os Angeles is a dangerous place in 2019, especially for a Blade Runner, whose job is hunting down trespassing Replicants. These synthetic life forms have been banned on Earth, and when they show up, someone has to take them out. Gamers familiar with the film version of Blade Runner will recognize the story, which Westwood Studios has finally brought to computer desktops in an adventure that both runs parallel with and complements the original tale.
In this corresponding plot, players take the role of Ray McCoy, a rookie Blade Runner who has a cynical personality and an antisocial edge. McCoy usually spends his days following false leads, but all that changes when rumors of Replicants in L.A. start to spread following a savage attack on a boutique specializing in living animals (which are a bit scarce in the future). It's McCoy's job not only to stop the Replicants, but to uncover their motives as well. Along the way he must chase down leads, interact with an eclectic cast of characters and finally make life-or-death decisions.
The game is set in a third-person environment where players control the actions of McCoy using a simple point-and-click system. Sound plays a key role in the game, and it's important to listen carefully to the various characters McCoy encounters, several of whom cross over from the film. It's the player's job to figure out who is a Replicant and who is not, while also trying to uncover the Replicant's plans. As new clues emerge, McCoy will need to follow up a variety of true and false leads, returning to previous scenes if necessary.
Good cop, bad cop...you decide
The plot of Blade Runner runs in non-linear real-time, which means that as McCoy travels around the city gathering clues, so do the computer-controlled Replicants. It's up to the player to determine how McCoy will react in different situations--such as asking questions, which can be handled gently or with a tough-cop attitude. These elements make the story both interactive and open-ended, since players' actions greatly affect what the computer-controlled characters will do and how the plot of the story progresses.
Blade Runner is similar to other adventure games in many respects, but it also gives players unprecedented freedom that allows them to develop the course of the story. And while some of McCoy's decisions, like shooting fellow cops, will certainly have consequences that cannot be undone, players can usually make numerous changes to their final plans and goals. For instance, they may choose to give the Replicants a chance early on in the game, only to blow them away toward the climax of the story.
The computer-generated setting of Blade Runner is simply one of the best to arrive on computer desktops. The opening sequences are almost frame-for-frame identical to the film, yet they have been totally recreated. No special 3D accelerators are needed to play the game, and the interaction with many characters from the film (whose voices have been supplied by the original actors) makes for an outstandingly enjoyable adventure simulation. Anyone who enjoyed the film should be duly impressed with both the settings of this game and the overall story.
