After a long delay, Blade Runner: Enhanced Edition releases tomorrow

A few years back, developers Nightdive Studios and Westwood Studios revealed that they had an updated re-release of a 1997 Blade Runner game in the works. They originally intended to release this remaster, titled Blade Runner: Enhanced Edition, sometime during 2020. However, several technical hurdles as well as “a heaping pile of lost source code” led to both studios delaying the game indefinitely. Two years have passed since then without much word on the game, but now both studios have a major surprise in store for those who have waited patiently. As it turns out, players can purchase Blade Runner: Enhanced Edition as soon as tomorrow.

For those wondering what this old Blade Runner game entails, it functions as a point-and-click adventure title that tells an original story set within the Blade Runner universe. Players will have to put their investigative skills to the test in a dynamic world that can make each playthrough distinct from the other in some way. This world features more than 70 motion-captured characters for players to engage with, and various environmental effects, such as fog and rain, can “affect your character in Real-Time.”

What’s so enhanced about this edition?

As for what the Enhanced Edition specifically brings to the table, it mostly amounts to changes that one would expect. Of course, the visuals now boast a new HD sheen, and the developers have reconstructed and uprezzed the Westwood VQA videos. Additionally, the remaster improves the framerate of cinematics from 15 fps to 30 fps, and it allows players to use modern gamepads.

It’s fortunate to see that Nightdive and Westwood Studios did not give up on Blade Runner: Enhanced Edition during this long period of radio silence. It’s especially fortunate to see that it will be available tomorrow. Hopefully, the changes made to the Enhanced Edition do the game justice without sacrificing the original vision.