Exclusives
[Exclusive] Classic Hardcore Action-Adventure PC Game ‘Blade of Darkness’ Returns This October
More than 20 years on from its original release, the bloody, brutal action-adventure game Blade of Darkness is making a return to PC with an updated version.
Blade of Darkness‘ legacy can be seen in a wide variety of modern games, from Darksiders to Dark Souls, with its Dark Fantasy setting and challenging gameplay helping to shape the template for such titles.
Players can choose between four characters (Tukaram, the Barbarian; Naglfar, the Dwarf; Sargon, the Knight; and Zoe, the Amazon) and utilize their unique skillsets and weaponry to carve up all manner of orcs, demons skeleton warriors, and the like. And if regular weaponry isn’t doing it for you, you can tear limbs from your foes and use them instead.
Boutique publisher SNEG is bringing the game to Steam and GOG.com with retro porting specialists Fire Falcom and General Arcade tasked with adapting the game, originally developed by Rebel Act Studios for then-publisher Codemasters, for modern hardware. In this regard, the pair has re-engineered Blade of Darkness for modern PC hardware and operating systems, and will include widescreen support for up to 4K resolution, as well as new display settings, and overall stability improvements.
Outside of that, the game itself will be left relatively untouched, preserving its blood-soaked challenge just the way it was. Given the cult-like following Blade of Darkness has maintained over the years, that feels especially important.
Elena Roor, Managing Director at SNEG, had this to say about the announcement
“Since its initial launch, Blade of Darkness continues to build a dedicated following — mods, ‘Let’s Plays’, and community patches are found throughout the gaming community even today. This only signals how undeserving was the game’s fate,” I’m glad that we’ve managed to sort out everything legal and, to our luck, unearthed the source code with the help of the original dev team. Altogether this brings us to the upcoming October’s release.”
It’s always good to see games seemingly lost to time and legal complications getting another shot, so the opportunity for a restored Blade of Darkness to gain new fans is great news. Roll on October when we can return to the brutal Dark Fantasy action once more.
Exclusives
New Documentaries Explore the Cult Legacies of ‘The Keep’ and ‘Wolfen’; Watch the Trailers Now [Exclusive]
Undersung werewolf gem Wolfen and Michael Mann’s The Keep get the spotlight in a pair of feature documentaries acquired by Antenna Releasing.
A World War II Fairy Tale, which covers the infamous production of and reception to The Keep, will receive a limited theatrical release in October, followed by a TVOD release on Apple/Amazon. The Keep will also screen as a double feature for some showings.
For Uncovering Wolfen, Antenna eyes a limited theatrical release for 2027. Both films are currently available for booking via Antenna prior to their theatrical and digital releases.
Both documentaries are directed by Stewart Buck, who co-helms with Stéphane Piter on A World War II Fairy Tale.
“We at Antenna are obsessed with film history,” said Chief Acquisitions Officer Billy Ray Brewton. “Stewart has done such a remarkable job of really diving into the deepest recesses of how these films were made and, in doing so, has created the definitive histories of both projects.”
“We’re delighted to be partnering with Antenna Releasing!” said director Buck. “It’s refreshing to see a filmmaker-friendly approach to distribution with people who know what it’s like to be in the trenches with independent projects that struggle to find a home in the crowded marketplace.”
Check out our exclusive trailer and poster reveal of both documentaries below.
Released in 1983, Michael Mann’s The Keep was a notorious box office bomb, critically lambasted and all but forgotten for years, save for the fascination with Tangerine Dream’s iconic score. In recent years, the film has enjoyed a bit of a resurgence and is widely considered a cult classic, though director Michael Mann and many cast members refuse to acknowledge it.
Wolfen, on the other hand, was critical success but was overshadowed heavily by its flashier 1981 siblings An American Werewolf in London and The Howling. It’s also a trailblazer for socio-political horror, and the doc will explore that via the craftspeople who made it.
Look for them both in theaters soon. Stay tuned for more as it arrives.
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