/vr/ - Retro Games

>>3820473
I'm playing through it now, parallel pitchfork start on Lightly Broiled and carryover on Well Done. Just about every single aspect of Blood is top notch, to the point that it's almost mindblowing how much they got right.

Design-wise, the immense difficulty curve is countered by the sheer amount of choice available to the player. Not only are there a huge amount of weapons, each with their own alt-fire, but they each fill their own roles in a way that they're more or less equally effective, allowing the player to interpret each encounter in a multitude of ways. Fights are quick, flashy, and hard won. The levels are intricate, but have a solid flow and visual style that makes the player feel like they're exploring a complex area without making them lost (usually).

Technologically, it pushes the Build engine to make everything from great setpiece moments to wonderfully subtle sound cues and visual changes, making the levels look and feel alive. The carnival games in Episode 1, the floating and breaking glaciers and ice in Episode 2 (not to mention the subtlety of The Haunting), the bombing runs and demolitions of Episode 3, and all of the ways that enemies can be blown apart, lit on fire, and have their heads kicked around.

Audio-visually, the weapons are deeply satisfying to use, the enemies are memorable in sight and sound, and the palette of colors and textures makes the gothic world immersive and believable. Not to mention the soundtrack and the excellently understated voice of Caleb.

It takes the fundamentals of Doom -- an extremely varied bestiary, a toolbox of satisfying weaponry, complex but well-flowing level design, and excellent visual and sound design -- and puts them into an overdriven Build engine to make one of the most exciting feeling shooters in history.

It's a goddamn shame that the lack of 3D graphics made everyone overlook it for Quake. It really is an incredible game.