Blade Runner (1997 Video Game) - Gameplay

Gameplay

Blade Runner is a point-and-click game, meaning that the virtual world is navigated, explored, and manipulated using the mouse; the player does this from a third-person perspective. Blade Runner's main focus is detective work rather than puzzles, and the gameplay consists largely of searching for evidence and questioning suspects. Searching for clues is a major aspect of the game; the player must solve a number of compulsory puzzles and find a number of clues in order for the storyline to progress. Clues are found by searching crime scenes, and come in the form of items, photographs, interviews, or unusual markings. The player can also use the ESPER system, a high-density computer with a very powerful three-dimensional resolution capacity: it enables them to enhance photos and to find further crucial information.

While combat is not a primary aspect of Blade Runner, it is needed occasionally. The only weapon available to the player is Ray's standard issue police pistol, which may be loaded with various types of ammunition. Collected evidence is stored in McCoy's Knowledge Integration Assistant (KIA), where it is organized for easy reference. One of the KIA's functions is the Crime Scene Panel, which lists the various crime scenes along with known suspects and related clues. There are also occasions when the player will carry out a Voight-Kampff test on suspected replicants; when the true nature of the subject is determined, the test ends automatically. The player must then decide what course of action to take based on the results, with the decision influencing the rest of the storyline.

The game runs in non-linear "real-time", meaning that when McCoy investigates and gathers clues, the computer controlled AI characters do the same, completing their own objectives. It is up to the player to decide how McCoy will react in different situations, such as whether to interrogate or simply talk to characters, how aggressive to be in his questioning, how much empathy to show etc; each reaction will affect the storyline differently.