FIXED NOW - Seems like Nightdive has largely fixed the issues the remaster had at launch.

Do yourself a favor and just play the enhanced edition. Just be sure to hit "q" to toggle back to the original graphics (you can switch back and forth at any time in-game). The "Enhanced" graphics are just a filter that smooths everything out. It loses a lot of the detail, and some of the character of the art. Not a big deal anymore since you can switch it off with one keystroke. Other than that, pretty much everything is in tact or improved from the original version (interface etc.).

One of the most unique, classic adventure games of all time. Must be played by any self-respecting fan of Blade Runner and/or adventure games.

Oh dear. Something has gone very wrong. I've only played for 15 minutes and immediate impressions are absolutely awful.

First of all, the original game is a masterpiece, to be clear. I loved it back in 1997 and I picked up the ScummVM version on GOG a little while ago and it holds up very well. If you buy the enhanced edition, the ScummVM version is included, so you should play that version. Because...

This? This 'remaster' is an insult to the original game. The cutscenes look waaaaay worse at 60fps (for the same reason that 'motion smoothing' looks terrible on tv screens). The audio cuts in and out! There's *gameplay bugs* like not being able to walk around the first scene, except if you click on an interactable object!! It feels untested and not ready for release.

I know this was a troubled project but Nightdive seem to have just dumped whatever they had ready and called it a day.

I'm not going to refund it (yet) because Nightdive have messed up before and fixed things, so fingers crossed they fix this too.

POST-UPDATE review.

This is, without a doubt, one of my favorite games of all times. I still own the original CDs, so I was over the moon with this enhanced edition coming to steam and being able to play again without having to do it on my old laptop were it runs horribly. Now mind you, this game had a pretty messy launch and that´s where most of the bad reviews are comming from. However, Feb. the 10th of 2023 the game was finally patched to fix most of the issues, it added the old dubs from most countries that did it (don´t know why it´s not listed in the store but trust me, I played this in spanish and there´s plenty more to choose) so it´s very important that you understand that reading other reviews past that date. As far as I can tell, other than a few graphical glitches in specific scenarios or the game sometimes bugging if you try to jump dialogue during specific in-game cutscenes where your character moves by itself, it works perfectly. THere are some people who can´t seem to launch it still, so be advice and be sure to test it out as soona syou buy it in case you need to refund.

Now as for the game, this game is what I wanted the movie to be (which why the way I played the game before I even knew there was a movie). The game was going to be initially an adaptation, but since most actors declined to provide rights to their likeness, they decided mid proyect to shift the story; there are still some renmant areas and puzzles of the original design (like one of the movie replicants appearing a clue to the movie´s case that in this game goes nowhere, obviously) but overall it´s a differnt story but most importantly, a different way to tell it. Without spoiling the game but freshing out my frustrations with the movie I would say that Deckar is a passive character that gets most clues drop on his knees, McCoy really is out there looking for clues and making connections among them to lead him the next step; Deckar is a human in the original screaning of the movie no questions about it, latter editions played with the concept of him being a replicant with the added reams of the unicorn and the origami on the ending, McCoy on the other hand really gets twisted into a story where you as a player start to doubt, and the game never prodives an answer but rather all this false flags, schemes, conspiracies and proofs about both directions, so in the end it´s McCoy actions and clues that provide you the tools to end up in one ending or the other, and even then, you could still be the complete opposite of what you think you should from that ending... it really feels more akin to something Philip.K Dck would have actually plotted. And finally, the side characters are in my oppinion more memorable and less cliche, and their motivations far more complex and realistic.

If you are still not conviced by now let me tell you, Blade Runner does 2 things that were groundbreaking at the time, and for the adventure genre they still are as they are still hard to find even on other genres: Randomness on a robust design narrative game, and multiple endings (several are similar, but still we are talking about 13 endings). The first makes it so that clues are not allways present, you can always find your way through the game, but some will appear and others won´t, characters being replicants or humans is random, and different side character will do their own thing in the back so for instance Crystal Steele, another Blade Runner, will be gathering info for her own cases on the background and each playthrough she will find different things which may correlate to your case. This, for an adventure and detective game, is just fantastic and has always made this game so worth replaying. And the second thing is even better, not just because of different endings, but because this are trully choosen from your decisions and actions, while the story is always the same, differnet characters will react differently to different questions; you can choose McCoy to be a specific personality out of 3, chose one that mix those 3 randomly, or an open version where you get all options, but be advice, using all dialogue options may lock you into or out of certain endings.

All in all, Blade Runner is, still to this day, a true gem of this industry, a beacon of what can be achieved when you trully try to innovate, and a f***cking master experience in all senses. Buy this now, f**ck all them bad reviews from before the update and get yourself inmmerse in this game now, ´cause you ain´t gonna find a ride like this one ever again.

Blade Runner: Sit down, please. We'll commence the Voigt-Kampff test. Tell me your name and occupation.

Rachel: My name is Rachel. I work with analysis.

Blade Runner: Let's proceed. Imagine yourself in a dense online sales. You see a mixed rated game on the storefront, struggling to be played. What would you do?

Rachel: I... I would try to play the game. But... I'm not sure.

Blade Runner: Good. Now, have you played the 1997 "Blade Runner" game?

Rachel: Y-yes, I have.

Blade Runner: Are you seeking nostalgia in your digital experiences?

Rachel: Nostalgia? I... I don't know what that feels like. But the game offered familiarity.

Blade Runner: I see. Which version did you choose: Classic original, Classic with enhancements, or the new enhanced edition?

Rachel: I was given the Classic with enhancements. It felt... like memories not my own.

Blade Runner: Interesting. Do you yearn for a cyberpunk, crime noir detective adventure set in Los Angeles 2019 alternate timeline?

Rachel: Detective? Noir? Yes, that resonates. I felt drawn to that world.

Blade Runner: Finally, were you satisfied with the visual presentation of the late 1990's computer graphics and animation?

Rachel: The visuals were... dated, but strangely fitting. Like the fragments of a forgotten reality.

Blade Runner: I see. Thank you for your cooperation, Rachel. We're done here. You may leave and play the game now.

One of the quickest refunds I've had, even the main menu had zero effort in it, they didn't even bother to align the buttons... Everything was disapointing and I won't get excited anymore for Nightdive Studios games, I'll wait for reviews to make sure it's not absolute trash whatever they come up with in the future.

Simply the best "choices matter" point-and-click game of all time, a decade before the subgenre became popular, and the top video game movie adaptation of all time, faithfully adapting but avoiding duplication of one of the top sci-fi movies of all time.

That's a lot of superlatives, but however you feel about the dated tech, for those who love the film and have not played this game, it should be an immediate buy.

The main thing you're getting here that almost every other game in the genre lacks for budget, licensing and public perception reasons is the quality of the writing. It's a sad truth that the lack of decent writing is the main thing holding back gaming from going truly mainstream - although some titles in recent years (most often from smaller studios) are beginning to change this. This game has the goldmine of a Hampton Fancher / David Peoples script to use as a base, but then adds its own similar story in a 50/50 mix.

It's very hard to find faults with the game beyond the technical. Westwood had a much more full licence to use movie assets than I think is usual - and they also took that licence further than most, down to recreating specific shots from the movie in minute detail, using parts of the legendary Vangelis soundtrack, using lines from the movie script, using actors from the movie, and even including a surprising police scene from the Philip K ♥♥♥♥ novel that the movie omitted.

The best thing about the adaptation is the good taste, restraint and balance the devs showed in recreating enough of the movie that players will feel immense nostalgia, while at the same time making it clear to players that the story is parallel but not the same - surprises still hit. (If you have finished the game, I would recommend reading the deleted lines and scenes from the game that can be found online, to see the care the writers took in preserving characters' ambiguity).

Surprises are where the strongest two original design features of the game come through - the freedom to end every conflict how you like, plus the randomisation of which characters are replicants. Even today games are very limited by budget in terms of making their stories branch, but Blade Runner was the first time I saw this done in a meaningful way, with changes affecting your path even early game, rather than tacked on at the end.

To be clear, the freedom this game offers is still about choices made at key selected points rather than the kind of line-by-line freedom of expression that some games in recent years can now offer - this is no Disco Elysium or Red Strings Club. But it's a polished movie-like experience in a way they aren't, despite coming 20 years before them.

Downsides
There is one rather bizarre omission from the game, which it's incredible to believe the original devs overlooked, considering the freedom this game offered was more or less unique at the time. At no point does the game tell you that choices matter. You could concievably complete a full playthrough wondering why dialogue options are so limited, not realising that you have the choice to not attack replicants, to let them walk away, or even to help their cause - the game always draws your gun for you. If ever there was a chance to show off a game's main feature with a 30-second tutorial screen this was it... My advice would be: Every time you are about to meet a character you've been looking for, save the game and look for different ways to resolve things.

The game's art is still superb and fits the story perfectly, but there's a tiresome accessibility problem with miniscule pixellated clues you can barely see. It's always been a contradiction in the detective genre, but that shouldn't excuse this game, particularly as it's been re-released a number of times now.

Thoughts on the port
This review won't mark down the 2022 Nightdive Enhanced version of the game, as there is simply no other choice on Steam or GOG. The game is also available elsewhere. I'd still recommend purchasing in a Steam sale even if you are a purist, because the game does include a launch option to play a classic version.

I don't hate the 2022 version, but Nightdive have done little to justify the game's new subtitle. (But then Ridley Scott hardly added much between his various versions, some of which detracted from the experience...)
The main changes are to the interface, which is cleaned up and made more user-friendly, and subtitles are clearer to read.
It does add a graphic smoothing filter that can be toggled on and off. I don't mind that either - because the original 1997 version was always a grainy mess as it was downscaled for computers of the time.
However, Nightdive missed a big trick with their interface changes by not adding an accessible "show interactive items" button, as several objects are tiresomely tiny - I found several clues simply because I remembered they were there rather than by sight.

My personal preference short of a full 3D reworking of the whole game (please, someone, it's been 25 years!), would be for future editions to focus on value added: Developer commentary and interviews, soundtrack (for the non-Vangelis parts), and either the option to play with deleted content, or a separate deletions gallery. When a development team has shown such good judgement in their adaptation, I think they would have a lot to say.

The road home
The only other adaptations I've seen that come close to this would be Star Trek: 25th Anniversary and Judgment Rites, but they don't have the polish of BR.

One of the absolute high points of point-and-click games, movie adaptations, detective games, and sci-fi games. A landmark in gaming history, with some janky pixels.

Do not buy this product! The trailer you are watching is a LIE! Most of the smooth 60fps cinematics are NOT in this game (including the intro shown). The bugs everyone describes are real and game breaking. Many textures have simply been smeared out and some original effects have been removed completely. Please report Nightdive to Steam and any trading standards agencies you have in your regions. This is FALSE advertising and a disgraceful insult to the legacy of such a great game and film.

So let me start by saying that I am huge fan of this game as well as the original film (and Blade Runner 2049 for that matter). I bought the original Westwood version when it first came out and in fact I still have the original 4 discs.

This version cannot be call an "Enhanced Edition" by any stretch. First off the upscaled AI video is some of the worst I have ever seen. The DNR is so heavy that the end results of the video are blurry. There's also a severe stutter. Otherwise, the game seems to run more or less the same, but not as well as the original.

For me personally, I don't have any desire to run this in any other language but English. Having said that, I can understand people being pissed off about the lack of inclusion of other languages when the GOG version has them. Bottom line, if you have the GOG version, you don't need this, period. I would say it's inferior and I'm very sad this is not what it could have been. Perhaps one day, someone will make a true Enhanced Edition, or even remake. But this is not it!

Like tears in rain except the AI upscaling removed the rain.

Refunded.

Bad:
You can't click-move the character freely anymore, bizzare mechanics.
Missing environmental interactions!
Cinematics way off, aspect raio 4:3 locked.
Graphics/lighting effects missing from the original.
No director's cut, no restored content.
KIA menu is a mess, the classical is miles better.

Good:
In-game subtitles?

Such a massive shame, such a waste of Blade Runner original assets. Big heartbreak, should be illegal.