Saturday 30 April 2022

Developmental Builds: The Blood Omen Alpha series is complete

 In case anyone has missed it, since the 25th anniversary of Blood Omen in November 2021 we've been going through the Blood Omen Alpha to highlight all the cut content goodness that's been uncovered there and hopefully showing that SR1 isn't the only game in the series with a massive stash of 'what could've been' moments. 

This weekend we've finally reached the end of the trail and now have a completed set of videos detailing those changes and the endless possibilities of game development. 

You can find the completed playlist here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLS-qhg60oOo1N3EHsbsM8DV5bmXUyJ-tg




But here's the rundown (along with a cut content rating where applicable and some highlights)

4) Ziegsturhl & The Cemetery  (medium - look out for expanded crypts)
5) The Expanded Lake of Tears, Nachtholm and the Wolf Cave (med - look out for the expanded lake)
6) Ghosts, Graveyards & The Pillars (med - new graveyard &energy bolt dungeon)
7) Steinchencroe & Vasserbunde (low - some interior reshuffles)
8) Nupraptor's Retreat & Lupo the Butcher (low - some level select hints about a cut character)
9) Coorhagen Part 1: Force Shield, Magic Absorb & the Repel Reshuffle  (medium - new spells)
10) Coorhagen Part 2: Bone Armor & Inspire Hate (medium - alternate routes)
11) Malek's Bastion (low - alternate trap & mechanism designs)
12) The Oracle's Cave & Stun Dungeon (low-med - proto overland & route reshuffle)
13) The Stone Keep Mist Dungeon, Lakes of the Dead & Roundabout  (med-high - proto overland & new areas)
14) The Prototype Termogent Forest (high - proto overland & dungeons)
15) Vorador's Mansion & The Chess Match (med - several secrets, new 'boss encounter')
16) The Chess match (old video of the chess match)
17) Prototype Uschtenheim, Repel Reshuffle & the Ruined Land (high - new town, new dungeon)
18) Dark Eden (low - some minor boss preamble fiddles) 
19) The Lightning Trail & The Long and Winding Road to Avernus (low - minor structural changes & new shortcut)
20) Active Maps & the Great Avernus Redesign (high - completely redesigned city)
21) The Road to Willendorf, Spirit Wrack Dungeon, Provincial Mines & Willendorf Trail (med-low - new dungeon)
22) Willendorf Citadel & The Expanded Willendorf Tunnel (med-high - greatly expanded dungeon)
23) The Stahlberg Resistance, Dollmaker, Nemesis Keep, Battle of the Last Stand (low-med - environment changes & potential dropped story threads with resistance & time travel method)
24) On to the Past: Time Travel, Stahlberg & The Nemesis Keep (med - changed environments & altered castle areas)
25) Back to the Future: The New Present, Moebius & The Grand Finale (med-high - numerous prototype & new areas)
26) Deleted Dungeons & Assorted Mysteries (high - numerous new & changed areas)
27) Blood Omen Alpha Highlights (old highlights package)

And for an added bonus here's another early Soul Reaver build that showed up during the series. This one is just after the cuts but features the most complete abilities and Reavers known thus far, as well as a completed Sound Forge.