First-person shooters make up one of the biggest genres in the video game world, and it has something to offer for everyone. I’ve always enjoyed the FPS games, but the older I get, the more I fall in love with the classics. Games like DOOM, Wolfenstein, and Quake are still a great time, and I wish I had played them earlier. I still have a lot to try out when it comes to classic FPS games, but I recently checked one off the list thanks to Nightdive Studios. That is Blood: Refreshed Supply, the remaster of the cult classic Blood.
Blood: Refreshed Supply is the latest remaster of the game Blood, which was originally released in 1997 for MS-DOS, and it’s now available for Nintendo Switch 2—the version I played. You play as Caleb, an undead gunslinger looking for revenge against the demon Tchernobog. Shoot your way through all the levels of the original release and its expansions. It even includes the popular fan-made levels MARROW and Death Wish. Since this is also a Nightdive remaster, it has all the modern additions and reworks you expect in their releases. The end result is an amazing remaster of a classic game. Although I had my issues with it, this is still a remaster I still enjoyed.
A Tale of Revenge
In Blood, Caleb was once a supreme commander of The Cabal, a cult that follows Tchernobog. He would go on to meet a woman named Ophelia Price, and they would rise up the ranks of The Cabal. They would reach the highest rank of the cult known as The Chosen, along with two others. This success wouldn’t last long, though, as Tchernobog would betray all of them and murder them in cold blood. Years later, Caleb would rise from his grave with only one thought: revenge.
This is a fun, if simple premise, but one that the game uses well. The world has elements from different time periods, with a weird western vibe on top. Combining that with the occult themes and enemies gives you a world I only wanted more of. Caleb is also pretty fun and written as a sarcastic man who enjoys this bloodshed. He has some great one-liners, and I always enjoyed playing him. While there isn’t much else here in terms of story, I like the small amount we get and would like to see more.
Blood and Bullets
Where Blood shines is its gameplay. It’s a classic FPS for a reason, but remember, I mean classic for a couple of reasons. Much like other FPS of the time, you do not zoom in but just aim and shoot. Each weapon has a primary and secondary function that you can use as well. All your weapons will be on a wheel, and there is a good variety. The more you play, the more you’ll see what weapons work best for different enemies. Movement is also important, as you spend about half the levels platforming as well. It all works together well, but there is something specific to Switch 2 that the game excels at.
Blood: Refreshed Supply supports Joy-Con 2 mouse controls, and it feels amazing. I have always preferred a mouse and keyboard for FPS games, which is why I primarily played them on PC. Since I’ve never tried the Joy-Con 2 mouse controls, I decided to give them a go here since they’re supported. It quickly became my preferred way to play, and I spent most of my time using them. While odd at first, mouse controls quickly become natural, and any discomfort fades. The Joy-Cons still have an odd shape, so I sometimes stop for a break but no more than I would on my PC. Nightdive did an amazing job supporting the Joy-Con 2, and I hope more games do the same.
While I love the gameplay, I do have a few points of criticism. The level design and difficulty can be tedious at times. Most levels have you run around looking for keys to open up the map and leave, very similar to games of the time. While I can enjoy this loop a lot of these levels feel bigger than they should be, and it’s easy to get lost in them. Most of my time in levels was spent backtracking to see if I missed something important, or wandering aimlessly looking for where to go next. The difficulty doesn’t feel well-balanced either, with random spikes that make even the mid to lower difficulties annoying. It’s definitely a product of the time, but I still had a lot of fun with it.
A Refreshed Supply
My biggest praise for Blood: Refreshed Supply has to be the remaster itself. Nightdive Studios has made quite a name for itself when it comes to remasters, and any fan of the genre should know the company by now. Now this is actually the second remaster of Blood, so I can see this being a tough sell for some, but I can’t recommend it enough. What sets Refreshed Supply apart is that Nightdive obtained the original game’s source code to correct any inaccuracies from their previous attempt. Not only that, they enhanced the game’s original look and cutscenes while supporting 4K resolutions and 120 frames per second.
The game also gives you a lot of options to adjust different parts of the gameplay, along with enemy and weapon behaviors. Along with that, there is a vault with a huge amount of art, playable cut levels, unused sprites, and even behind-the-scenes photos from development. It also includes the Cryptic Passage and Plasma Pak expansions from the original game, and two brand new ones in the form of MARROW and Death Wish. The last two are famous fan-level packs that have been enhanced and expanded upon for this release. There is so much here, it honestly feels like three games’ worth of content.
The end result is a game that looks and runs great. I ran into no issues playing on my Switch 2, and as I said earlier, the mouse controls are amazing. Any fan of games from this era will love how the remastered cutscenes and visuals look. The extra levels are a great addition, but the criticism I have of the original levels carries over to them as well. I have nothing but praise for the remaster itself, and Nightdive continues to be the gold standard for me.
A Bloody Good Time
Blood: Refreshed Supply is an amazing remaster of a classic FPS. The original experience is here but better, along with all the modern additions you would want. It’s still an old-fashioned FPS, so I had some issues with the level design and difficulty balancing. Even with my issues, I still had a great time, especially with how much is here. The expansions, fan levels, and vaulted content add so much to an already great release. This really feels like the definitive way to play Blood, and any fan of the genre needs to play it at least once.
Disclaimer: Nightdive Studios provided a Nintendo Switch 2 copy of Blood: Refreshed Supply.
