon 2 Dual shotguns.
One criticism I do have is that the final boss was probably the easiest and most anti-climactic boss I have ever fought. It took only, what? Maybe seven rockets to kill? Just like that. Within literally ten seconds it was dead. I guess that’s better than a frustrating final boss but it being so easy made it feel like the game didn't really end, it just kinda stopped.
In my opinion this game deserves just as much if not more attention than Duke Nukem 3D gets.
i can recall the feeling of blowing up things in this game in my mind for instant serotonin
This game is metal as hell.
On paper this should be something you’ve already seen, but in execution it isn’t like anything you’ve seen. Blowing up zombies with dynamite, blasting cultists with a double-barrel shotgun, eating hearts to heal instead of medpacks, everything in this game feels equal parts edgy and extremely fun. The main character, Caleb, is betrayed by the god he worships and comes back to life to get his revenge and after killing him, the words spoken from his mouth are “Good, bad… I’m the guy with the gun” and in the cutscene that plays second after he blasts a poorly modeled dude (the cutscenes in this game are something) with the tommy gun one-handed and just leaves without saying a single word like he didn’t just kill a demonic god.
Even if it’s really tough, the enjoyment I get from this game is simply unmatched. The variety in the arsenal is quite interesting, instead of a pistol as a one of the first guns you get (the actual first gun you get is a pitchfork), they give you a flare gun, which is fine to take out enemies one by one, but has a secondary fire that can take out a bunch of enemies by setting them on fire at the cost of like 6 flare ammo, but the gun you’ll be using the most is the sawn-off shotgun. A really, really powerful shotgun. If there’s one word to describe the arsenal in this game, it is powerful. Not just the shotgun is powerful, but also the dynamite - blowing stuff up is powerful, and you’ll be doing that A LOT, it’s even necessary to progress in certain moments so get used to it -, and therocket launcher sorry, the NAPALM launcher, which not only acts as a normal rocket launcher but can also put on fire nearby enemies due to splash damage, and even the tommy gun. If there’s one thing Blood has, it’s that it makes justice the word “power fantasy”.
It’s no secret that First Person Shooters have always been inspired by cinema. Duke Nukem is basically an Arnold Schwarzenegger knock-off. Blood is inspired by horror and gorefest movies. Every enemy has like two or three, probably more, different ways to die, but all of them can be blown up into pieces. Zombies’ heads fall off and you can kick them a soccer ball. While Caleb might not be the most memorable FPS character - although he's still a total badass -, Blood is a really memorable game. I would say that “it is great because it just wants you to have fun”, but basically every other game from that era just wanted you to have fun, ESPECIALLY First Person Shooters. What makes this game good is not what it wants but what it does, and what Blood does is putting a bunch of cultists and zombies gathered together in an enclosed space so you can use the alt fire of the spray can (did I mention there’s a makeshift flamethrower?) and watch all of them burn. At a time when videogames were at the center of discussion for allegedly promoting violence and satanism, Blood provides just that and goes full-on with it.
The levels look more like actual places and seem to be interconnected, at least in the first chapter, so there’s some kind of continuity to it, it feels like some kind of progress is being made. Unlike Duke Nukem 3D, in which levels consisted of a bunch of arenas that kind of resemble real life places but lack any continuity from one to another, here in the first chapter you wake up in a grave next to a chapel and the you blow up a hole in a wall that gets you to a train station in which you get on a train and the next level is in the Phantom Express and then you crash the train and now you’re at Dark Carnival, and there’s a secret level that takes you to the House of Horrors. It feels like you’re going somewhere, like progress is being made, even if the story isn't that important. This is what I like the most about the Cryptic Passage expansion, the continuity between levels. At the start of each level, most of the time, and not just on Cryptic Passage, you can turn around and see the place you just came from, and at the end of some levels you can even see the place you’re going. The level of detail in every level helps the sense of place. I mean, the devil is in the details, so…
Everything in this game screams personality. From the little nods to horror/slasher/B movies to the speed of the combat. Even if some of the later levels don’t live up to the greatness of the first episode, as well as some abrupt difficulty spikes - the balance is sometimes pretty weird, I had certain situations in which I’d round a corner to be greeted by a shotgun blast to the face I had no way of predicting. The alt fire of the dynamite makes it a timed explosive so it bounces on walls, you even have proximity and remote dynamite, but the correct way to use them is to throw them around a corner full of enemies you already know they’re there, but for that you have to see them before them see you so most of the time these options are useless and it’s best to roll with it, shotgun blast included. That is, unless the game expects me to quick-save quick-load every corner, in which scenario the tension and pace of the combat are gone -, it is still fun to blow up with dynamite everything that moves.
At the risk of sounding like an edgy teenager, I’ll say that gorefest movies or games are usually not my cup of tea when they're all about the gore and nothing else, but I can’t help it, Blood is just too goddamn fun.
Also, I forgot to mention that enemies like the zombie, the cultist, and probably some more are pixelated sprites of (or were modeled after) modified dolls/toys. Some other games did similar stuff; Human enemies in Rise of the Triad: Dark War were sprites of real people in costumes, you can find some recorded footage of the making of around the web. This kind of stuff is always super cool to see and brings an extra charm that games nowadays can't allow themselves to have.
On paper this should be something you’ve already seen, but in execution it isn’t like anything you’ve seen. Blowing up zombies with dynamite, blasting cultists with a double-barrel shotgun, eating hearts to heal instead of medpacks, everything in this game feels equal parts edgy and extremely fun. The main character, Caleb, is betrayed by the god he worships and comes back to life to get his revenge and after killing him, the words spoken from his mouth are “Good, bad… I’m the guy with the gun” and in the cutscene that plays second after he blasts a poorly modeled dude (the cutscenes in this game are something) with the tommy gun one-handed and just leaves without saying a single word like he didn’t just kill a demonic god.
Even if it’s really tough, the enjoyment I get from this game is simply unmatched. The variety in the arsenal is quite interesting, instead of a pistol as a one of the first guns you get (the actual first gun you get is a pitchfork), they give you a flare gun, which is fine to take out enemies one by one, but has a secondary fire that can take out a bunch of enemies by setting them on fire at the cost of like 6 flare ammo, but the gun you’ll be using the most is the sawn-off shotgun. A really, really powerful shotgun. If there’s one word to describe the arsenal in this game, it is powerful. Not just the shotgun is powerful, but also the dynamite - blowing stuff up is powerful, and you’ll be doing that A LOT, it’s even necessary to progress in certain moments so get used to it -, and the
It’s no secret that First Person Shooters have always been inspired by cinema. Duke Nukem is basically an Arnold Schwarzenegger knock-off. Blood is inspired by horror and gorefest movies. Every enemy has like two or three, probably more, different ways to die, but all of them can be blown up into pieces. Zombies’ heads fall off and you can kick them a soccer ball. While Caleb might not be the most memorable FPS character - although he's still a total badass -, Blood is a really memorable game. I would say that “it is great because it just wants you to have fun”, but basically every other game from that era just wanted you to have fun, ESPECIALLY First Person Shooters. What makes this game good is not what it wants but what it does, and what Blood does is putting a bunch of cultists and zombies gathered together in an enclosed space so you can use the alt fire of the spray can (did I mention there’s a makeshift flamethrower?) and watch all of them burn. At a time when videogames were at the center of discussion for allegedly promoting violence and satanism, Blood provides just that and goes full-on with it.
The levels look more like actual places and seem to be interconnected, at least in the first chapter, so there’s some kind of continuity to it, it feels like some kind of progress is being made. Unlike Duke Nukem 3D, in which levels consisted of a bunch of arenas that kind of resemble real life places but lack any continuity from one to another, here in the first chapter you wake up in a grave next to a chapel and the you blow up a hole in a wall that gets you to a train station in which you get on a train and the next level is in the Phantom Express and then you crash the train and now you’re at Dark Carnival, and there’s a secret level that takes you to the House of Horrors. It feels like you’re going somewhere, like progress is being made, even if the story isn't that important. This is what I like the most about the Cryptic Passage expansion, the continuity between levels. At the start of each level, most of the time, and not just on Cryptic Passage, you can turn around and see the place you just came from, and at the end of some levels you can even see the place you’re going. The level of detail in every level helps the sense of place. I mean, the devil is in the details, so…
Everything in this game screams personality. From the little nods to horror/slasher/B movies to the speed of the combat. Even if some of the later levels don’t live up to the greatness of the first episode, as well as some abrupt difficulty spikes - the balance is sometimes pretty weird, I had certain situations in which I’d round a corner to be greeted by a shotgun blast to the face I had no way of predicting. The alt fire of the dynamite makes it a timed explosive so it bounces on walls, you even have proximity and remote dynamite, but the correct way to use them is to throw them around a corner full of enemies you already know they’re there, but for that you have to see them before them see you so most of the time these options are useless and it’s best to roll with it, shotgun blast included. That is, unless the game expects me to quick-save quick-load every corner, in which scenario the tension and pace of the combat are gone -, it is still fun to blow up with dynamite everything that moves.
At the risk of sounding like an edgy teenager, I’ll say that gorefest movies or games are usually not my cup of tea when they're all about the gore and nothing else, but I can’t help it, Blood is just too goddamn fun.
Also, I forgot to mention that enemies like the zombie, the cultist, and probably some more are pixelated sprites of (or were modeled after) modified dolls/toys. Some other games did similar stuff; Human enemies in Rise of the Triad: Dark War were sprites of real people in costumes, you can find some recorded footage of the making of around the web. This kind of stuff is always super cool to see and brings an extra charm that games nowadays can't allow themselves to have.
The absolute best in old fps. What Doom lacks in style and Duke Nukem in speed this game has in spades. Difficult as fuck, but incredibly rewarding once you get the hand in it. Shows the absolute best in the Build Engine
The best classic boomer shooter that isn't Doom. Blood's hard but you get the hang of it and the weapons are rad. The atmosphere is fantastic too. It really sucks we'll probably never get a modern reboot, but thankfully Night Dive did a great job remastering it. Make sure to check out Death Wish too; very good fan campaign.
#FreeMonolithProductionsfromtheWarnerBrosGulagsotheydonthavetoworkonlicensedgamesforestablishedmediapropertiesandcaninsteadworkonthingsIlike.
i just completed this game again in well done difficulty and its still the best i miss those old times where we had real shooters you know before modern warfare
The fact that the majority of the game's enemies are hit-scanners that will evaporate you before you notice them will definitely turn a lot of people away from this game. Finally starts making sense when you treat every corner as an enemy camp and the dynamite as your primary weapon. you are fast and able jump and duck around in succession like a hong kong action movie protagonist, dodging upcoming bullets while shooting and blowing up saloons full cultists.
Incredibly brutal and also extremely satisfying to play.
Incredibly brutal and also extremely satisfying to play.
Blood has so many little subversive choices and little intricate details that you'd think it was a modern throwback shooter sent back to the past, with the only realization it's not one coming in the form of the fact it's actually original. That said, Blood is pretty much an embodiment of a game that you can tell pretty much only the developers seemingly playtested. It's the first cover shooter, and that's not a bad thing; the weapon roster is wacky and you're encouraged to take unique routes to deal with your foes with strategy. But when cover is caused by the cultists hitscanning you the moment you go past a corner from an extremely long-range distance, leading to savescumming being key to actually getting anywhere, it becomes a problem. The deadliness of cultists (the most common enemy) isn't consistent either, as no other enemy reaches their level, and often have braindead AI where they just circle you from above or below, which leads to a disjointed pacing of combat. It's worth a play cause it's fun and when it works - it works, but I can't deny it's got problems; checkpoints and better enemy AI would have gone a long way here.
In 1997, video game explosions were perfected.
A true FPS classic that, despite a high learning curve, easily became one of my favorites in the genre. While the opening levels might be overly difficult and punishing, the gameplay and level design of Blood finally shines through after slamming your head against the wall repeatedly. The weapon arsenal is robust, satisfying, and for the most part, every weapon is handy. The level design is often inventive and creative and requires exploration and ingenuity in terms of discovering secret pathways without feeling overly labyrinthine like Hexen or Doom 2. Learning how to properly throw the dynamite at different lengths to properly counter the game's ferocious enemies is a difficult skill to master but feels near orgasmic when you do. Thankfully the levels are largely consistent too, and the game mostly avoids the 90s FPS curse of a weak third act. Making the cultists, the game's default enemy, one of the most dangerous was a brilliant subversion of typical shooter conventions. Blood may be punishingly difficult but once you learn how the game functions, it becomes one of the most fun FPS games I've ever played. I can't say I cared for any of the boss fights, they're fairly standard shooter fights. Shial especially strikes me as entirely superfluous and I kind of just ran out of ammo and repeatedly stabbed her to death with the pitchfork for ages. The final boss Tchernobog is a weakling, going down almost instantly with multiple napalm shots. They are a relatively minor part of the game, so it's not a huge deal, but it is noticeable when it happens.
The game's presentation is a gleeful combination of gothic and post-war Western aesthetics, blending them with surprising ease to create a grungy, dingy-looking atmosphere of cathedrals and stagecoaches. While Blood did look slightly outdated even in 1997, with games like Quake 2 and Hexen II easily kicking its ass on a technical level, I believe it to be the visual peak of pseudo-3D FPS visuals. The intractability of the environments and the smaller details such as Caleb's weapon sprites visibly becoming lighter and darker based on the lighting is impressive, and the enemies all have expressive and detailed sprites made from clay models. Environments look as detailed and lived-in as the Build engine can allow for, and levels such as the Overlooked Hotel are filled with smaller details and just exude charm. Caleb himself has an incredibly cool design, reminding me of a demonic version of Colonel Mortimer from For A Few Dollars More. Speaking of Caleb, he could have easily been the edgiest, most wince-inducing thing in the world, but he's the perfect blend of intentionally camp and genuine awesomeness that makes him infinitely endearing. If there's any weak spot, it's the soundtrack, which is fairly mediocre to my ears. My opinion on the OST can swing fairly moderately depending on whether you selected the MIDI or CD tracks, and I played most of the game on the former and was thoroughly unimpressed. A lot of the MIDI tracks simply have repetitive, boring, and unimaginative compositions that neither stand out nor build an effective atmosphere. The CD tracks, on the other hand, feel like what the composers always intended the music to sound like. The compositions are still nothing special, but the additional vocals and sound effects create a competently creepy and effective atmosphere that is far superior to anything the general MIDI tracks can offer.
Blood is easily one of my new favorite FPS games, with its creative level design, phenomenal weapon arsenal, and satisfying and innovative combat loop leaving me longing for more. Tackle on appealingly edgy art direction in the best possible way and some impressive use of at-the-time outdated technology and you get something truly special, and a true shooter classic. It's a shame the soundtrack isn't more memorable, but it hardly brings down the game. Highly recommended, and a must-play for anyone who loves FPS games.
The game's presentation is a gleeful combination of gothic and post-war Western aesthetics, blending them with surprising ease to create a grungy, dingy-looking atmosphere of cathedrals and stagecoaches. While Blood did look slightly outdated even in 1997, with games like Quake 2 and Hexen II easily kicking its ass on a technical level, I believe it to be the visual peak of pseudo-3D FPS visuals. The intractability of the environments and the smaller details such as Caleb's weapon sprites visibly becoming lighter and darker based on the lighting is impressive, and the enemies all have expressive and detailed sprites made from clay models. Environments look as detailed and lived-in as the Build engine can allow for, and levels such as the Overlooked Hotel are filled with smaller details and just exude charm. Caleb himself has an incredibly cool design, reminding me of a demonic version of Colonel Mortimer from For A Few Dollars More. Speaking of Caleb, he could have easily been the edgiest, most wince-inducing thing in the world, but he's the perfect blend of intentionally camp and genuine awesomeness that makes him infinitely endearing. If there's any weak spot, it's the soundtrack, which is fairly mediocre to my ears. My opinion on the OST can swing fairly moderately depending on whether you selected the MIDI or CD tracks, and I played most of the game on the former and was thoroughly unimpressed. A lot of the MIDI tracks simply have repetitive, boring, and unimaginative compositions that neither stand out nor build an effective atmosphere. The CD tracks, on the other hand, feel like what the composers always intended the music to sound like. The compositions are still nothing special, but the additional vocals and sound effects create a competently creepy and effective atmosphere that is far superior to anything the general MIDI tracks can offer.
Blood is easily one of my new favorite FPS games, with its creative level design, phenomenal weapon arsenal, and satisfying and innovative combat loop leaving me longing for more. Tackle on appealingly edgy art direction in the best possible way and some impressive use of at-the-time outdated technology and you get something truly special, and a true shooter classic. It's a shame the soundtrack isn't more memorable, but it hardly brings down the game. Highly recommended, and a must-play for anyone who loves FPS games.
Blood is an absolute treat. Armed with a massive selection of weapons, you're tasked with surviving a legion of killer cultists and hell-spawn, as protagonist Caleb makes his way to get revenge on his master. The level design is some of the best in the genre, with some jaw-dropping setpieces, especially for 1997. Character art and texture work is bursting with detail. Every weapon is useful and satisfying, only further complimented by the diverse rogue's gallery.
Is this the best classic shooter of all time? I think so! Personally, this feels like the Super Mario World to DOOM's Super Mario Bros. 3. If you haven't played this yet, what are you waiting for? For your first playthrough, I'd highly recommend enemy damage at "Pink on the Inside", and everything else at "Lightly Broiled". Enemies will still punish you when you're careless, but you won't have the weakest fodder devouring your entire health bar with a stick of dynamite every few minutes.
Is this the best classic shooter of all time? I think so! Personally, this feels like the Super Mario World to DOOM's Super Mario Bros. 3. If you haven't played this yet, what are you waiting for? For your first playthrough, I'd highly recommend enemy damage at "Pink on the Inside", and everything else at "Lightly Broiled". Enemies will still punish you when you're careless, but you won't have the weakest fodder devouring your entire health bar with a stick of dynamite every few minutes.
vamos jogar blood juntos e toda vez q o caleb fizer uma referência a evil dead a gente se beija
best build engine game no contest
Part of Spooky Season 2023.
What you see is what you get with Blood: a late 90s DOOM-inspired boomer shooter with a cheesy comedic horror tone that’s reminiscent of films like Sam Riami’s Army of Darkness. There’s even an enemy type that is literally just Ash’s possessed hand from Evil Dead 2. Blood wears its inspirations on its sleeves and manages to be a pretty decent time… depending on what difficulty you set the game to.
Blood can be brutal and not in a way that feels like an actual test of your skills. The game has an abundance of hit scanning enemies that can melt your health like butter from a rather far distance, before you can get a chance to register that they’re even there. I initially started off with the game’s second hardest difficulty “Well Done” and was struggling to get past the second level, so I decided to play the game on “Lightly Broiled” instead and I don’t regret my decision. Even on this difficulty there were some aspects of the game that just felt cheap, particularly the placements of enemies behind the corners of entryways. I got into the habit of quicksaving frequently just because the game loves to ambush you with dickish enemy placements quite often.
Despite this though, I had a pretty decent time with it. It has a solid arsenal of weapons that feel pretty fun to use. The enemies were alright, I feel like they were kind of lacking in terms of variety and design compared to something like DOOM or Quake. I wish more enemies had specific methods to effectively take them down, like using a combination of the Flare Gun and the Shotgun to dispatch Axe Zombies as quickly as possible. Most enemies are just weaker to specific weapons and that’s about it. The Gargoyles were extremely annoying. I hate how they fly higher than you can actually aim so you can’t really do anything about them until they land close enough to where you can shoot them. There’s also an enemy type here that shares my username - Phantasms. I was… never really clear on what these enemies are supposed to do besides annoy the hell out of you. It just charges at you and gets in your face while this really loud screaming sound effect plays over and over again. I couldn’t even tell if it was ever actually damaging me, I would just shoot it with the Shotgun whenever it stopped being intangible and never gave it a second thought.
I actually really enjoyed this game’s level design. I had a really great time making my way through the haunted mansions and various mazes in the game, it was really satisfying. I will say that some of the levels in Episode 3 were a little longer than I would’ve liked, especially E3M5: Spare Parts and E3M6: Monster Bait. I actually had to look up a walkthrough for these levels because I had no idea where I was supposed to go or what I was supposed to do at times.
The story is… there. It’s told over the course of very short cutscenes that usually play at the end of an episode. There’s not really a whole lot to it, and it ends extremely suddenly, making it very underwhelming. I was disappointed with the protagonist, Caleb too. He doesn’t talk nearly as much as I expected him to. I like him when he does talk, and I dig his personality being essentially Duke Nukem if he was a freaky black magic guy. But he’s pretty much silent unless you’re blowing stuff up with TNT, which is when he laughs maniacally.
Blood is a solid time as long as you’re not playing on the higher difficulties. I have to admit, I don’t really have a whole lot to say about it because I don’t think it really stands out all that much from other boomer shooters of its time. I love the horror aesthetic, I love all of the little pop culture references, the weapons and level designs are neat, and that’s about it, really. It’s a really standard title for the genre. I think if its horror aesthetic appeals to you, or if you’re just hungry for more classic DOOM-inspired FPS games from this point in time, then I think you’ll enjoy it. Otherwise, it’s definitely fun, but I don’t really know if I can say that it’s a must-play. Still, it’s a neat cult classic game, and the perfect October game if you’re ever looking for something horror-themed to play around this time of the year.
What you see is what you get with Blood: a late 90s DOOM-inspired boomer shooter with a cheesy comedic horror tone that’s reminiscent of films like Sam Riami’s Army of Darkness. There’s even an enemy type that is literally just Ash’s possessed hand from Evil Dead 2. Blood wears its inspirations on its sleeves and manages to be a pretty decent time… depending on what difficulty you set the game to.
Blood can be brutal and not in a way that feels like an actual test of your skills. The game has an abundance of hit scanning enemies that can melt your health like butter from a rather far distance, before you can get a chance to register that they’re even there. I initially started off with the game’s second hardest difficulty “Well Done” and was struggling to get past the second level, so I decided to play the game on “Lightly Broiled” instead and I don’t regret my decision. Even on this difficulty there were some aspects of the game that just felt cheap, particularly the placements of enemies behind the corners of entryways. I got into the habit of quicksaving frequently just because the game loves to ambush you with dickish enemy placements quite often.
Despite this though, I had a pretty decent time with it. It has a solid arsenal of weapons that feel pretty fun to use. The enemies were alright, I feel like they were kind of lacking in terms of variety and design compared to something like DOOM or Quake. I wish more enemies had specific methods to effectively take them down, like using a combination of the Flare Gun and the Shotgun to dispatch Axe Zombies as quickly as possible. Most enemies are just weaker to specific weapons and that’s about it. The Gargoyles were extremely annoying. I hate how they fly higher than you can actually aim so you can’t really do anything about them until they land close enough to where you can shoot them. There’s also an enemy type here that shares my username - Phantasms. I was… never really clear on what these enemies are supposed to do besides annoy the hell out of you. It just charges at you and gets in your face while this really loud screaming sound effect plays over and over again. I couldn’t even tell if it was ever actually damaging me, I would just shoot it with the Shotgun whenever it stopped being intangible and never gave it a second thought.
I actually really enjoyed this game’s level design. I had a really great time making my way through the haunted mansions and various mazes in the game, it was really satisfying. I will say that some of the levels in Episode 3 were a little longer than I would’ve liked, especially E3M5: Spare Parts and E3M6: Monster Bait. I actually had to look up a walkthrough for these levels because I had no idea where I was supposed to go or what I was supposed to do at times.
The story is… there. It’s told over the course of very short cutscenes that usually play at the end of an episode. There’s not really a whole lot to it, and it ends extremely suddenly, making it very underwhelming. I was disappointed with the protagonist, Caleb too. He doesn’t talk nearly as much as I expected him to. I like him when he does talk, and I dig his personality being essentially Duke Nukem if he was a freaky black magic guy. But he’s pretty much silent unless you’re blowing stuff up with TNT, which is when he laughs maniacally.
Blood is a solid time as long as you’re not playing on the higher difficulties. I have to admit, I don’t really have a whole lot to say about it because I don’t think it really stands out all that much from other boomer shooters of its time. I love the horror aesthetic, I love all of the little pop culture references, the weapons and level designs are neat, and that’s about it, really. It’s a really standard title for the genre. I think if its horror aesthetic appeals to you, or if you’re just hungry for more classic DOOM-inspired FPS games from this point in time, then I think you’ll enjoy it. Otherwise, it’s definitely fun, but I don’t really know if I can say that it’s a must-play. Still, it’s a neat cult classic game, and the perfect October game if you’re ever looking for something horror-themed to play around this time of the year.
Duke 3D but in the 30s