X0r_jmp, the anonymous leaker behind the fuss (opens in new tab) Prototype Dukes Nukem (opens in new tab) Revealed to us in the past year. On January 4th, x0r_jmp created Blood’s ongoing source code from a year before its release. Open to the public (opens in new tab).
Developed by Monolith, makers of the FEAR and Shadow of Mordor series, Blood can be considered a sister game of sorts, as it was made on the same Build Engine as Duke Nukem. Blood features lightning-fast movement and vast, maze-like levels typical of shooters of the era, and features unique weapons (dynamite sticks? Hairspray and a Zippo lighter flamethrower?) and gothic, the atmosphere bordering on horror.
Unlike previous releases of Year of Duke Nukem and Duke Nukem-Adjacent Leaks, there doesn’t seem to be anything practical here for players or moddersâ âBlood has seen years of NBlood, Raze, etc. There was an excellent source port for The real fun is purely academic. This archive is a window into the development of the PC Classic and can provide insight into Monolith’s creative and technical process.
For example, the BLOOD.txt file in the archive contains an ongoing game changelog, with patch notes dating back to January 1995. The first entry contains a roundup of the enemies implemented in the game up to that point. Along with a quick overview of the state in the build. Describing Brad’s riff against an evil corpse disembodied hand foe, Log’s writer proclaims it “so cool!” I think it’s great to see the creator’s fingerprints like this, especially if it’s so lovely and completely unaffected.
Similarly, the 90’s FPS Twitter fan account Build engine aesthetics (opens in new tab) Build Engine Architect Ken Silverman found complaints and ironic finds buried in the comments of the build’s code.
But x0r_jmp continues to discover these classic shooter artifacts. If you want to peruse Duketrove + Blood yourself, you can find the files here: x0r_jmp’s Rentry.co page (opens in new tab).
