Tuesday, November 12, 2019

"Blade Runner" Review

Publisher:  Westwood Studios

Genre:  Adventure

Summary:  A new Blade Runner investigates a dangerous group of Nexus 6 replicants.

Gameplay:  McCoy can use his skycar to travel between locations to question people (you can select a mood for the responses or just choose from a list) and pick up clues.  As more locations are revealed, sometimes foot travel becomes possible.

McCoy's computer helpfully lists the clues, cases, and suspects, and can subdivide by type.  Photographs can be analyzed for further clues, ala the film.  And of course at times McCoy will have to determine if someone is a replicant, and then be quick to chase them down and shoot them--if he's sure!

Style:  As might be expected from a Blade Runner game, the landscapes are spectacular, even rendered in the older game's somewhat grainier style.  There are screens a-plenty just to wander through to look at (fortunately, McCoy can run if you don't care.)

People and objects, however, are sadly extremely grainy and clash with the better backgrounds.  Cutscenes are better, but not impressive today.  The music is good.

Story:  Blade Runner is impressive for how it manages to emulate the movie without exactly repeating it (just look at the summary!)  It takes place at the same time (that is...now), and McCoy may run into many of the movie's characters (and it's impressive how many of the same voice actors are involved.)

I say "may" because the game is impressively varied and replayable.  McCoy can choose where to go, who to shoot or set free, and which faction to side with.  Even ignoring that, different people are replicants every game, so each playthrough is always different.

Still, the themes of identity, humanity, and freedom can come through strongly, depending on the playthrough.  Additionally, it's fun to explore in more detail the Blade Runner universe.

Conclusion:  Although awkward in spots due to its age, Blade Runner still offers a fine story with great variety in a vibrant science fiction landscape.