80: BloodNet: A Cyberpunk Gothic

Number 80
(75 points)
BloodNet: A Cyberpunk Gothic
1996: 70

One thing the later Amiga point-and-click adventures have in common is an obscene amount of disks. Better plug in a hard disk if you want to enjoy BloodNet.

Based on a PC original, BloodNet first appeared for AGA machines only, with a cut-down ECS version arriving a while later. You play Ransom Stark, a freelance hacker with a neural implant, who is bitten by a vampire, yet staves off becoming a full-blown blood sucker, thanks to the aforementioned implant. You must find a way to stop becoming a vampire while your implant lasts, while avoiding the man who bit you in the first place. The AGA version needs twelve disks, which are constantly swapped, so WHDLoad is essential for playing.

Oh boy. There have been plenty of games where I've decided I don't have the patience, despite a good game clearly being there, but here's one where I feel I gave my time to an ultimately fruitless end. The wonderfully written beginning gives way to a torrid first screen, where you struggle with the controls, with simply moving around the screen, with knowing what on earth you're supposed to actually do. It quickly dawned on me that this is less of a point-and-click adventure as much as it is an RPG with a horrible interface, and no amount of great plot and dialogue is going to get me past that. The Amiga Power review said as much, though in that case the reviewer persevered long enough to love the game, hence its inclusion in this list. Not for me, folks.

Recommended TOSEC disk(s):
BloodNet - A Cyberpunk Gothic (1995)(Gametek)(Disk 1 of 8)[h PSG]
BloodNet - A Cyberpunk Gothic (1995)(Gametek)(Disk 2 of 8)
BloodNet - A Cyberpunk Gothic (1995)(Gametek)(Disk 3 of 8)
BloodNet - A Cyberpunk Gothic (1995)(Gametek)(Disk 4 of 8)
BloodNet - A Cyberpunk Gothic (1995)(Gametek)(Disk 5 of 8)
BloodNet - A Cyberpunk Gothic (1995)(Gametek)(Disk 6 of 8)
BloodNet - A Cyberpunk Gothic (1995)(Gametek)(Disk 7 of 8)
BloodNet - A Cyberpunk Gothic (1995)(Gametek)(Disk 8 of 8)
BloodNet - A Cyberpunk Gothic v1.00 (1995)(Gametek)(AGA)(Disk 01 of 12)
BloodNet - A Cyberpunk Gothic v1.00 (1995)(Gametek)(AGA)(Disk 02 of 12)
BloodNet - A Cyberpunk Gothic v1.00 (1995)(Gametek)(AGA)(Disk 03 of 12)
BloodNet - A Cyberpunk Gothic v1.00 (1995)(Gametek)(AGA)(Disk 04 of 12)
BloodNet - A Cyberpunk Gothic v1.00 (1995)(Gametek)(AGA)(Disk 05 of 12)
BloodNet - A Cyberpunk Gothic v1.00 (1995)(Gametek)(AGA)(Disk 06 of 12)
BloodNet - A Cyberpunk Gothic v1.00 (1995)(Gametek)(AGA)(Disk 07 of 12)
BloodNet - A Cyberpunk Gothic v1.00 (1995)(Gametek)(AGA)(Disk 08 of 12)
BloodNet - A Cyberpunk Gothic v1.00 (1995)(Gametek)(AGA)(Disk 09 of 12)
BloodNet - A Cyberpunk Gothic v1.00 (1995)(Gametek)(AGA)(Disk 10 of 12)
BloodNet - A Cyberpunk Gothic v1.00 (1995)(Gametek)(AGA)(Disk 11 of 12)
BloodNet - A Cyberpunk Gothic v1.00 (1995)(Gametek)(AGA)(Disk 12 of 12)