OverBlood

OverBlood
File:Overblood Cover.jpg North American cover art
Developer(s)	Riverhillsoft
Publisher(s)	NA/EU: Electronic Arts
Producer(s)	Junji Shigematsu
Designer(s)	Kenichiro Hayashi
Programmer(s)	Akihiro Hino
Composer(s)	Hiroaki Iwatani
Platforms	PlayStation PlayStation Network
Release date(s)
Genre(s)	Adventure, survival horror
Mode(s)	Single-player

OverBlood is a science fiction video game developed by Riverhillsoft and published by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation. It is considered one of the first survival horror games to make use of a fully three-dimensional virtual environment, second only to Riverhillsoft's own Doctor Hauzer, a fully 3D survival horror game released for the 3DO in 1994. The game was later made available on the Japanese PlayStation Network Store.

Gameplay

Part adventure game and part survival horror, Overblood incorporates elements of arcade, fighting and puzzle games. The player is able to toggle the camera between first- and third-person, both of which are required to solve the game's various puzzles.

Synopsis

Plot

Overblood takes place at Lystra Laboratories' hidden research center where a team of scientists have been conducting controversial genetic experiments. The game begins when a system malfunction releases the player character, Raz Karcy (Lars in European releases), from a cryogenic container. Cold and confused, he awakens with no memory. Concerns about his identity are soon replaced by an urgent need to escape, as he reveals the scientists' fateful plan and his role in it.

Characters

The game features three playable characters. The majority of the game is played as Raz Karcy, the games protagonist. Others include Milly Azray, a woman who befriends Raz, and Pipo, a small and very helpful robot.

Reception and legacy

The game was reviewed by GameFan Magazine where their game's previously rumored similarities to Resident Evil were dismissed and strong comparisons drawn instead to Doctor Hauzer for which Overblood (created by the same development team) serves as a spiritual successor. The game was criticized for the appearance of the characters, their unrealistic movements, and the overall plot, and the game received low marks for play mechanics and controls, ultimately scoring a 220 out of 300. IGN gave the game a score of 6.0, stating, "In the end, OverBlood doesn't live up to high standards set by its predecessors. You're better off waiting for Resident Evil 2."

In 2010, Overblood was featured in a six-part episode of "Super Replay", a recurring series on Game Informer's website in which some of the magazine's editors provide commentary about the featured game while playing through its entirety. They satirized the controls, animation, writing, and voice work while playing.

It has also been lampooned in the Scottish internet show Consolevania, including episode six of its second series which aired fake footage from Microsoft's E3 press conference, apparently confirming the existence of Overblood 3.

In 1998, a direct sequel was released entitled Overblood 2. The sequel is set in the year 2115 in the city of East Edge. Players control Acano Brandi, who has arrived in the city to compete in "Junk Blading". He helps an old man who was attacked at a heliport and goes on to play a major role in the planet's future. This installment of the series was never released in America, and is only available in NTSC-J and PAL territories.