HomeFeatures
The Blade Runner game’s new remaster looks worseEnhanced Edition out now, uglier than the ScummVM version
Enhanced Edition out now, uglier than the ScummVM version
There are two reasons to consider playing the new ‘Enhanced Edition’ ofBlade Runnerover the version which hit GOG in 2019: 1) it has controller support; 2) it’s on consoles. Beyond that, Nightdive’s remastering has made Westwood’s 1997 adventure game look notably uglier and you’d be better off with GOG’s ScummVM version. The Enhanced Edition is out today and I’ve been flicking back and forth between the two versions, tutting. The Enhanced Edition still looks like a 25-year-old game, only now it looks 25 years old, blurry, and unlike itself.
Update: The better ScummVM version, originally only bundled with the GOG release, is nowincluded on Steam too.
Nightdive Studios say their Enhanced Edition boasts “reconstruction and upressing” of Westwood’s original video files (it’s built in part on pre-rendered video), as well as taking the framerate of cinematic cutscenes from 15 to 60fps. With original source files lost, they’ve used reverse-engineering and machine learning to rebuild an updated version inside their usual engine, Kex. The end result looks worse than the ScummVM version.
Failing to vibe in Blade Runner: Enhanced EditionIt even ruins one of the game’s best moments:vibing on Ray’s balcony listening to nine minutes of the Blade Runner Blues. The song will randomly cut off after sound effects like the thunder or siren, and the scene is missing the blaring adverts for a new life on the off-world colonies (it’s the chance to begin again in a golden land of opportunity and adventure, don’t you know?). I’ve tried several times and it always gets cut off at some point.Watch on YouTube
Failing to vibe in Blade Runner: Enhanced Edition
Backgrounds inBlade Runner: Enhanced Editionare blurry messes. Their remastering process has removed many video compression artifacts, sure, but it’s removed a hell of a lot of intentional detail too. It turns complex surfaces into smears, blends highlights into murk, and makes many crisp lines blurry. It even tones down the omnipresent rain which defines the mood of 2019 Los Angeles. It changes the nature of materials too, blurring out bricks and sanding down rust. This city should be grounded in the past, building on the rot of our world with a future gone wrong, and some of this tone is lost here.
I’m not usually one to pore over pixels for minute differences but let’s compare some screenshots. As much as possible, I’ve tried to capture the same frames from both versions (what fun, using raindrops as identifiers!). Click ‘em to enlarge, and you can use your arrow keys to flip back and forth.
1of2CaptionAttribution
1of2
1of2
1of2
CaptionAttribution
CaptionAttribution
Caption
Attribution
Most obviously at Howie Lee’s noodle bar, the active characters (distinct from those who are part of the pre-rendered background) are not layered behind smoke and murk as they should be. This might be a bug Nightdive will fix, though it’s not the only place I’ve seen this error. The Enhanced Edition also wipes most rain from the sky and wet highlights from the ground, drying out the city a little. Many bricks on buildings are smoothed out. The towering skyscrapers of the far background are cut short, losing the scale of the city. The highlights on the neon beneath the KOSS sign are muted, changing how loud the city is.
1of2CaptionAttribution
1of2
1of2
1of2
CaptionAttribution
CaptionAttribution
Caption
Attribution
1of6CaptionAttribution
1of6
1of6
1of6
CaptionAttribution
CaptionAttribution
Caption
Attribution
And woof, the brand new main menu might be more user-friendly but where’s the personality? The Enhanced Edition still uses the Kia interface past this point but you no longer start the game tied into the machinery of the world.
1of2CaptionAttribution
1of2
1of2
1of2
CaptionAttribution
CaptionAttribution
Caption
Attribution
If ScummVM hadn’t added support for Blade Runner, and if GOG hadn’t re-released the game, I would welcome the release of an ugly remaster with joy and a sidenote of sadness. But that version does exist, and it’s better. Nightdive reportedlycouldn’t build on ScummVM’s workbecause the open-source license requirements wouldn’t fly with their plans for console releases, and consoles do seem the main reason for this to exist at all. I’m glad consoleers will get to see this game in some form, but on PC it’s near-pointless.
Blade Runner: Enhanced is out nowon SteamandGOGfor £7/€8/$10, with a 50% discount on GOG if you owned the original. It hits PlayStations, Xboxes, and Switch today too. Unless you need controller support or a console release, you should stick with the ScummVM version. While that is no longer sold separately, it does come bundled with the Enhanced Edition on GOG (not on Steam).
Update: This post originally referred to subtitles as a third reason to consider the Enhanced Edition over ScummVM. One of the ScummVM devs has since helpfully pointed out that you candownload subtitles as an add-onfor that version.
