Blood: Refreshed Supply Review

Blood: Refreshed Supply is a remastered version of Blood a first person shooter that originally released way back in 1997 for the good old MS-DOS computer. The game features a bevy of occult and horror related themes. It was released to overall position reactions and considered one of the best games made with the Build engine.

Fast forward a some years later, Atari hired NightDive Studios to create a remaster titled Blood: Fresh Supply exclusively for PC. Which brings us to Blood: Refreshed Supply, an enhanced version of the 2019 PC remaster. The newest version also includes all episodes along with two community mods.

Blood: Refreshed Supply puts players in the virtual boots of Caleb, an early 20th century undead gunslinger on a quest for revenge against his former demonic master, Tchernobog after he betrayed Caleb and his fellow Chosen. Caleb goes on a rampagne hunting down Tchernobog for answers.

Blood: Refreshed Supply is a first person shooter with the typical 90s template: kill enemies, pick up guns and ammo, find a locked door, find a key, find another locked door, look for another key; etc. All episodes follow this exact same formula with some minor tweaks.

For example, in episode 4, you’ll find a scuba suit which will allow players to stay a wee bit longer underwater before your health starts draining. There’s also some platforming involved; once again proving the genre isn’t ideal for platforming. One of the game’s strong point is definitely the arsenal of weaponry at your disposal.

From the simple flare gun to a devastating tesla gun, the game offers a lot of toys to dimanstle the waves of enemies. If you run out of ammo, which is rare, you’ll have to rely on a simplistic pitchfork; does the job properly. You can also throw dynamite for some explosive results.

Another staple of the 90s shooter is hidden secrets. Each level has a handful of hidden areas players can look for; whether by pressing a hidden door or blowing up barrels near walls. You can also pick up health from deceased enemies, armor for a layer of protection or med kit usuable when you’re about to die.

The game looks great. NightDive once again nailed it out of the park by polishing this game with a fresh coat of HD paint. Throughout the episodes, levels do look a bit the same due to the dark theme of the games, but each level has a unique design for players to explore. The soundtrack as a whole is great; a dark moody ambiant and slightly unnerving score. The protagonist’s one-liners are enjoyable for the most part; but it does old quick hearing “I need a key”.

The main issue with this game is that it follows the typical 90s boomer shooter formula where you’ll often go around in circles trying to find the level exit. Some paths are incredibly subtle; leaving you navigating levels trying to find a well hidden switch. Also the lack of a map doesn’t help. Trying to remember the emplacement of certain doors when finding keys is annoying. In some levels, for some reason, there is some high pitch ear-grating noise that’ll make you mute your tv.

Blood: Refreshed Supply is a great game; and it’s one of those classic 90s games that hold up surprisingly well despite its original release. NightDive did a great job sprucing up this old school classic. Sure, some mechanics didn’t aged that well; lack of map, easy to get lost and miss possible paths, but as a whole, the shooting is spot-on, entertaining selection of weaponry and movement is fluid. If you’re looking for a simplistic and entertaining FPS experience, you can’t go wrong with Blood: Refreshed Supply.