Nightdive Studios, the team that breathed new life into games like Turok, Turok 2, and Forsaken, is taking on another classic shooter. Blood, the somewhat scary and…gory shooter made back in 1997 by developer Monolith is getting the remaster treatment for a release on Steam.
Blood has a special place in my heart. I have fond memories of pitchforking hoards of zombies and undead canines during my journey through dilapidated towns and castles. It stands shoulder to shoulder with some of the few great shooters that made me the PC gamer I am today.
In the game, you play as the undead Caleb, who’s been having a rough non-life. It’s the late 19th century, and Caleb is seeking revenge against the dark god Tchernobog and his minions. You use an array of typical shooter weapons, such as machine guns and a rocket launcher, plus a few supernatural ones, like the voodoo doll which damages enemies when stabbed. It was a load of fun back in the day, with a dark sense of humor and enough, well, blood, to satisfy any fan of flying, pixelated giblets. Yes, it certainly lived up to its name.
“Red Is Definitely Your Color”
The handful of screenshots we have for the new Blood makes the remaster look promising. Nightdive appears to be giving the game the same love it gave the excellent remasters of Turok. Blood Remastered (title pending) looks clean and colorful and will be fully widescreen for modern day monitors. Hell, I remember playing this on an 80-pound CRT monitor. My, how things have changed for the better.
“Blood stood up extremely well over time and we are taking care to preserve all the qualities that made the game so special,” Nightdive producer Daniel Grayshon said. “It really only needs minor updates to provide a better user experience for contemporary audiences. By using some of the functions of Nightdive’s KEX engine, we’ll be able to provide compatibility with today’s video standards, with DirectX and Vulkan support.”
Grayshon also revealed other modern-day upgrades. There will be updated audio, as well as support for Steamworks, GOG Galaxy, and contemporary networks. Grayshon says that though the upgrades aren’t anything too substantial, he believes they’ll provide players with a “better, current generation gameplay experience.”
Blood doesn’t currently have a release date yet. However, Nightdive has said that there will be an announcement for a release window for both Steam and GOG soon.
