Overblood is a science fiction video game developed by Riverhillsoft and published by Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...

 for the PlayStation. It is considered one of the first survival horror games to make use of a fully three-dimensional virtual environment, second only to Riverhillsoft's own Doctor Hauzer, a fully 3D survival horror game released for the 3DO

3DO Interactive Multiplayer

The 3DO Interactive Multiplayer is a video game console originally produced by Panasonic in 1993. Further renditions of the hardware were released in 1994 by Sanyo and Goldstar. The consoles were manufactured according to specifications created by The 3DO Company, and were originally designed by...

 in 1994.

Gameplay

Part adventure game and part survival horror, Overblood incorporates elements of arcade, fighting and puzzle games. 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.

Plot

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, 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.

Characters

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

Sequel

Overblood 2 is set in the year 2115 in the city of East Edge. Players control Acano Brandi, who has arrived in the city to compete in "Junk Blading". He helps an old man who was attacked at a heliport and goes on to play a major role in the planet's future. This installment of the series was never released in America, and is only available in NTSC-J and PAL territories.

Popular culture

In 2010, Overblood was featured in a six-part episode of "Super Replay", a recurring series on Game Informer

Game Informer

Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...

s website in which some of the magazine's editors provide commentary about the featured game while playing through its entirety. They satirized the controls, animation, writing, and voice work while playing.

It has also been lampooned in the Scottish internet show Consolevania

Consolevania

Consolevania is a video games TV show filmed in and around Glasgow, Scotland. It is notable as one of very few online TV shows to make the leap onto broadcast TV as the show videoGaiden, which has had three series shown on BBC Scotland....

, including episode six of its second series which aired fake footage from Microsoft

Microsoft

Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...

's E3 press conference, apparently confirming the existence of Overblood 3.