Blood II: The Chosen

About Blood II: The Chosen

Blood II: The Chosen (1998) is Monolith's gory, darkly comic shooter sequel, set in a cyberpunk 2028 where the Cabal cult has become the mega-corporation CabalCo.

Blood II: The Chosen in Depth

A century after Blood, Caleb has spent a hundred years searching for a way to resurrect his comrades, the Chosen, killed by the Cabal, a cult devoted to the demon Tchernobog. Since Caleb killed Tchernobog, the Cabal has become CabalCo, a global mega-corporation controlling the world's population through economic power, led by Gideon, raised to restore Tchernobog and destroy Caleb, now called the Great Betrayer. The game opens on a CabalCo subway train driven by Gideon, who rigs it to crash and escapes. Caleb chases him through New Town to a CabalCo museum, where a bodyguard's experimental weapon opens a dimensional rift that brings back Gabriella, one of the Chosen.

Set in 2028 instead of 1928, it mixes conventional weapons and magic items with cyberpunk technology and dystopian themes, along with heavy graphic violence and black humour. Single players choose one of the four Chosen, Caleb, Gabriella, Ishmael or Ophelia, who differ in marksmanship, maximum health and armour, though the story can only be completed as Caleb. Chapters unlock in order, and 17 weapons, some usable two at a time and most with a secondary fire mode, compete for just 10 slots. Power-ups grant temporary invulnerability, stealth or extra firepower. Multiplayer renames deathmatch "Bloodbath", with each Chosen starting with different weapons and four customisable stats.

Making Blood II: The Chosen

Monolith Productions developed it and GT Interactive distributed it in 1998 as the sequel to Blood, keeping its predecessor's violence and humour but moving the setting a century forward. CNET Gamecenter's Mark Asher noted that, like SiN and Shogo, it sold disappointingly that Christmas, with only Half-Life doing really well, and speculated that the shooter market was smaller than believed. Next Generation gave it two stars out of five, saying "it mimics a lot of different shooter genres, but it has no personality of its own", and PC Gaming World also disliked it.