Almost 20 years ago, the Bloodrayne franchise began on the original Xbox and Playstation 2 era of gaming. Now, Bloodrayne: Revamped is published by Ziggurat Interactive and developed by Big Boat Interactive. If you were hoping this was a new installment to the franchise or, at the very least, a remake of the original, I’m sorry to say it is neither. Bloodrayne: Revamped and Bloodrayne 2: Revamped just released and at least for the first game (I didn’t review the second), is essentially a slightly polished port of the original game. It’s fairly safe to say the sequel is probably on the same level as the first. With each both having a twenty-dollar price tag, what you end up getting is not a bad nostalgic experience.
It’s crazy to think Bloodrayne first came out in 2002! Like many of those games in that era, they are starting to see the light of day once again with “remasters.” While some minor things may have been enhanced graphically, for the most part, this game felt like when you push all the graphics settings to max on a PC version. That may sound cool, but these are still graphics from generations ago so they still look like from another time, but polished. What’s that saying? “You can’t polish a turd.” That may be a bit extreme, seeing as how the game itself is not terrible, but upping the resolution to really primitive graphics doesn’t do all that much to help your “remaster.”
If you know nothing about the franchise, you play as Rayne, who is a half human half vampire that works for the Brimstone Society. An organization that wants to eliminate anything related to the supernatural (except for Rayne I guess). Set in the 1930s, you are tasked to prevent the Third Reich from doing what all Nazis do; evil stuff! While the gameplay is a little primitive to today’s standards there is still some pretty decent action controls that remind me a lot of the “Devil May Cry” series where you do your best to combo an enemy long enough until they are done for. There is also a good blend of horror mixed in with the action. Things can get pretty intense at times and it makes you really wish this was a proper remake instead, because an actual updated version (Like the recent “Resident Evil 2”) could be really amazing.
My biggest issue with old games such as this being brought back is there are a lot of fundamental flawed gaming mechanics that are hardly ever an issue anymore today. For example, with this experience, you will still have to deal with a very problematic camera that can be very wonky to control. I’ve said it before and I’ll continue to say it with future “remasters” that come my way; if you’re going to take the time do polish an old game and resell it to customers, at the very least make the experience a modern one. Today’s quality of life gaming standards are really high and little things like this make it difficult to get new gamers to discover an old franchise.
I also do like the preservation of old games, so it’s a bit of a double-edged sword with what I’m asking, but there is a legitimate middle ground that is easy to meet. When there isn’t enough put into a “remaster” and it’s essentially just a port, you are primarily only catering to fans only of the IP and hoping some nostalgia will help you make some money. Which isn’t the worst strategy, just not my ideal one. So, if you’re already a fan and want to take a trip down memory lane, this version certainly is the way to go. Here’s hoping there’s enough interest for a brand-new sequel someday.
6/10
BloodRayne: ReVamped and BloodRayne 2: ReVamped are now available on Xbox, PS4, and Nintendo Switch. For more information, visit: https://www.ziggurat.games/game/bloodrayne-revamped
Related: BloodRayne: ReVamped and BloodRayne 2: ReVamped Now Out on Consoles
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Gaming since I was given an original Nintendo as a kid. I love great storytelling and unique ingenuity. When both collide in a single game, I'm a happy gamer. Twitter/IG @NickNavarro87
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