It might be easy for some retro FPS games to blend together these days—Nightdive alone is constantly dropping new remasters of boomer shooter esoterica like that's its business model or something—but Blood is a cut above. It's inspired by Doom, but go past its gore-drenched, b-movie exterior and you'll find a trove of tight level layouts and intoxicatingly ruthless enemies.
The easiest way to experience it these days is via Nightdive's remaster, Fresh Supply, as it plays nice with modern machines and packs in online multiplayer alongside some quality of life enhancements. But that was six years ago, so that refresh is due for a refresh of its own, as was revealed in a trailer that sprang to life at today's PC Gaming Show Tokyo Direct.
The headlining addition in Blood: Refreshed Supply is the integration of two high-profile mods, Marrow and Death Wish, both of which are getting a new episode or two at some point down the line.
Custom levels are the lifeblood of any FPS with tenure like Blood has, so I'm all for any update that shouts out the modders and mapmakers of the world. It should draw a ton of new eyes to the fanmade scenarios, and the addition of all-new episodes means custom content scholars will have something to look forward to as well.
Ultimately, I'm just glad Blood isn't being left to congeal. The biggest Build Engine games—your Bloods, Duke Nukems, Shadow Warriors, etc.—occupy such a narrow pocket of FPS history and are nonetheless unforgettable for their gritty grindhouse aesthetics and fealty to Doom-esque 2.5D labyrinths (in the case of Blood, even after Quake had ushered in the era of fully 3D FPS). If recent old-fashioned standouts like Cultic, Dusk, and especially Ion Fury have gotten their hooks into you, you can't get much better than Blood.
The upgrade is "coming soon" and available to wishlist on Steam.
Check out every game, trailer, and announcement in the PC Gaming Show Tokyo Direct.
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