Blade Runner (1997 Video Game) User Reviews (30)

Petition to Remake the Bladerunner video game

[i-am-hobo · 10/10 · 11 June 2006]

Excellent game, played it over and over until i was able to achieve every ending, the atmosphere of it was awesome, definitely a game to be careful of, it will suck you in and make you cry when you dog gets killed. I cried, but I was also a kid when I first played it, and was very attached to Maggie.

I would like to see a newer version. something that takes advantage of the newer 3d tech available today, but still has that same feeling you get from the original.

Sign this petition to EA so maybe they will make a new BR game http://www.petitiononline.com/newbrvg/petition.html

Immerse yourself in Los Angeles, 2019

[B.Thayer · 10/10 · 15 September 1998]

I loved the film, and hoped the game would live up to it. I soon found it did, and very well I might add. You don't play Deckard, which was great because it means you aren't going to just re-create the movie. There are several different outcomes (endings) to the game all based on your actions within the environment. Gather clues and evidence, interrogate suspects and witnesses, follow and discover leads... all in the forever nocturnal and rainy world of Los Angeles 2019.

Atmospheric, worthy addition to the legendary movie

[Sentinel-15 · 10/10 · 12 July 2001]

The "Blade Runner" game is an excellent adventure game, that succeeds in recreating the style & atmosphere that made the original movie so great in the first place. In keeping with the movie's visual qualities, the game features an incredibly detailed, almost organic environment, featuring a decaying futuristic city, complete with spinners flying about, airships flying around, advertising the qualities of the Off-World colonies, background noises from busy little shops in shady neighbourhoods,...

Unfortunately, the game sprites also tend to look very blocky, especially when close to the screen. A minor flaw in an otherwise excellent looking and sounding game.

Also, again in keeping with the movie it is based on, Vangelis' powerful score was used (with added music emulating the style of Vangelis' tracks)

The game quite good voice-acting; the actors themselves were filmed and rotoscoped, resulting in very realistic moving character sprites. Also, several of the original movie's actors returned to play their movie characters, which is an added bonus for anyone who has seen the film.

As for gameplay, the story itself tends to be relatively short and a bit too easy, but you do have multiple endings (maybe up to 13, maybe even more) since the game has certain variables that may be different in each new game. So there should be plenty of replayability here.

By the way, it is not necessary to have seen the movie to play this game, but it does help. Besides, the film is a classic, one of the best SF movies ever made, so you *could* do worse with your time... :-) also highly recommended (and helpful in understanding the world this game presents) is the novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?", by Philip K. Dick, on which the movie was based. A nice touch in the game is the references both toward the movie *and* the book. It's often the little touches that make life great.

Highly recommended.

Way underrated

[squeedle · 13 May 2004]

This game didn't get a whole lot of attention, but Westwood Studios certainly gave it plenty. Several original Blade Runner cast members supplied their voices for this game, which contributed a great deal to the game's capturing the original feel of th movie. The kind of poignant, revealing detail you saw in the movie was also present in the game; each element contributed to a clear sense of this world.

I will never forget the first time I had Ray step out onto the balcony of his apartment. I was so impressed by the scenery and music that I sat there watching for several minutes.

The game is also different each time you play it, depending on your choice of persona and answers to questions and a couple of moral dilemmas.

It can get boring at times, especially when you have not yet realized that you've missed an important, time critical event (the game is pseudo-real-time), and occasionally this means you must start over. This is the only major flaw, but it is pretty easily overcome.

It isn't particularly action-laden, but you do get to shoot stuff up as well as sort of put clues together, although the clues are pretty obvious signs as to what you have to do next. If your machine can still play it and you are a Blade Runner fan, I highly recommend it.

Good game

[colby_park · 10/10 · 23 May 2003]

My favorite aspect of this game is the way it ties story lines from the film (Deckard can be spotted in the background a couple times.) in with story lines from the novel (when the dancer calls the cops.). The graphics are so-so but the game-play makes up for it. Don't expect an action packed shooter. This a solid detective game with all the noir elements of the movie, not to mention the various endings depending on which route you take in the game. Plus it's great to hear Stephen Root do a little voice acting. There is a lot in this game that should be praised, which is why I was so surprised to find that there was so little fanfare when it was first released. A must for Blade Runner fans.

This was an EXCELLENT game!

[davisong · 10/10 · 21 August 2000]

Let me start this out by saying that Blade Runner is my all-time favorite movie. If they ever made a sequel to this movie- this game could perfectly be made into a film and called that. This game was a perfect combination of game play and great writing. The atmosphere stays true to the movie and the characters are deep and involved. The game runs parallel to the movie but is not about Dekkard. The game is about a blade runner named McCoy. The game runs in the same time period as the movie- same date, same city. At times the movie and game will overlap, you will see things that happen as a result of Dekkard's actions in the movie and you will be the cause of some things that Dekkard saw in the movie. Over all, with many different possible endings and great voice acting (including Sean Young reprising her role as Rachael) this is a game you are really going to want to hunt down.

Worthy of the film's name...

[Fuzzbap · 9/10 · 16 June 2000]

Westwood Studios could have been forgiven for bashing out a video game version of the movie, but that's not the path they've gone down here. Although a few years old now (I bought it on the day of it's release), this is a nice spin on the point & click genre made popular by LucasArts games such as the Monkey Island series and Day of the Tentacle.

You play Blade Runner Ray McCoy, a new recruit to the Replicant Control Unit of the Police Department. The plot runs parallel with that of the movie, taking place at roughly the same time as the events portrayed there. The story starts when you are dispatched to investigate a series of brutal Animal Murders at Runciter's Pet Shop. With mainly only replicant animals available in the future, this is a major crime. It's just the tip of the iceberg though.

The labyrinthine plot takes you to various locations, both newly-designed and from the film. Along the way you meet various characters from the movie, eg. Tyrell, Gaff, J.F. Sebastian and Leon, nearly all voiced by the original actors who played them. Various other characters are referenced as well; Deckard, Holden and Batty's gang chiefly amongst them.

The graphics, and in particular the backgrounds, perfectly capture the dark, depressing atmosphere of the film; what's equally as impressive is the fact that they run without the aid of a 3D card, on what is nowadays a very dated system. The only minor gripe is that the sprite-based characters tend to look a little grainy at times, but this is only a VERY minor gripe. The voice-acting is well above par, and the simple point-and-click interface is highly intuitive. Using the ESPER photograph scanner can be frustrating but it's fun to get to use one of the film's gadgets in this manner.

All-in-all a fantastic game, although fans of the film will probably get more from it than other gamers. But with it available now at a budget price, how can you resist? Go buy it.

The Best Adventure Game of 1997

[Mariano-2 · 10/10 · 10 September 1998]

Blade Runner is an adventure game set in the universe of the film. Ray McCoy is a rookie Blade Runner; he's hired to hunt Replicants, but hasn't seen any action yet. But when McCoy investigates a case of Animal Murder, he becomes involved with a group of Replicants. Soon McCoy is framed for murder and is placed in doubt of his own humanity. With a gripping story that contains both multiple endings and multiple plot threads, Blade Runner is a must-play for any adventure game fans and a worthy story for the Blade Runner namesake.

Wonderful

[cherylkyrandia · 9/10 · 29 March 2023]

As a fan of the original film, I can honestly say that this adventure video game continues on this beautiful and wondrous science fiction fantasy story. The story revolves around replicants implicated in a crime that is introduced to you as you start the game. It's a point-and-click style of gameplay and complemented with beautiful animated cutscenes. The Blade Runner universe has already been well-set up by the film in terms of visual concepts and this is carried over into this gaming universe. You honestly feel like you're watching a continuation of the film in a parallel universe. If you like the dystopian, crime, sci-fi and fantasy genres, you'll like this one.

One of the best

[jekd-26590 · 10/10 · 19 March 2019]

This game plays out like easily the best blade runner film of all time. Forget the modern remakes that will continue to be made

Classic

[gillmurphydogg · 9/10 · 6 January 2023]

Back in the day where Westwood was a company and made great films. This is a video game that is all too forgotten but pioneered Blade Runner after Blade Runner the movie came out. We don't talk about these kinds of stories nearly enough because they're buried by large franchises like the moderate remake of Blade Runner.

This video game very much plays out like a film. It follows a parallel story arc of police officer working through a murder and dealing with evil forces all the while coming to terms with the predicament of the replicants. It's supremely dystopian and poignant and any Blade Runner fan would love it!

man meets maker---the entire movie theme, many miss

[gfourmil · 10/10 · 25 June 2007]

i was astounded by a recent lunch with an old friend---a biologist of no little intelligence---who was amazed at a poet's view---'not an easy thing, to meet your maker'---she said 'blade runner' made little sense. when explained it as the classic view of humanity, as Roy Batty, as not made 'to last'---and that link to humanity's seeming fate---'made, but not to last'---that hit her---the cinema became alive---and she understood---

to spite an 'actors-strike' and so many obstacles, Mr. Scott 'nailed' the human condition---as 'the replicants'---made, but 'not to last'---a 'beef' with God is the theme---to not see such simplicity? beats me.

The endings are it's saving grace.

[BladeMan · 7/10 · 17 May 1999]

This adventure game is fairly true to the movie, and gives a satisfying conclusion (there are different endings for different choices you make). Yet this and the very good videos (too few) don't really put BladeRunner by Westwood in the same class as Sanitarium or Shivers 2.

There are some good lines of dialogue, a good shooting gallery (in which the gun recoils in a very realistic fashion). But I can't say that the self-proclaimed real-time interaction works, you get a few different options on which alley to walk down or what to say to someone, but that's it and only in some situations. The Esper is very cool, as is Voigt-Kampff machine. But they can only be used according to predetermined parameters. I wonder...can the westwood programmers come out with new data files with different adventures and items to use and look at, and people to test and perhaps kill?

The music, sound effects and videos are outstanding, fabulous and eerily like the movie. These save this game. The design and implementation of scenic graphics is impeccable, with gorgeous images reminiscent of the movie

I gave it a 7 only because of the mood it imparts, not for the low-quality graphics of anything that's not background. I haven't played it since my first run through, which doesn't require an education or wit above that of a 10 year old. Once you're near the end, save the game because you'll get 12 different endings if you're patient, very patient.

Watch the movie instead.

L.A.2019, a rookie special police detector sets to take out evil replicants.

[sulaco-8 · 5/10 · 3 March 2000]

Very nice game for the time that it came out.This is a game of patience and detail.You'll never play the same game twice, sub-plots change and endings. The artificial intelligence in the game is moderate, but gets predictable after some time.The graphics are great with enough RAM, and the score is right out of the movie as well as the locations, and most of the characters. If you've seen the movie or not you'll enjoy the game and the replay factor.

Brilliant

[somethingbrite-1 · 18 February 2006]

This is how games really should be made, back when gameplay was more about atmosphere and storyline and less about pushing your graphics card to the limits of its capability. Though the graphics are clumsy and dated by todays standards, in 1997 it was more than passable, (If you are going to whine about this games graphics go back and play Doom2 then get back to me)in fact the overall atmoshpere is incredibly well done and stays very true to the vision of the film. Dark, rainy, film noir-esquire confused hero detective in a trenchcoat with a glass of scotch? It has the whole deal, and I thought it looked as beautiful as it played. I've slung an old PC together and loaded this up for the nostalgia value more recently, and its still a great game. The soundtrack and voice acting especially make it stick out. Alongside Fallout this must rate as perhaps one of the greatest, most atmospheric adventure games of all time.

A Blade Runner game, not yet ready for retirement.

[zfoxer · 7/10 · 8 December 2018]

A faithful adaptation of the original Blade Runner dystopia is presented by this computer adventure game of the '90s. The plot unravels in parallel to the 1982 film's time window. The protagonist is a Blade Runner that retires genetically altered humans called replicants who rebelled and came to LA from an off-world colony in the not-too-far distant year of 2019. While the story unfolds, he meets persons from the movie that are represented by pre-rendered 3D graphics, expressing themselves through the voice-over of the corresponding real actors. The game design is similar to the point-and-click infamous adventure game genre that prevailed in the '90s.

One of the strongest aspects of the game is the faithful representation of the dystopia that made the original film a cult classic. The combination of technological advancements with the depletion of natural resources is portrayed by a film-noir mood, where the constant rain falling, the dark and the low quality of life of most people that are unable to escape to off-world colonies, is the status quo of LA.

The professional voice acting is another strong aspect that was not for granted in the computer games of the '90s. In this game, it assists to the unfolding of the character development that makes the players assimilate the mood of the dystopia in all its essence.

Even though the production could not acquire the rights to use the original sound score by Vangelis, there is a remake of some central sound segments by another artist. The sound quality cannot come close to the original, but it is enough to depict the original soundscape.

The story is strong and could as well as be a sequel to the movie. Most concepts are explored here like the replicant nature, the longing for lifespan extension, revenge instincts, and betrayal. Multiple plot paths exist as well, which is another strong aspect. The main character that follows the player commands is able to respond differently to the game events. That way its character development is an ongoing process that leads to different plot paths. As a rule, good behaviour leads to happier ending.

On the contrary, there are bad aspects as well that steal away some of the game's glory. There is no actual riddle-solving. The plot develops while the main character talks to everybody and collects all the available things. You can finish the whole game that easily! There is no ability to combine clues, come to conclusions and crossover that way the plot-scenes.

The travelling from a place to another one takes time and becomes a boring procedure. Most places must be visited many times to get all the clues which is tiresome.

The actors that do not participate in the movie mostly perform cartoonish voice-overs. This is unprofessional and bad for the mood and the audience of this game, which is quite advanced. Also, the protagonist does not express all the aspects of his character and becomes boring in his acting.

This is a recommended adventure game to play and was a commercial success back in its day. There is also a new unofficial installer that makes the game playable on modern Windows 10 systems. Scoring 07/10.

Kinda fun But....

[shawnmc · 4/10 · 12 December 1998]

Ok this game is, well, not quite the movie. Ray McCoy, the Blade Runner you play is kind of a putz. The plot revolves around the Replicant/Not Replicant debate that is popular amoung Blade Runner fans. I was disappointed and I really can't say why since it would spoil the game.

On the positive side the atmosphere of Blade Runner the movie is faithfully reproduced here and running a VK on someone was quite enjoyable. The animation and graphics are OUTSTANDING.

Very, very good game.

[SplitFaction · 21 October 2005]

When I first bought this game, I hadn't seen the movie yet, as a matter of fact, I had never heard of the movie. Strange, if you try to realize that Blade Runner is absolutely one of the greatest sci-fi movies I have ever seen. I started playing the game, and what immediately drew my attention, was the beautiful atmosphere in the game. The music, the images from the movie, everything made it all so wonderful. Back then, when I played it, I was just a little kid, about 10 years old. Now, 8 years later, I put it in my computer, and it's still wonderful. I think that this game deserves more than just a comment on how bad the graphics were, how the game play can't give you enough tension, or anything else, because back then it was absolutely great. Of course, it's a point and click-adventure, those aren't very exciting, but the ambiance in the game, the music and the images makes it all so worth while. I especially loved the music by Vangelis. It gives you a certain sinister feeling about this game. Also the people you meet, the things that you can do, the places you can go, and that you're in the city of Angels are wonderful aspects of the game. The only bummer for me really was that the main character wasn't Deckard, he would have made the circle complete. But still, after playing the game I saw the movie, and now I'm hooked on both of them. Loved it!

Such a disappointment to a great movie.

[spamflux · 6/10 · 20 December 1999]

Beat the game in 8 hours. Maybe for others 5 or 10 hours. The game had a lot of potential, but the outdated animations and chance gameplay pretty much ruined it. Westwood must've spent a lot of time creating this game as close to 2000 since the game came out in 1997, They are still having the game in the spotlight on their westwood website. I'd play this game once and check out several endings then resell it or give it away... it's not worthy of true gaming experience.

One of the best games of it's kind

[paulmccloud44 · 20 November 2005]

Blade Runner the game was done right in every single way. I can always tell a great game by the way it pulls me in and makes me feel like i'm really there. Blade Runner did this, I felt for the characters, I felt the ambiance, the textures.

For those that haven't played it, the storyline of the game runs alongside that actual film, and if you play the game and watch the film or the other way around you will see how well they have done this.

It is a perfect adventure game. And I agree with other comments on here, change the featured comment, it's the only negative one here so why feature it!?

The greatest

[DeckardB2364 · 26 May 2003]

Blade Runner the film is an absolute masterpiece, the game is also a masterpiece in every field. Never before have I felt that I was actually in the surroundings a game, I swear you could actually feel the acid rain dripping down your clothes. Beautiful scenery, storyline and appealing characters make this one of the greatest interactive games of all time.

10/10

One of the best movie-based games.

[paweli · 26 June 2004]

Like in movie, this game is telling a story about a Blade Runner. A special police unit/man that tracks down and exterminates illegal replicants who arrive on Earth from Off-World. First thing which struck me like a lighting from the clear sky was visuals of this game. Although they are pre-rendered 3d backgrounds, they deliver the mood and this noir-like feeling which was present thorough the film right down to your PC screen. You can and will recognize many places that were in the original Blade Runner (1982) movie. The voice acting... well, it's just perfect. William Sanderson, an actor, who was J.F Sebastian in the Blade Runner movie, is one of the voice-actors of this game. A really valuable effort from Westwood to hire on of the originals. As is actually whole plot which gives you some kind of options of how the game ends and how other characters react to you. It is interesting to notice how this game takes everything from the original concept and adds couple of it's own ideas, which are, fully suitable for this kind of product. Joseph D. Kucan did a great job on this game (the man most of us gamers will recognize as "Kane" from the Command & Conquer game series (he also provided voice-acting for Crazylegs Larry)) when he wrote whole plot. As the game advances, a Blade Runner fan will be caught in it. Certain aspects of drama are also present in this game, which is, very rare in game industry overall.

I must recommend this to all those players out there who want a kinda once-in-a-lifetime gaming experience. And also, full recommendation goes to Blade Runner fans. Trust me, this is the game worth the Blade Runner license. The music, overall, is awesome. Thanks goes for Vangelis for their original score. In the last scene where everything is suddenly made clear to you... You will find out. This game is relatively old, made back in 1997 by Westwood Studios, but the age hasn't affected this one so much just yet. This is solely action/adventure game. With maybe a couple RPG elements in it. Kudos to Westwood for this. And no-thanks to EA for shutting down Westwood.

Featured Comment on Blade Runner is misleading...

[TheArt · 16 January 2003]

It's unfortunate that the only negative comment on the Blade Runner game is the one featured on IMDB.

While the game is now 6 years old, and it's technology is certainly not the 'latest, greatest', I found it to be one of the more enjoyable games I've played. In fact, it's one of the few games I've played repeatedly!

The ending sequence DOES provide choices which lead to several different endings. And it follows the film closely enough to make you want to watch it again.

(Now, what happened to the rumored "20th anniversary" DVD we've been waiting for??)

Better than any movie sequel!

[HarryWarden · 19 July 2002]

It's really a shame this never caught on. Despite glowing reviews, gamers never seemed to notice it. Probably because the general public prefers their 1st-person shooters to imaginative adventure titles like "Blade Runner."

I really can't say enough about this game. It's every bit as good as the film it is based on. Atmospheric, well designed, excellent multi-layered writing and characterization. It even manages to re-unite most of the cast members from the film. Every aspect of Ridley Scott's masterpiece has been captured (and added upon) here.

Anyone with a craving for another "Blade Runner" should just pick up this game. You want a sequel? This *is* the sequel!

Amazing game

[Slushyx · 9 January 2003]

If you liked the movie, this game is going to blow you away! The game may be old, and the 3D voxel graphics (I think that it was called that) are a bit out of date, but the atmosphere and the gameplay makes up for that. With several different endings and multiple storylines you can play this game over and over again. Also, try turning out the lights, crank up the volume and just let the game run... with all the sounds from the game and only the screen lighting up the room, you might just get a taste of what being a bladerunner is like! ;)