Rummaging around in Blade Runner 9732

Blade Runner 9732, the unofficial virtual tour of Deckard’s apartment from the first movie, is now on Steam. It’s free on Steam and you don’t need a VR headset to take it for a spin, though it’s still in the beta stage at the moment, with little do aside from enjoy the gloomy art deco abode. Like a nosey neighbour given a spare set of keys, I’ve been rooting around in it this afternoon.

I feel like I know Deckard just a little bit better. For instance, I knew that he liked a drink, but I never realised that he was a collector of half-finished bottles of Johnnie Walker. Maybe he just hates goodbyes. Or maybe he just keeps forgetting where he put the bottles down. Anyway, I found quite a few of them.

Perhaps trying to ascribe logic to his drinking habits is a fool’s errand. After all, this is a man who—despite being in his 30s—still uses Axe (Lynx if you’re from Blighty) body spray. Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised that he likes to smell like a teenager, since he also decorates his apartment like one as well. Yes, there is more than one print of The Great Wave off Kanagawa hanging in his home.

Occasionally peculiar bits aside, Quentin Lengele has filled the space with hundreds of little authentic touches, from a slightly bloodies towel draped over the bathroom sink to the empty whisky tumbler sitting on the balcony. Speaking of which, the balcony is the real treat, giving you a clear view of the Los Angeles nightlife, including the iconic billboards and flying cop cars.

More interactive elements will make their way into the game eventually, but for the time being it’s a striking bit of nostalgia from 2019. A warning though: keep depth of field turned off. Turning it on seems to play havoc with the lighting, turning the apartment into a very sad rave.

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.