Blade Runner

If you're like me, and you missed this the first time around, and have always hankered to play it - it is an excellent recreation of the Blade Runner world, and a solid adventure game. And it looks and sounds great, over 20 years later. However, there are some peculiarities with the game, such as having to leave & re-enter a scene to find characters. And some of the branching narratives are clever, but not obvious - so you could find yourself stuck down a bad path. Save often, and keep multiple saves active. Despite some frustrations, it's still a great adventure game.

Sure its not the prettiest, and its got some rough edges, but this is pointing and clicking at its very best. Much like the movie that shares its name, this cult classic is unique, compelling, and vastly entertaining. Support the fine work done by the volunteers, fans, and nerds who've put their hearts and souls into the SCUMMVM update for this game. They've given this game the respect it deserves.

I own a cd version back from the 90s and played through it many times over the decades and every time it was awesome. And still is but that is because I love the world built by Ridley Scott. Game-play wise it is subpar. There are no real adventure game mechanics, just talk to everyone, click on everything, repeat until you can proceed. And sometimes if you are stuck long enough the game will just let you pass. After 2 hours of walking around suddenly an NPC will offer a new conversion option or clicking on an item for 111th time will make something happen. And after 20 years I still do not know if I am missing something, or this is how the game was intended to play. The interactivity is a good design. The game plays out based on your actions which leads to a number of different outcomes. Although you will not see the difference until the very end.

I first enjoyed this relic as part of some CD-ROM collection set when it was still a semi-new-ish title, even if not cutting-edge at the time. I cut my sci-fi-eye-teeth on the original film, so the chance to play through the story I loved so much was irresistible. At first, however, I was woefully disappointed. The “non-linear” promise is all but a lie, not that I can say more without spoilers. The usefulness of certain game mechanics still eludes me even now as they seemed to change nothing at all when employed in-game. A few events and many, many lines are ripped directly from the film script, and not always in the most logical manner. Some often-repeated visuals and audio components grew a little tiresome after a while. So why did I end up playing it over and over again? Six times in a row, no less, and I’m usually the kind to shelve a game for months after one or maybe two. Because, for everything I didn’t like about the game, it charmed the pants off of me. Say what you want about the graphics, they actually fit nicely for the kind of game this really is, life isn’t all about HD. The setting is cyber noir- a used future both clinging to and haunted by its own past, and the original graphics actually add to the charm of it. The real core of the gameplay, the detective work and the moral choices, actually feel like you’re investigating a crime instead of playing click-on-everything-to-win like many other adventure titles before and since. The voice acting is remarkable for its day, even if it falters once in a while, and rather than questioning whether McCoy is a replicant or not, I found myself instead questioning whether or not I felt more for the replicants than for the humans in the story, regardless of McCoy’s humanity. And one of the three endings is one of my all-time favorite game endings ever, no bull. I can’t give this game five stars. I wish I could. I’d give four and a half, or even four and three quarters. Just play it and see for yourself.

I just bought this game sinec I'm a huge fan of the Blade Runner franchise and though I have yet to get the original "Do Androids dream of Electric Sheep?", I managed to get this one. While it can be a bit confusing at times to know what to do next, the dialogue and the worldbuilding bring life to this game. The graphics may be dated but they're still nice and made with love. I even like the references to the orignal 1982 film that the game is set parallel to. Before you get Cyberpunk 2077, get this game.