On the surface, Blood: Refreshed Supply may not seem all that different from 2019’s Blood: Fresh Supply. Both are remasters of the 1997 horror FPS from Monolith Productions, courtesy of the remaster specialists at Nightdive Studios.

Of the two, Blood: Refreshed Supply is the definitive version.

When players sink their teeth into this definitive remaster, they’ll be treated to a pool of small but meaningful improvements that help it feel more authentic to the original than anything previously offered.

This is in part because, unlike its predecessor, Blood: Refreshed Supply has been rebuilt from the ground up using the game’s original source code.

Sourcing the Code

Nightdive Studios had yet to obtain the original source code for Blood when it started working on its initial remaster, Fresh Supply. Without the source code, Nightdive’s developers had to reverse-engineer any missing or incomplete pieces of content from whatever materials were available to them at the time.

As meticulous and detailed as reverse engineering sounds, it’s ultimately a more tedious and less precise way to remaster a game, according to Nightdive’s lead KEX developer, Samuel “Kaiser” Villareal.

“Reverse engineering is extremely time-consuming and is prone to mistakes, leading to various aspects of gameplay feeling off or not behaving exactly like how one would remember it,” Villareal explains. “For more complex games, especially games released around the early 2000s, it is absolutely mandatory to have the full source code at hand.”

The Nightdive team spent years trying to get access to it, but only recently were they successful in tracking down the source code for Blood. “With the original [code] in hand, our developers were able to revisit the reverse-engineered code we’d previously worked on and update it to be as authentic to the original as possible.”

Keeping it Classic

One of Nightdive’s core missions outside of game preservation is releasing remasters that look and play the way you remember them, and having access to a game’s source code makes it easier for the team to deliver authentic experiences.

“Having the source code to work from not only enables us to make a faithful remaster that matches the original in terms of ‘look and feel,’ it also allows us to see how the original developers were able to design the game,” says Larry Kuperman, Nightdive VP of Business Development.

If you think about it, a game’s source code is more than lines of code, it’s like a building’s blueprints. A replica of a building can technically be made without blueprints, but it won’t be an exact copy of the original building.

As critical as having a game’s source code can be with all of these factors in mind, tracking it down can often prove challenging, especially for older or more niche titles.

“It’s often difficult to obtain the original source code for classic video games. It’s often the case that copies no longer exist, or the people who still have them are difficult to find,” says Nightdive CEO and founder Stephen Kick. He goes on to assure that, “Every time we do discover original code, we make our best efforts to preserve it.”

Refreshed Supply

Thanks to the newly acquired source code, Blood: Refreshed Supply will offer remade cutscenes along with other visual improvements, including 4K at 120 FPS on Xbox Series X. Not only will the game look better, it’ll play better too.

“Those who are familiar with the original DOS game and Fresh Supply will immediately feel the difference right off the bat, particularly with player movement,” Villareal confirms.

Blood: Refreshed Supply will also offer expanded options for improved enemy behavior, bug fixes for the game’s original levels, and a previously cut weather effects feature, among other enhancements.

“We had a chance to go back and do additional level refinements and adjustments that were not implemented in Blood: Fresh Supply,” adds Nightdive project manager and producer Grover Wimberly IV. “We’re also excited to finally bring Blood to Xbox consoles for the first time.”

On Xbox consoles, players can look forward to improved controller gamepad support and 8-player split-screen multiplayer on Xbox Series X|S. On all platforms, Blood: Refreshed Supply will offer additional content, including the aptly named Marrow and Death Wish scenarios.

Marrow and Death Wish will be the first official expansions released for Blood since Cryptic Passage and Plasma Pak back in 1997.

“The Marrow scenario will be available at launch,” Wimberly IV outlines. “We plan on adding the Death Wish scenario as a free update for all players in early 2026.”

Marrow developer Nick Palsmeier notes that in terms of content, “Marrow adds 2 new episodes, and Death Wish adds another 4. Combined, these new expansions add 72 additional levels to Blood.”

Similar to other Nightdive releases, Blood: Refreshed Supply will also feature a brand-new Vault packed with bonus materials, including dozens of playable cut-content levels, concept art, behind-the-scenes photos, unused sprites, and more!

Bloody Good Time

Whether you’re looking to experience Blood for the very first time or simply want to replay the game on consoles, Blood: Refreshed Supply is shaping up to be the ultimate way to enjoy one of the ’90s most unique and darkly atmospheric shooters.

To see if Blood: Refreshed Supply is capable of satiating your hunger for an authentic Blood-y experience, keep an eye out for the game’s release on all platforms — including Xbox One and Series X|S — on December 4!

Blood: Refreshed Supply

Warner Bros. Games, Atari, Nightdive Studios

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Get it now

Blood: Refreshed Supply follows Caleb, an undead gunslinger on a quest for revenge against his former demonic master, Tchernobog. Despite his once powerful position as a fearsome Cabal commander and one of Tchernobog’s “Chosen” few, Caleb and his fellow Chosen are betrayed by the dark god and slain for reasons unknown. Seeking answers and vengeance, Caleb rises from the grave to put a stop to Tchernobog and his murderous lieutenants once and for all. Grab your Pitchfork and get ready to stab your way through 42 blood-soaked levels, while unlocking even more creative and effective implements of destruction along the way. Incinerate foes with weapons like the Flare Gun, Aerosol Can, and Napalm Launcher. Blast enemies straight to hell bundles of dynamite, shoot them full of holes with the Tommy Gun and Sawed-Off Shotgun, or tap into darker methods of annihilation with the game’s powerful Voodoo Doll and Life Leech offerings. Use your arsenal of weapons to survive Tchernobog’s evil Cabal of loyal Cultists, Fanatics, Zealots, and Acolytes, along with swarms of hellish creatures from ruthless Zombies and flying Gargoyles, to water-dwelling Gill Beasts, screaming Phantasms, and firebreathing Hell Hounds. Includes the original Blood along with the Plasma Pak and Cryptic Passage add-ons.

In the ’90s, over a decade before the release of epic Western adventures like Red Dead Redemption, LucasArts introduced the world to Outlaws. Originally released in 1997, Outlaws was a truly groundbreaking entry in what was widely considered a niche genre at the time.

It was also LucasArts’ first venture into the creation of an original first-person shooter.

From Star Wars to Outlaws

To help set it apart from previous Star Wars-related releases, LucasArts modified the Jedi game engine they’d previously utilized for Star Wars: Dark Forces and enhanced the INSANE animation engine to better optimize it for Outlaws’ cutscenes.

LucasArts also created a compelling Western-style plot and cast of characters for the game, including protagonist James Anderson, a retired U.S. Marshal who sets off on a quest for vengeance after his wife is murdered and his daughter kidnapped by outlaws.

Drawing inspiration from Sergio Leone’s spaghetti Westerns, the outlaws who murder Anderson’s wife aren’t rogue agents wreaking havoc at random. Instead, they’re employed by a corrupt railroad baron, Bob Graham, who seeks to intimidate Anderson into selling his farm so he can build his railroad through it.

Departing from the colder sci-fi settings of titles like Star Wars: Dark Forces, even the grimmest moments in Outlaws are bathed in warmth thanks to its colorful, hand-painted backgrounds and fully animated, voice-acted cutscenes.

A great example of this can be found right at the beginning of the game, with cutscenes showing the happy home life Anderson will soon be robbed of, along with his wife and daughter.

Beyond its visuals and story, a key way in which Outlaws proved itself noteworthy was with its soundtrack.

LucasArts understood music to be an essential part of the Western genre, with Outlaws becoming the first FPS of its kind to feature a fully orchestrated score created by legendary composer Clint Bajakian.

Working with the Original Team

In Nightdive’s recently released Outlaws + Handful of Missions: Remaster, you’ll be able to revisit the game’s iconic soundtrack in its Vault. In addition to behind-the-scenes documents and concept art, the Vault features commentary from Clint Bajakian for each of the score’s 15 tracks.

“The style was to be an original homage to the great spaghetti Western soundtracks of the late Ennio Morricone,” Bajakian explains in his exclusive Vault commentary. “Most all of the score is live recording, making possible the achievement of something real, something truly spaghetti.”

Not only will fans be able to enjoy Clint Bajakian’s insight into the creation of the game’s soundtrack, but Nightdive also conducted a special Deep Dive podcast interview for Outlaws with original level designer Kevin Schmitt.

“I textured most of the levels in Outlaws — you know, the texture artist created it and I put it on the walls,” Schmitt recounts in his Deep Dive interview. “I placed the props, I placed the enemies, I did the scripting, I placed the audio. We wrote a lot of the dialogue; we did everything back then.”

As nice as it is to have these as bonus items with Outlaws + Handful of Missions: Remaster, for Nightdive including members of a game’s original development team wherever possible is considered a key part of the remaster process.

“Involving members of the original development team is important because it’s vital for authenticity, accuracy, and respect for the artists and developers who brought their vision to life,” Kick explains. “Their insight into mechanics, limitations they faced, and design helps our team keep the remasters we develop faithful to the original, not just in look, but in spirit as well.”

Modernizing a Timeless Classic

For Nightdive, maintaining the authenticity of a game’s original experience is one of the studio’s primary goals. The team wants the game to play the way you remember it, with options included in Outlaws + Handful of Missions: Remaster that emphasize this, including the ability to toggle between the game’s original and remastered graphics.

While originally a PC release, Outlaws + Handful of Missions: Remaster will be available on consoles for the first time ever, including Xbox One and Series X|S. On consoles, Outlaws will offer improved gamepad support, including a weapon selection wheel, aim assist, and rumble.

No matter how or where you choose to play it, nearly three decades after its original release, Outlaws continues to remain a defining entry in the Western genre — one that’s well worth revisiting or checking out for the very first time.

When asked why Outlaws continues to resonate with gamers to this day, Kick explains:

“Where most FPS games of its era were about shock and spectacle, Outlaws told a simple, emotional story underscored by a music composition that treated the material with genuine gravity. There simply weren’t many Western-themed games during this time.”

If you’re wondering whether physical editions of Outlaws + Handful of Missions: Remaster will be available for purchase in the future, the answer is almost certainly yes.

“Fans are always asking about a physical edition,” Kuperman notes. “We think that physical editions are important to game preservation.  We know that our fans always appreciate that option, so we hope to release physical editions of the game, including the game cart, for our fans to enjoy in the future.”

If you want to saddle up and play the game right here and now, Outlaws + Handful of Missions: Remaster is available digitally on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One!

Outlaws + Handful of Missions: Remaster

Lucasfilm, Disney, Atari, Nightdive Studios

☆☆☆☆☆ 21

★★★★★

$29.99

Get it now

From the team that brought you STAR WARS: Dark Forces Remaster comes the return of the 1997 western FPS classic, Outlaws! Saddle up and ride back into the Wild West with the gunslinging ex-Marshal, James Anderson, and face off against the good, the bad, and the even worse this side of the Mississippi as you work to uncover a twisted plot of greed and corruption. With your trusty six-shooting .45 Revolver, Scoped .44 Rifle, 10-Gauge Shotgun, and good ol' Sawed-Off 12-Gauge Shotgun, you'll be packin' plenty of firepower to take out all manner of outlaw varmints. Outlaws + Handful of Missions features high-resolution, uncompressed cutscenes and updated visuals for weapons, characters, and enemies, all fully recreated from archived art and stylized to match the original look with full color palettes. Outlaws + Handful of Missions also offers Cross-Play Multiplayer with game modes including Deathmatch, Team Play, Capture the Flag, and Kill The Fool With The Chicken! It's Payback Time.