Blood II: The Chosen
A 1998 first-person shooter blending cyberpunk, magic, and black humor.
Blood II: The Chosen is a 1998 first-person shooter game developed by Monolith Productions and distributed by GT Interactive. Set in the year 2028, it continues the story of Caleb, a protagonist who has spent a century seeking to resurrect his fallen comrades, the Chosen, while opposing the Cabal, a cult that has transformed into a global mega-corporation called CabalCo. The game is noted for its graphic violence, black humor, and blend of conventional weapons, magical items, and science fiction technology under the cyberpunk and dystopian genres.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Blood II: The Chosen
- Developer
- Monolith Productions
- Publisher
- GT Interactive
- Producer
- Karen Burger
- Designer
- Jay Wilson
- Programmer
- Greg Kettell
- Artist
- Kevin Kilstrom
- Composer
- Guy Whitmore · Daniel Bernstein · Matt Allen
- Engine
- LithTech
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows
- Released
- NA · November 25, 1998 · EU · 1998
- Genre
- First-person shooter
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The game takes place in 2028, with Caleb hunting Gideon, the leader of CabalCo, who seeks to restore the demon Tchernobog. Caleb's journey begins on a CabalCo subway train, leading through a museum where a dimensional rift resurrects Gabriella, one of the Chosen. As Caleb pursues Gideon, he encounters mind-controlling parasites and creatures from an invading parallel universe, whose entry was enabled by Tchernobog's death. Caleb eventually reunites with Ishmael and Ophelia, the other Chosen, and confronts Gideon in a temple, killing him before facing the invasion's leader, the Ancient One. After defeating the squid-like entity, Caleb reluctantly re-binds the realities, and the four Chosen begin their long walk home.
Reader's Guide
Blood II: The Chosen is significant as a sequel that expanded the Blood series into a cyberpunk dystopian setting, using Monolith's new fully 3D LithTech engine. Its single-player mode allows character choice among four Chosen, each with unique abilities, though only Caleb can complete the story. The game features 17 weapons with dual modes and 10 weapon slots, plus power-ups like invulnerability and stealth. Multiplayer, renamed 'Bloodbath,' offers character customization with four stats scored 1 to 5. The Nightmare Levels expansion, released in August 1999, provides backstory for each Chosen through nightmares, adds new enemies and weapons, and includes multiplayer modes like 'Zombie Head Soccer.' The game's source code was partly released around 1999 for modding, and it was re-released by GOG.com on April 29, 2010. Sales were reported as 'disappointing' by CNET Gamecenter.
Did You Know?
- The game's multiplayer mode is called 'Bloodbath' instead of Deathmatch to better reflect the title.
- The Nightmare Levels expansion reintroduced Robed Cultist enemies from the original Blood and added killer clown guards.
- The source code was partly released around 1999 to allow easier modding.
- Work on porting the game to Linux was started by employee Jeremy Blackman but never completed.
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