Difficulty:

Hard

Time Spent:

10 Hours or Less

The Bottom Line:

"Instant classic"

When you first play Blood you may think the game is a Doom rip-off because it sports demonic enemies and hellish levels, but in reality the game is nothing like Doom. Blood features some truly great shooter action and if you're looking for a change from Doom then take a look at Blood.

Doom is a game that cannot be replicated or replaced, but Blood makes an honest effort without stealing from the Doom formula. Blood is a totally committed shooter with an array of very cool weapons like a tommy gun and this skull, that when used it shoots out these balls of energy. Some weapons can even be dual-wielded like the tommy gun. Other weapons available to you are dynamite sticks and this cannister of some sort of spray that is flammable when used near a lighter. The whole weapon selection sets itself apart from Doom and most other shooters of the genre, but they are fun to use and offer something fresh from the standard weapon choices. As I mentioned gameplay is purely a shooter with the occasional 'flip the switch, go through the door' type of thing. Gameplay in Blood is great for the genre, but since it is a pure shooter there's not much more to tell.

Graphics in the blood are remarkably sharp and clear, and it is surprisingly violent for an older PC game. And with a name like Blood it's bound to violent and bloody, naturally. The game is very bloody and quite graphic, and it could almost stand up against some modern-day survival horror games in that aspect. The enemies in Blood are rendered very well whether you are fighting the running, fire-engulfed insane cultists or the brown-cloaked druid wielding a tommy gun. Blood's overall atmosphere is very dark, and the game even comes across as occultish and almost Satanic. Some of the levels include an old church, a moving train, a ship, and an old abandoned amusement park. And the one thing all these levels have in common is that they all take place at night. The levels are very dark and it just adds to the already eerie atmosphere. Blood looks good in level design and in presentation.

Sound in the game is what you would expect from a DOS game and even then some with the eerie-sounding music you would expect. It features some voice work aside from the standard grunts or screams of pain. Your character will oftentimes actually utter a line off like "I live" or some other similar quip. The game actually has some really, really good sound work and I was impressed. In Blood sound is top notch not only in quality, but in its age as well.

Ultimately Blood serves its purpose: to function as a totally dedicated and occultish shooter that is both bloody and violent. When one steps back and looks at Doom and Blood it might be said they are relatives, and this is true to a degree. Both games are pure shooters, both have demonic themes, and they both share the overall formula, but somehow they are two completely separate and individual games. Blood discerns itself in the genre by not being a Doom rip-off but by being unique, and being totally worth your time.