BLOOD SEED

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● Title: ブラッドシード ● Genre: RPG ● Release Date: 1991 ● Developer: GREAT ● Publisher: GREAT ● Media: 5" 2D Floppy Disk x3 ● System Specific: PC-9801

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■GAME OVERVIEW

BLOOD SEED has certainly one of the most interesting premises that can be found within the eroge genre. The game lets players assume the role of a mysterious alien creature who's infiltrated a merchant spacecraft manned only by females. Thus instead of fighting the alien stowaway like it's usually the case - this time around you are it.



Developer GREAT labeled BLOOD SEED as a 「3D RPG」. But like many similar games of this type, it is actually closer to being an AVG than a RPG.

Your main objective in the game is to locate all of the female crew members (so you can grope them with your alien tentacles) and then destroy the spaceship.



As you move through the narrow labyrinthine corridors of the spaceship you will be challenged time and time again by its relentless and seemingly never ending defense forces. Combat is bare-bones turn-based fare, while the exploration of the 3D dungeon and the room interiors is handled in traditional AVG fashion.

As it's common from these types of games the action takes place from a first-person point of view. The interesting thing here, though, is how all is seen specifically through the sole eye of the alien creature, which somewhat resembles a camera - thus giving out the sensation that the creature is being controlled remotely by the player.



Unfortunately, the game's balance and pacing leave a lot to be desired. In the beginning progress feels just way too sluggish since you're forced to spend a lot of time either running away from enemies that are beyond what you can handle. Or staring at some wall for minutes at a time as you wait for your HP to slowly regenerate (you want to be facing a wall since it's the only way to avoid random battles).

And then just as soon as you hit LV3 the game becomes a total cakewalk as the alien creature evolves into a virtually unstoppable walking tank. And while random encounters will remain a constant annoyance throughout the rest of the adventure. Your special attacks are so powerful, and you regenerate HP so fast, that the battles themselves become trivial, really.



Ironically the most lackluster part of the game are the H segments which show so little effort and play out so dull, it really makes you wonder it they weren't only implemented at the very last moment.

Basically whenever you encounter a fresh victim you will be presented with a silhouette image of their bodies. Then you will have to click on whatever body parts can be clicked until you finally unlock the obliged H scene. That's it.

■CLOSING COMMENT

While BLOOD SEED does offer a very refreshing premise, it's overall design and gameplay mechanics aren't quite up to par. The H segments are terrible, while the exploration and combat eventually become monotonous, too.

What really kept me interesting in the adventure was seeing the way you're going around taking down the spacecraft part by part as you move from one sector to the next. That was actually pretty cool.

If only GREAT had put as much effort into the other cutscenes, then maybe the adventure could've been much more interesting.

(C) GREAT 1991