8Bit/Digi

Behold, Agent Rayne Has Returned

BloodRayne emerged in the early 2000’s as a promising new franchise with two hit titles and other media works. While the games received modest praise, a solid fan base did grow. Unfortunately, the series fizzled away by the start of the Seventh-Gen era while its legacy lives on thanks to the fandom. Flash forward to 2020, Ziggurat Interactive purchased the rights to the series and now we have an updated version. BloodRayne: ReVamped is the same classic game now available for the PlayStation 4. 

If you read my review of Terminal Cut, you would know that I only returned to this series in 2019 when I saw the original on Steam. Since then; I’ve also played the PS2 version of the game as well just to have a solid foundation to see how much they are alike and how much has improved.

Welcome to the Brimstone Society

Before I get into the story and gameplay, be aware that this is a product of its time. If you grew up in the 2000s, all of this will take you down memory lane of those good ole days. For those who missed out on this era of pop-culture, I’ll admit it has

The story has players take on the role of Rayne, a Dhampir (human-vampire hybrid) who has become the newest agent of the Brimstone Society. She is tasked with stopping the Gegengeist Gruppe from acquiring mystic artifacts that could be used to support the Nazi war machines. The gameplay is predominantly a hack ‘n’ slash with third-person shooter elements.

From a narrative perspective, it was not that impressive as it drew too much from other works of pop-culture. Battling the Third Reich was one of the trends that defined gaming during this time while a new era of hack ‘n’ slash had emerged. It makes no effort to hide how much of an influence Devil May Cry and Return to Castle Wolfenstein on the setting. I don’t however see this as a drawback since I grew up during this time, and thus see it as a time capsule of what was trending.

Hacking & Slashing the Third Reich

ReVamped is not a remaster (let me be clear about this) but the original game upgraded for modern consoles. The end result is a classic game that has been better polished with the performance issues fixed and the flaws mostly removed. While the original had its flaws, this version works to correct it. 

This is the same classic game from 2004 but it has undergone some major improvements. ReVamped  features a more crisp visual design that adds a level of detail to the world while keeping its original aesthetics. Playing as Rayne has improved thanks to better control functions that are more responsive and allow for players to act quicker to the action. All this allows for players to once again to hack and slash demons along with Nazis. 

Overall; this is the same classic game I enjoyed for the PlayStation 2 back in the day only better polished. The visual design is now more crisp the and the control setup is much better compared to the original.

Impure Blood

BloodRayne: ReVamped does its best to fix many of the performance issues but it doesn’t improve the overall game. That is because many of the problems come down to the game has not aged well in some regards (most in regards to the level designs). This is not something I expected to be fixed but its presence can’t be ignored. 

Another issue is the cheat codes options are present, however, all but two of them (very useless ones) have been disabled. Playing the game is fun but sometimes I just want to enter some cheat codes and have some fun. The absence of cheat codes kind of robs the game of its replay value as they allowed players to alter the experience. 

Tricky Little Devil

Fans of the original classic would definitely want to pick this up while those curious should also give it a try. It fixes so much regarding the original while its shortcomings could easily be ignored. Hopefully; this sets the groundwork for the return of Agent Ryane sometime in the future. 

BloodRayne: ReVamped is a polished classic that is also a reminder of how so many titles that defined an era have become lost to time. Sometimes one yearns for a simpler time when blockbuster AAA games and indie darlings were not the only options while there were plenty of over-the-top titles in-between.  

Disclaimer: UberStrategist provided the game used in this review. 

This review is the critique and thoughts of one writer. If you want to see how other critics felt then check it out on OpenCritic.

8Bit/Digi is an independent media outlet that provides an insight into the video game community and industry of the San Francisco Bay Area.

BloodRayne: ReVamped (PS4)

8

Excellent

8.0/10

Pros

• Polished visual designs along with improved control layout and function.
• Same classic action and gameplay.
• A window to pop-culture of the early 2000's.

Cons

• Gameplay elements that have not aged well are obvious.
• The cheats code menu is present but 99% of them have been disabled.