Ludography
39/100
Players10 ratings
OverBlood cover

1996 · Riverhillsoft · Adventure · Horror

OverBlood

PlayStation exclusive

Overblood is a 3D action-adventure video game developed by Riverhillsoft and released in 1997 for the PlayStation console. The game takes place in the future, where the player takes on the role of a man named Raz Karcy who wakes up in a cryogenic pod with no memory of who he is or how he got there. As Raz, the player must explore the futuristic environments, solve puzzles, and fight enemies in order to uncover his past and the secrets of the facility he finds himself in. The game features a mix of third-person exploration and combat, and also includes survival elements such as managing hunger and oxygen levels. Despite its initial commercial failure, Overblood has gained a cult following over the years for its unique gameplay and intriguing story.

Released
2 August 1996
Platforms
PlayStationPlayStation 3PlayStation Portable
Genres
AdventureHorror
Developers
Riverhillsoft
Publishers
RiverhillsoftElectronic ArtsAlthi
Modes
Single-player
Perspective
Third person
Themes
Science fictionHorrorSurvival

About

OverBlood (オーバーブラッド, ŌbāBuraddo) is a survival horror video game developed by Riverhillsoft and first released for the PlayStation in 1996. It was described by Richard H. Hand as the first survival horror game to make use of a fully three-dimensional virtual environment. The game received mixed reviews from critics.

OverBlood was released on the Japanese PlayStation Network Store on February 23, 2011. In 1998, a sequel titled Overblood 2 was released.

›Story

Overblood is set in the year 2115 and follows the story of Raz Karcy, a man who awakens from cryogenic sleep with no memory of who he is or how he got there. Raz finds himself in a seemingly abandoned research facility called Genoq, and must explore the facility to uncover his past and the secrets of the facility.

As Raz explores the facility, he discovers that Genoq was involved in illegal genetic experimentation and that its staff had been killed by a biological weapon. He also finds out that he was a part of the experiment and that his blood contains the key to the cure for the deadly virus that wiped out the staff.

With the help of a robotic dog named Pipo, Raz must solve puzzles, fight enemies, and survive the harsh conditions of the facility to discover his true identity and save himself and any survivors from the virus.

As he progresses through the game, Raz discovers that he is not alone in the facility and that other survivors are trying to escape as well. Together, they must work to uncover the truth behind Genoq and prevent the virus from spreading beyond the facility.

Overall, Overblood is a unique blend of survival horror, action, and puzzle-solving that tells a story of identity, betrayal, and redemption in a futuristic, dystopian world.

Keywords

  • female protagonist
  • action-adventure
  • multiple protagonists
  • survival horror
  • amnesia
  • nudity
  • playstation network
  • fixed camera
  • digital distribution
  • polygonal 3d
  • psone classics
  • melee

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

A GameSpot reviewer described OverBlood as an graphic adventure game that incorporates elements of other genres such as "arcade-style action title, a fighting game, an old-fashioned text adventure, and a puzzle game." Academics Richard J Hand and Bernard Herron described it as a survival horror game.

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.

Story

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.

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

Reception

Reviews for Overblood were mixed, with critics generally commenting that it has enough interesting elements to make it respectable, but is ultimately not worth buying. The most frequent criticism was that the game is too slow-paced and lacking in tension, with too much time spent wandering corridors and opening doors, relatively little time spent on puzzles, and far too little time spent on action sequences. Compounding this problem, many critics found the action sequences too simplistic. Joe Fielder elaborated in GameSpot that "They entail moving at just the right moment and are more timing than skill-based."

The need to switch between three different playable characters in order to solve certain puzzles was often cited as one of OverBlood's most interesting aspects. Some also praised the story. The game was reviewed by GameFan Magazine, where the 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.

Releases by platformdates and regions as published

PlatformReleasedRegions
PlayStation2 August 1996Japan · North America 20 May 1997 · Europe 1 June 1997
PlayStation 3Digital Compatibility Release23 February 2011Japan
PlayStation PortableDigital Compatibility Release23 February 2011Japan

Games like this

Collections3 collections

Genres

Platform libraries

Description adapted from its source, CC BY-SA 4.0.