We're going to need a bigger boat….

[Kazashi]

#2294

Almost by co-incidence I have been playing through Blood during the past week or so.

There is a reason, not just because of DOS Game Club but because of the latest release of NBlood. This is an EDuke32-based port of the original game, and for people who may have issues with DOSBox or obtaining suitable hardware I have found it to be an excellent option.

I was one of those who originally played Blood back in the day as a brand new game that someone *ahem* managed to obtain. BloodBath was extremely popular at our LAN parties, and while not necessarily my favourite of the BUILD games, I definitely find a lot to appreciate about Blood, even in this latest playthrough.

I might post some more thoughts after a bit more playtime.

[Tijn]

#2295

Ah, that’s a good option! I’ve heard of some people who were struggling to get it working correctly with Dosbox, so maybe NBlood is a good option for them 🙂

[Kazashi]

#2298

If anyone is also interested in trying NBlood:

https://nukeykt.retrohost.net/

Has links to a Win64 binary and source code on GitHub.

[M2tias]

#2301

I need to try NBlood. I’m not sure if Blood is actually that fast of a game or if dosbox is running it too fast :/

[Kazashi]

#2302

I have no idea how fast it is running for you in DOSBox, but IMO compared to other BUILD games it feels faster and harder.

On that topic: enemies feel smarter and more aggressive, which I think is mostly achieved by having them chase you down promptly. Their weapons also bite; cultists carry the same kinds of weapon you do (i.e. shotgun, tommy gun, dynamite), and some monsters combine ranged and melee attacks.

[dr_st]

#2304

There’s also BloodCM which took a slightly different approach to NBlood; dunno if there is a point to it now that NBlood is out.

[Kazashi]

#2355

So I finished the main game with Plasma Pak, and I’ve moved on to Cryptic Passage. While this wasn’t made by Monolith(*) it is generally considered an essential part of the Blood universe.

As it was made and published by external parties there are no added features; no new weapons, enemies or items. What you do get are several large (at least they feel that way to me) levels of imaginative and inspired design, along with new complementary textures.

If you’re finished with the main game, give CP a go. Even if you haven’t finished it, it may still be worth trying CP before the monthly challenge is over.

(*) The company who did make CP was Sunstorm Interactive, who also created a number of addons for BUILD games, and would later make the Deer Hunter series.

[Kazashi]

#2356

While I’m here, I should also add a link to the Blood Wiki. Naturally it contains a lot of info about the Blood series – development history, installation, universe and plot etc. As fan wikis go, it’s a good one.

https://blood-wiki.org/index.php/Main_Page

[Kazashi]

#2407

All finished.

What to say? It felt like a more challenging experience than the other Build games (I played through Redneck Rampage a few months back and that did feel a bit easier to get through), but also well worth the play. The product quality was high: 2D art, sound, map flow and gameplay all came together really nicely, and I believe it deserves the cult following that it has attained over the years.

I look forward to listening to the podcast, to hear what other people thought of Blood, but I am glad to have played through it again.