Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Blood II: The Chosen – The Nightmare Levels builds upon the fast-paced, horror-infused action of the base game with an array of demonic arenas and macabre set pieces. As Caleb or one of the other four Chosen, you’ll blast through tight corridors, vaulted halls, and shadow-cloaked outdoor courtyards, making every skirmish feel urgent and visceral. The new stages are designed to keep seasoned veterans on their toes, blending classic corridor slogs with open battlefields where strategic positioning and quick reflexes are essential.

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One of the expansion’s greatest strengths is its diverse arsenal. You’ll discover never-before-seen weapons such as the revenant shoulder cannon and a gruesome bone sniper rifle, each accompanied by satisfyingly gory kill animations. These additions complement the original loadout, ensuring that familiar favorites like the pulse rifle and flare gun remain useful yet never redundant. Coupled with new creature types—from hulking brutes to spectral assassins—combat scenarios stay fresh and unpredictable.

Moreover, the inclusion of “Zombie Head Soccer” in multiplayer injects a startling dose of dark humor into the package. This unconventional mode transforms severed skulls into sports equipment, pitting players against each other in undead-themed arenas. It’s a welcome palate cleanser after stringing together intense single-player sessions, and it demonstrates the developers’ willingness to experiment with unconventional multiplayer experiences.

Graphics

Although built on the 1998 LithTech engine, The Nightmare Levels push the visuals of Blood II to their limits. New level geometry showcases more intricate architecture, from dripping tunnels lit by flickering torches to Gothic cathedrals strewn with sacrificial altars. Texture work feels appropriately grimy and aged, enhancing the sense that you’re exploring realms where malevolence has festered for centuries.

Lighting and particle effects receive notable attention as well. Explosive projectiles send up showers of embers that briefly illuminate cavernous rooms, and the dynamic strobe of lightning casts elongated, menacing shadows. While modern players might find the resolution and polygon counts modest by today’s standards, the game’s art direction ensures that every environment, weapon, and monster retains a haunting, immersive quality.

Character and creature models have also been spruced up for this add-on. New enemies display more varied animations, whether it’s a zombie dog barreling forward in a low run or a specter dissolving into greenish mist. These small touches of flair elevate what could have been a simple content dump into a more polished and visually coherent experience.

Story

The Nightmare Levels doesn’t stray far from Blood II’s overarching narrative of cult wars and supernatural conspiracies, but it fills in darker corners and side chapters that the main campaign only hinted at. You’ll delve into deeper layers of the Cabal’s operations, unearthing hidden laboratories conducting ghastly experiments on both the living and the dead. Though the expansion isn’t heavy on cutscenes, environmental storytelling—scrawled cultic scripts, blood-soaked operating tables—tells a compelling, if gruesome, tale.

Caleb’s trademark one-liners and sardonic quips return, providing levity between bouts of relentless violence. While the expansion doesn’t radically alter Caleb’s personal arc, it enriches the world by exploring secondary antagonists and introducing new command figures within the Cabal hierarchy. For lore enthusiasts, these details deepen the original’s mythology and add motivation to your vengeful crusade.

In lieu of lengthy narrative diversions, The Nightmare Levels maintains momentum by weaving story beats directly into level design. Discovering hidden journals or decrypting a mad cultist’s spiel often triggers audio logs that flesh out the plot without pulling you away from the action. This approach ensures the pacing remains brisk, rewarding exploration with both narrative insights and hidden power-ups.

Overall Experience

As a value proposition, The Nightmare Levels delivers substantial bang for your buck. With over a dozen new single-player stages, several fresh weapons, a host of fearsome foes, and a bizarre yet addictive multiplayer mode, it feels more like a robust standalone mini-campaign than a mere “expansion pack.” For anyone who enjoyed Blood II: The Chosen’s blend of horror and high-octane shooting, this add-on extends the fun considerably.

Replayability is high thanks to multiple difficulty settings, secret areas, and the unpredictable nature of multiplayer Skull Soccer. Whether you’re tackling communal ranking boards or hunting for every hidden artifact in single-player, there’s always another milestone waiting. The expansion’s compact scope means you can dive in for a quick session or binge through the entire set of nightmares in one sitting.

Overall, The Nightmare Levels stands as a shining example of late-’90s expansion design—bold in concept, varied in execution, and unafraid to lean into its goriest impulses. It may not feature modern bells and whistles, but the core experience remains fiercely entertaining. If you crave fast, gruesome action wrapped in a macabre atmosphere, this add-on will satisfy your darkest gaming urges.

Retro Replay Score

6.3/10