The greatest thing about this game is that it is not based on the movie. You do not play as Deckard, you do not even see him. Roy Batty, Pris, Zora, even Captain Bryant are all absent. What this allows is the freedom for Westood to craft their own Blade Runner story that is suitable for a videogame, instead of attempting to force the film’s narrative into a format that does not work.
As such, the game’s plot is incredibly open. There are no less than thirteen different endings which are obtained based on the choices you make and their very real repercussions. Many games make hollow claims that the player’s choices affect their ultimate outcome, but Blade Runner is one which actually delivers. Unprecedented replay value is the result, with the ability to experience almost a polar opposite story depending on how you play each time.
Whilst studying the film for English made it stale, I still love the world and atmosphere of Blade Runner, and the game does an amazing job of capturing it. The environments, backgrounds and lighting are incredibly lively and detailed, whilst the characters appear quite dated (due to it being 1997 and them being comprised of voxels). Looks aside, these characters are interesting, deep but most of all troubled. Everyone has something to hide, even the player character; part of the game’s joy is digging up the dirt on others. And who doesn’t love cheesy film noir narration?
This is not only the greatest point-and-click adventure game, it is also a fantastic example of how to create an accomplished movie-to-game tie-in. Developers need to abandon the quick-buck approach and take note.
