| Blood | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developers | Monolith Productions Nightdive Studios(remaster) |
| Publishers |
|
| Director | Nick Newhard |
| Producer | Matt Saettler |
| Programmers |
|
| Artist | Kevin Kilstrom |
| Composers | Daniel Bernstein Guy Whitmore |
| Engine | Build Kex Engine(remaster) |
| Platforms | MS-DOS,Windows |
| Release | Fresh Supply
|
| Genre | First-person shooter |
| Modes | Single-player,multiplayer |
Blood is a 1997first-person shooter game developed byMonolith Productions using theBuild engine and published byGT Interactive. Theshareware version was released forMS-DOS on March 7, 1997,[1] while the full version was later released on May 21 in North America[2] and June 20 in Europe.
The game follows the story of Caleb, an undead early 20th century gunslinger seeking revenge against the demonTchernobog. It features a number of occult andhorror themes.Blood includes large amounts of graphic violence, a large arsenal of weapons ranging from the standard to the bizarre, and numerous enemies and bosses.
Blood received largely positive reviews from critics upon release, with many praising its creative level design, humor (particularly its use of pop-culture references), atmosphere, and gameplay, though some criticism was aimed at the game's difficulty. It has since garnered acult following and is now considered one of the best games on the Build engine.
TheBlood franchise was continued with two official expansion packs titledPlasma Pak (developed by Monolith)[3] andCryptic Passage (developed bySunstorm Interactive). A sequel titledBlood II: The Chosen was released in 1998.Blood also served as the principal inspiration for themanhwa seriesPriest.[4] The game was released onGOG.com along with its two expansion packs on April 22, 2010, utilizing theDOSBox emulator to run on modern systems,[5] and onSteam on July 14, 2014.[6] A remaster of the game made to run better on modern systems entitledBlood: Fresh Supply was released on May 9, 2019, byNightdive Studios andAtari.[7][8]
Insingle-player mode, the player takes the role of Caleb in his quest for revenge against his former master by navigating levels in episodes, looking for an exit, until theboss level.
Blood's gameplay is similar to other classic FPS games likeDoom: the player must activate switches or seek keys to go through the levels; some larger maps contain up to six different keys. Features include teleporters, traps such as crushing blocks, explosive barrels, lava pits,jumping puzzles, andcombination lock doors.
Blood is one of the earliest FPS games to feature alternate or secondary attack modes for its weapons. Weapons include aflare gun,Voodoo doll, and an aerosol canister that can be used as a flamethrower.[9] It also features a power-up known as "Guns Akimbo", which allows the player to dual wield certain weapons temporarily.Blood also has "super secret" areas which contain rewards for discovering them.
Enemies include human members of the Cabal and creatures fighting for the demonTchernobog. Enemies can use objects in the environment for cover.[9] The game also features a lesser class of enemies (bats, rats, eels, possessed hands, etc.) often referred to as "nuisance enemies" that are not considered threats individually, but can be deadly in large numbers.
Blood, like many FPS games of the time, featuresmultiplayer modes. When it was released, Internet play was not well established, soBlood usedmodem,LAN, orserial cable connections for multiplayer. Modem and serial cable connections only allow two player games, while anIPX network connection can support up to eight players. This can easily be achieved on a variety of platforms that support DOSBox and its IPX modes, coupled withVPN software such asHamachi. Online multiplayer was also possible via theTotal Entertainment Network andDWANGO.[10]
The multiplayer modes consist ofdeathmatch, known inBlood as "Bloodbath", and cooperative play. Bloodbath matches can be played on specifically designed multiplayer maps or on the levels of the various episodes; the "frag limit" or "time limit" options are available to end matches, as well as the possibility to control respawn mode for weapons and power-ups. A feature of Bloodbath is "The Voice", an audio comment heard upon each frag, that punctuates the death of an opponent often in gory and irreverent terms. "The Voice" is that ofJace Hall, who wasCEO ofMonolith Productions at the time. Cooperative gameplay follows the lines of the single player campaign, allowing several players to work together in the levels of the different episodes.
Blood takes place in an unspecified time period. The various levels contain elements from the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, in addition to futuristic andretro-futuristic technologies and aweird West theme. Many elements areanachronistic, including weapons and pop-culture references. The sequel,Blood II: The Chosen, retroactively dates the game to the year 1928.
The backstory is not delineated in the game itself, only on the Monolith website and areadme text document. The player takes on the role of Caleb, once the supreme commander of a cult called "The Cabal", followers of the forgotten demonTchernobog.[11] Known as a merciless gunfighter inthe late 19th century American West, Caleb joined the Cabal in 1871 after meeting Ophelia Price, a woman whose husband and son may have been murdered by the members of the Cabal; it is implied that she later became Caleb's lover. Together they rose to the highest circle of the dark cult, "The Chosen", until all four members of The Chosen were betrayed and killed by Tchernobog for unspecified failures. Several years later, Caleb rises from his grave, seeking answers and vengeance.[11]
In search of thegargoyle Cheogh, one of Tchernobog's minions, Caleb moves to the rail yard and station, where he boards the northbound "Phantom Express". He fights off the undead which swarm the train, finally stopping the train by blowing up the locomotive. Emerging from the wreckage, cutting through swarms of Cabal loyalists and other creatures, Caleb enters the "Great Temple". A teleporter in the temple leads Caleb to Cheogh's altar, where he finds Ophelia crucified, and he fights and slays Cheogh. Caleb finishes by lighting up Ophelia's funeral pyre to cremate her body.
Caleb heads to the Arctic north on a large icebound wooden sailing ship. He disembarks at a lumber mill the Cabal has transformed into a crude human remains processing area. He makes his way into a mine in search of the mother spider Shial's lair. Navigating the Cabal infested tunnels, Caleb finds a dark stony cavern where he defeats Shial, crushing her with a stomp of his boot. He then rips out and consumes the heart of the webbed corpse of Gabriel, another of the betrayed Chosen, thus gaining the power of his fallen comrade.
Cerberus is promoted to Tchernobog's second in command. Caleb moves across an industrial facility, entering a nearby dam control installation located near Cerberus' cavern, then blows up the dam with explosives. The resulting flood makes Cerberus' hideout accessible. Caleb kills Cerberus, and upon finding no trace of Ishmael, fills Cerberus' stomach with bundles ofTNT, and blows up the corpse.
Caleb heads for the "Hall of the Epiphany" where Tchernobog is waiting. There, before facing him, Caleb learns why "The Chosen" were cast down: Tchernobog knew Caleb would return to him, killing anyone he ran into to take his revenge and thus gaining immense power, something Tchernobog wants for himself. Caleb battles and destroys the demon. One of Tchernobog's followers approaches Caleb and declares him their new leader. Caleb shoots him and leaves the Hall of Epiphany.
The first episode ofBlood was released asshareware. The full retail version ofBlood was released on a CD-ROM, featuring all four original episodes and all of the elements that were missing in the shareware version. The extremely violent content of the game later prompted the release of a censored version ofBlood with toned-down violence. Two officialexpansions were released for the game.Cryptic Passage was developed bySunstorm Interactive and features a new 10 level episode for single player and four new multiplayer levels. Monolith's official add-on forBlood is called thePlasma Pak and contains 11 new levels, new enemies, and weapons modes. A special edition collection titledOne Unit Whole Blood was released on July 15, 1998, including the fully patched versions ofBlood,Cryptic Passage, and thePlasma Pak, as well as theBlood: Unlock the Secrets guide in a single package. Strategy guides for the game were also published, namelyBlood: The Official Strategy Guide andBlood: Unlock the Secrets.
Cryptic Passage was published bySunstorm Interactive and is the only officially authorized commercially available add-on forBlood that was not created by Monolith. It was released on June 30, 1997, and contains 10 new single player levels and four new multiplayer Bloodbath levels.
In the episode's new story, having heard news of an ancient scroll, Caleb sets out to retrieve it for his own dark needs.
Released in September 1997, thePlasma Pak expansion adds several new features toBlood; a new episode with nine single player levels titled "Post Mortem" is included, along with two new multiplayer Bloodbath levels, one of which was modeled after Monolith's corporate offices, for a total of 11 levels. New enemies are included in thePlasma Pak, and all of them are featured in the extra episode; the new creatures include two new Cabal loyalist types, Chrysallid pods, miniature Calebs, and a new boss, the Beast. There are no new weapons added to Caleb's arsenal, though some new weapon abilities are introduced; the Tesla Cannon can now be wieldedakimbo (provided the appropriate power-up is collected), while the Napalm Cannon and Life Leech have new secondary attacks. ThePlasma Pak also integrated a large number of bug fixes which had been previously addressed by several patches.[3]
Episode 5: Post Mortem
After Caleb learns the Cabal is training replacements for the fallen Chosen, he sets out to stop the cult's plans. Caleb moves into Cabal territory, wreaking havoc in a temple complex, then storming the inner temple. Satisfied the temples have been dealt with, Caleb enters the training ground for "The Chosen". In order to rest, Caleb destroys each of the four "Chosen" in training and the Beasts within them.
Development began at Q Studios, an independent developer funded by3D Realms, in parallel with a number of other well-known titles. It started development in 1995.[12] Following the success ofDuke Nukem 3D, development progress was made public starting in June 1996 with weekly updates on their website. It was originally scheduled for release in early 1997. Q Studios was acquired byMonolith in November 1996. On January 22, 1997, all rights had been sold to Monolith[13] so that 3D Realms could focus efforts onShadow Warrior, anotherBuild engine game slated for release the same year. Ports for thePlayStation andSega Saturn were planned but never completed[14]
Blood was one of two games (the other beingShadow Warrior) that took advantage of the Build engine's support forvoxel objects in the game world.Blood used this for weapon and ammo pickups, power-ups, and occasionally decorations, such as thetombstones in the first level of episode one, "Cradle to Grave". The Build engine was enhanced forBlood to allow new lighting effects, real-time shadows, and simulated "rooms above rooms".[15]
A central feature ofBlood is an abundant (and often exaggerated) graphic violence, from which the game derives its name. Enemies can be blown to pieces, and the pieces often rain down on the player. Zombies' heads can be shot off and then kicked around like footballs, spewing fountains of blood. Enemies scream if set on fire or are otherwise injured, making sound an integral part of the violent atmosphere ofBlood. The levels themselves are designed with the same spirit, as corpses, torture victims, and several grotesque situations are witnessed in the game. Collectively, these features caused some public concern aboutBlood, leading to a censored re-release of the game.
3D Realms soldMonolith the intellectual property (IP) so 3D Realms could makeShadow Warrior. Monolith sold the publishing rights, but not the IP forBlood and its sequel toGT Interactive. GT Interactive was later acquired byInfogrames, which has since been renamed toAtari. Monolith itself was acquired byWarner Bros., which owns theBlood trademark and intellectual property.[16]Atari re-releasedBlood andBlood 2 onSteam andGOG, but unlike other Build engine games (Duke Nukem 3D andShadow Warrior), the source code forBlood has not officially been released, however multiple incomplete versions of it exist online.[17]
Nightdive Studios was commissioned byAtari to create an enhanced version ofBlood.[18] It was released exclusively for Windows on May 9, 2019, under the titleBlood: Fresh Supply.[7][8] The new version featured compatibility with modern operating systems and native support for monitor resolutions up to 4K,anti-aliasing,ambient occlusion andinterpolation among other improvements.[19][20]
A newer version ofFresh Supply, also developed by Nightdive Studios, will have more quality of life features as well the integration ofMarrow andDeath Wish, two community made mods that will also receive new content in the form of a new episode for each. It will be released for Windows,Nintendo Switch,PlayStation 4,PlayStation 5,Xbox One andXbox Series X/S on December 4, 2025. ANintendo Switch 2 port is also planned for an early 2026 release.[21]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 82/100[22] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| GamePro |   [25] |
| GameSpot | 8/10[23] |
| Next Generation | [24] |
| PC PowerPlay | 71%[26] |
Blood received "generally favorable" reviews from professional critics, according toreview aggregator websiteMetacritic based on seven reviews.[22] Critics especially praised the intricate and creative level designs, humorous wisecracks and pop culture references, over-the-top gore, variety of settings, and inventive, unconventional weaponry.[23][24][25]GameSpot particularly noted that thevoodoo doll "might be the coolest little accessory to ever grace the weapons belt of a first-person killing machine".[23]
A few criticisms were voiced about the game, but did not find consensus among reviewers. For example, whileGameSpot said the game "is just too damn hard", citing how quickly enemies can deal damage,[23]Next Generation asserted that "the game is lengthy without being too tedious, and challenging without being too difficult".[24]GamePro followed up its own criticisms by concluding: "Blood's flaws are easily swept aside when your guns start blasting and the bodies start falling".[25]
GamingOnLinux reviewer Hamish Paul Wilson decided in a 2015 retrospective thatBlood was easily the best of the three major Build engine games, stating thatBlood was "one of the most underrated shooters of the whole decade.Blood arguably built more on the legacy ofDuke Nukem 3D thanShadow Warrior did, taking its gameplay to sophisticated new heights and offering its referential overtones with an even greater degree of refinement".[27] Player Attack describedBlood in a 2011 article as "the best of the Build engine games afterDuke Nukem 3D, with its combination of scary atmosphere, great level design and challenging gameplay putting it above the rest".[28]
More than 350,000 copies ofBlood have been downloaded.[29] This number reached one million in its first six months of release.[30] By 1998, the game sold 120,000 copies worldwide.[31]
Blood has received numerous fan homages and remakes, includingTransfusion,ZBlood,BloodCM, andThe Flesh Game,[32][33][34] as well ascommunity produced source ports such as BloodGDX, NBlood and Raze,[35][36][37] and mods for other games such as theBloom mod made forGZDoom. The game has also inspired several laterboomer shooters[38] such asEternal Damnation,[39]Viscerafest,[40][41]Dread Templar,[42]Coven,[43]Nightmare Reaper,[44]Project Warlock,[45][46]Dusk,[47] and most notablyCultic.[48] It was also influential on theroguelike gameInfra Arcana.[49]
Themanhwa seriesPriest created byHyung Min-woo was inspired byBlood. An interview with Hyung inPriest, Vol. 3: Requiem for the Damned states that the comic was influenced by the game, which featured a similar horror-Western aesthetic and undead protagonist.[4][50] The manhwa was adapted into the2011 American horror film of the same name.
The 2014 horror filmFPS: First Person Shooter features Stephan Weyte, the actor who played Caleb, as the voice of the protagonist.[51]
Feel free to sign up at our forum if you have ideas or questions, and yes, there is a weapon in there inspired by Blood
A lot of the core design is meant to evoke the arena shooter genre established by titles such as Quake, Blood, and Duke 3d
Another one is Blood, which I actually didn't like at all when I was a kid, even ranked it as one of my most hated FPS. But strangely enough, when I replayed Blood a few years ago I was totally hooked. Compared to other boomer shooters, Blood's level design is particularly fascinating to me, and DT is really inspired by Blood in level design.
Coven is a unique retro shooter that doesn't take its demonic inspiration from DOOM but from the dark fantasy worlds of Hexen and Blood.
There are a whole slew of other influences as said on the developer's website for the game such as Blood and Rise of the Triad.
While Dusk is mechanically most like Quake, it takes its thematic cues from Blood, Monolith's venerable 1997 Build engine FPS. Of the big three – Duke Nukem 3D, Blood, and Shadow Warrior – this is my favourite, and revenant cowboy Caleb is the most enduringly charming of the protagonists, not having to rely on stolen Bruce Campbell quotes or lazy racist caricature to shine. Plus, Caleb has a thing for classic showtunes. How can you not love that?
At first glance, Cultic seems sure to fall into this trap, given its evident similarities to Blood. In fact, Jason Smith's fantastic first project uses Monolith's 1997 game as a jumping-off point – and ultimately delivers one of the best retro shooters in years.
I wish I would have jumped in on some of the topics a bit more though like room types, the Blood influences, explosives and flares, traps, some of the specific skills, disease, phobias, and why the weapons automatically tell you their bonuses.
