Blade Runner

The point and click version of Blade Runner is getting a new release as the Blade Runner: Enhanced Edition is announced for various platforms

For those out there that remember the Blade Runner game from back in 1997, it looks like it will be making a comeback this year as we have a new version of it heading to the PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch. When specifically, well we have not been informed on that as of yet. We have been informed that Nightdive Studios is, in fact, working on this with their KEX engine. The one they have used to bring us other classic titles in the more modern of nights. Now we get to sit with bated breath to see if the Blade Runner: Enhanced Edition is truly something we have all been waiting for in their franchise.

As one would assume, this version of Blade Runner will house all of the usual upgrades that come with the more modern tech we have now. Better character models, smoother animations, widescreen support, control customization, and an upscaling to the cut scenes. That is what has been announced so far, but everything else will fall in line with this point and click side story to the Blade Runner film from the '80s. I am a little put off that we are going to be seeing just upscaled versions of the cut scenes here, though, as that is usually one of the bigger detractors from these kinds of editions. The whole game can look amazing and then the pre-recorded video from 1997 plays in the much lower quality we just spent hours within. It plagues even the best of the remasters…

Nightdive Studios has partnered with Alcon Entertainment on Blade Runner: Enhanced Edition, a modern restoration of the classic 1997 video game Blade Runner for Steam and the PlayStation, Switch, and Xbox consoles.

Originally released in 1997 by Westwood Studios, Blade Runner was one of the most innovative adventure games of its era. Long praised as a master-class in game design for its painstaking recreation of the sci-fi cinematic masterpiece, the game delivered an unforgettable gaming experience with groundbreaking graphics, an original musical score, and a canonical branching narrative seamlessly interwoven with the events of Ridley Scott’s 1982 feature film.

Once lost for years and only recently coming out of retirement, this seminal game will soon become widely available to a whole new generation of gamers around the world. Fans of the cult classic can expect a polished and premium restoration from Nightdive using their proprietary KEX game engine, which has been used to restore classic video games across all digital platforms including System Shock: Enhanced Edition, Turok, Turok 2: Seeds Of Evil, Blood, and Forsaken Remastered. Nightdive has also sourced the original foreign-language translations, so fans can enjoy the game in German, French, Italian, and Chinese just as Westwood intended.

Blade Runner: Enhanced Edition will feature updated character models and animations, upscaled cutscenes using machine learning algorithms, widescreen resolution support, keyboard and controller customization, and much more. However, fans will be pleased to learn that the original look and feel of the game is being preserved.

Have you been waiting for a remaster for Blade Runner since the '90s or will this be the first time you will even get to experience the title? Are you a little let down that the cut scenes are not going to be fully tooled again or does it make sense to get the game out faster? Do you really want to take part in this side story again or could it also build further in things we have yet to experience in the overall franchise? Let us all know down in the comments and then feel free to discuss. If we have more to share for the Blade Runner: Enhanced Edition, you know we will have it all here. Be sure to keep checking in for all of that and much more.