E93: Blade Runner

Blade Runner is one of the most exceptional and influential works of science fiction to ever grace the silver screen. It brought the works of Phillip K Dick to life from its opening shots of geysers of flame erupting in the shadow of the Tyrell Corporation’s Egyptian skyscrapers. The technology might be fantastical and the world transformed, but the people of the city were the same, and Blade Runner knows it. To this day it is considered one of the best explorations and examinations of humanity, even if its slow pacing and flat characters might be off putting for some.

15 years after the release of the movie saw the release of the point and click adventure game of the same name. Blade Runner (1997) follows the journey of Ray Mcoy in a parallel side story to Deckard, as he investigates bombings, hunts down replicants, and otherwise gets tangled up in something far beyond his simple job. It was released to widespread critical acclaim, with reviewers both praising both its detailed environments and dynamic gameplay.

But 25 years later, point and click adventure games are a dead artform, cursed and largely forgotten. Blade Runner itself got a shot in the arm with its sequel, and for many that’s the only exposure they have to this world. Is it possible, all these years later, that this game could possibly still hold up today?

On this episode, we discuss:

• How well does Blade Runner capture the atmosphere of the movie? In what way does it use sound, audio and animation to convert high resolution film to a low resolution, voxel based video game?
• Blade Runner’s story is extremely dynamic, with clues, identities and even entire scenes playing out completely differently for each playthrough. Does this come across as confusing and incoherent, or is this a brilliant type of storytelling that should never have been retired?
• Blade Runner is a point and click adventure game that barely features puzzles. Does stripping this feature fix what makes this genre rotten to the core, or has it been replaced with something far worse?

We answer these questions and many more on the 93rd episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!

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Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K

Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another

Blade Runner OST: Frank Klepacki

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Which piece of Blade Runner media do you think is best - the book, one of the first movie cuts, or the sequel? Is the gameplay of Blade Runner more sophisticated and clever than we gave it credit for? Is there another modern game that uses the systems present here? Come let us know what you think and join the conversation on our

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