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.

Fresh from sweeping the Golden Joysticks and poised to do the same at The Game Awards, Sandfall Interactive’s phenomenal debut RPG is one of the most buzzed-about releases of the year, so it should surprise no one when we announce that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the biggest new third-party game launch on Xbox Game Pass of 2025. That’s based on the number of unique users in the first 30 days of its availability, which means a huge number of Xbox players joined Maelle, Gustave, Esquie, and the gang on their journey right from the beginning.

Sandfall Interactive creative director Guillaume Broche told us how grateful he is for all that love: “This year has been so far beyond what any of us could have imagined, and it’s down to how passionate and supportive our fans have been to make that a reality. It’s really nerve-wracking to be a new studio releasing our first game, but the support of everyone has really made everything feel like a dream.”

ID@Xbox Director Guy Richards explained why Expedition 33 stood out early on as a game the team wanted to put weight behind: “From the start, Sandfall’s ambition was clear and we really felt they wanted to create something truly special, something beyond expectations for the team. Once we played early builds, we experienced their gripping story, stunning visuals and the mix of JRPG mechanics with French cultural themes that felt fresh and distinctive. It’s the kind of experience we knew Xbox players would love to discover.”

For Broche, that support from Xbox was instrumental in helping the game make as big a splash as it has. “From being there to announce our game back in Summer 2024, to coming to the studio for the Developer_Direct video in January, Xbox helped us get the word out there and reach a lot of players.”

He also noted how Game Pass allowed them to reach a much wider audience, “letting a lot of people try our game when maybe they might not have before. The turn-based RPG genre has a lot of fans but sometimes it might put people who prefer more real-time action games off, but Game Pass lowered that barrier of entry. They could just try it and see how it feels. So a lot of curious players could start the game, explore Lumière and the early game, and realize there’s a lot to enjoy here, even if they weren’t expecting it at first.”

Set in a whimsical fantasia that belies dark secrets, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 follows the eponymous Expedition on a doomed mission to save their city from the mysterious Paintress, a godlike being that has obliterated the city’s eldest cohort every single year for decades following a cataclysm that rent the world asunder. It has captured hearts and minds all over the world for both its memorable characters and story as well as for its thrilling, savvy evolution of classic turn-based RPG battles.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a prime example of the innovative and diverse range of experiences that Xbox Game Pass was created to support, helping developers of all sizes reach a huge global audience while bringing unparalleled value to our players. Xbox is proud to have supported Sandfall in sharing this excellent game with the world, and we look forward to bringing many more exciting titles like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate on day one.

If you haven’t yet joined the Expedition, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is available now on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, and Xbox Cloud. It’s an Xbox Play Anywhere title and available with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

For those who come after!

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Kepler Interactive

☆☆☆☆☆ 989

★★★★★

$49.99 $39.99

Get it now

PC Game Pass

Xbox Game Pass

“Year by year, She erases us.” Once a year, the Paintress wakes and paints upon her monolith. Paints her cursed number. And everyone past that age turns to smoke and fades away. Year by year, that number ticks down and more of us are erased. Tomorrow she’ll wake and paint “33.” And tomorrow we depart on our final mission – Destroy the Paintress, so she can never paint death again. We are Expedition 33. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a ground-breaking turn-based RPG with unique real-time mechanics, making battles more immersive and addictive than ever. Explore a fantasy world inspired by Belle Époque France in which you battle devastating enemies. Reactive Turn-based Combat In this evolution of JRPGs, real-time actions enhance the heart of turn-based combat. Craft unique builds for your Expeditioners that fit your playstyle via gear, stats, skills, and character synergies. Open an active dimension in combat – dodge, parry, and counter in real time, chain combos by mastering attack rhythms, and target enemy weak points using a free aim system. “Tomorrow Comes” With only one year left to live, join Gustave, Maelle, and their fellow Expeditioners as they embark upon a desperate quest to break the Paintress’ cycle of death. Follow the trail of previous expeditions and discover their fate. Get to know the members of Expedition 33 as they learn to work together against impossible odds. A Hauntingly Beautiful World Explore an enchanting realm populated by surreal adversaries. Wander through breathtaking landscapes, from the Island of Visages to the Forgotten Battlefield, discovering secrets and hidden quests along the way. Find allies of fortune in creatures of legend. Recruit special companions to access new travel methods and discover secret areas in the World Map. Experience the debut game from Sandfall Interactive, fully realized in Unreal Engine 5 with stunning graphics and a heartbreaking soundtrack.