If you haven’t seen Ridley Scott’s film “Bladerunner” or read Philip K Dick’s novel “Do Androids Dream of Electronic Sheep?”, here’s a brief synopsis. Advanced androids called Replicants have developed their own self-awareness, and basically have become a threat to humanity – at least, that’s what the vast majority of people believe. Bladerunners are agents who track down and destroy these Replicants. (Decker, played in the film by Harrison Ford, was one of these). When some Replicants hijack a transport ship and come to earth, a state of high panic ensues, and Decker is called out of near-retirement to deal with them. But things are not quite as straightforward as they seem…
The game has the same background. At the start of the game a crime has been committed with Replicants being the prime suspects.
First Impressions
Oh boy is this atmospheric. The graphics and sounds are very authentic, but more of that later. The story draws you in very quickly, and gets you used to the various elements of gameplay nicely.
Interface
It would be a shame for a game with such perfect aesthetics to have little playability, but fortunately Bladerunner doesn't fall into that trap. It is entirely mouse-driven, which at first you might feel is going to be slightly limiting, but in fact it too is perfect. The balance between discovery (you play the part of a rookie Bladerunner assigned to a big job for the first time), action, self-defence, problem-solving and personal relationships. That's right, each of the 70-plus characters in the game have their own Artificial Intelligence, and their own agendas, which can change each time you play the game. Which makes for a very interesting time as you're never quite sure who's your friend or foe, or why!
Among the things you can do in the game are, as you'd expect, interrogation, exploration and examination. But added to these, and what makes the game really special, are the Voigt-Kampff test (to see whether a suspect is a human or replicant), Esper machine (photograph analyser), using the spinner (air-car), and interacting with characters from the film. There are a few other things in here too, but I don't want to spoil it for you by telling you everything!
Difficulty
There are a few crunch-points, where it is very easy to die (or, more to the point, extremely difficult or near-impossible to stay alive), which will take even hardened gamers several attempts to get through. Sometimes this can be very frustrating (especially if you forgot to save the game immediately before it and have to play through some of it again!), but this isn’t usually a problem. I have to admit, I needed a quick look at a hint guide on the Internet to actually complete the game, although 95% of it was my own work.
Aesthetics
To start off with, the graphics are fantastic for the time it was released, and stand up pretty well today too. Also, they’re entirely authentic - at times you could believe you were watching the film instead of playing a game. Everything is beautifully detailed and faithful to the film, from the dingy alleys of Chinatown to the glorious Tyrell Building. That said, it’s not too demanding on your 3d chip – any modern chip should handle the highest detail level with ease, while even older ones cope well enough with the medium settings. (My old Voodoo 2 did sterling service with this game). The sounds, dialogue (much of it voiced by the original actors/actresses, including the lovely Sean Penn - sadly no Harrison Ford but you can't have everything!) and ambient FX add a real atmosphere that captivates you from the start. Even the rather stiff way Rachel (Tyrell's assistant, Sean Penn's character in the film) walks is perfectly envisaged in the game, adding to the authenticity of the whole experience.
Options
All the options you’d expect really, including graphic detail level, which is a help. The options are presented in just as stylish a way as the rest of the game.
Compatibility
I can’t honestly tell you if it works under Windows XP since I gave the game to my sister before I got the new computer. I ran it under Windows 98 with no real problems.
BUT:
If you switch to another program while running and then back to Bladerunner, the graphics will be screwed up and you’ll have no option but to restart and lose any progress you made since the last save!
Also, SWITCH OFF ANY SCHEDULED TASKS! This does that same thing and played merry hell with my progress in the game when my virus scanner decided to pop in and say hi at a crucial moment!!!!
(Learn from my mistakes)
Will You Still Be Playing it in 6 Months’ Time?
Quite possibly. As you can probably tell, I love this game. It's huge, coming on 4 CD's, and every time you think you've been everywhere somewhere else becomes accessible to you! I've tried hard to come up with something I DON'T like about this game, but the nearest I can get is, if you didn't like the film, you probably won't be enthralled by this. And okay, some of it is a little on the tough side, but really none the worse for that. It’s got fairly good replay value – I have to admit to not playing it again after I finished it, but I’ve been seriously thinking of pestering my sister to give it back so I can play it again!!
Is it Worth the Money?
Bladerunner is an exceptional game. One word of warning though - if you didn't like the film you probably won't like this either. If you liked the film you will LOVE this game. If you're a fan of adventure games, you will love this whatever your feelings about the film. Well worth the money.
*****************
Final Ratings
Graphics: – 82% - not fantastic by today’s standards but still pretty good and very authentic to the film’s style.
Sound: – 76% - pretty good but nothing really special. Occasionally jumpy but not often enough to really grate.
Playability: - 94% - perfect interface and great variety in the game.
Longevity: - 91% - this’ll keep even the most skilful and ardent game player busy for months.
Replay Value: - 83% - after you’ve completed it you’ll go on to other things, but you’ll want to come back eventually.
Value For Money: - 90% - gameplay like this is worth it’s weight in gold!
Overall Rating: - 91% - a fine game in every sense.
A couple of hints (NOT SPOILERS!) for playing the game to help you get the most out of it:
Be very patient when using the Esper - you need to spend the time to find the clues in the photos to be able to progress in the game.
Save often (as if anyone needs telling that!).
Try to be nice to people when questioning them, as far as you can - otherwise they may stop talking to you and any potential clues they might give you will be lost.
The above also goes for getting our weapon out - unsurprisingly some people in the game become very nervous when you do that...
This PC CD-ROM demo disc was issued in limited quantities by Westwood Studios prior to the release of the Blade Runner PC game in 1997. I believe that...More at eBay
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