I first played Blood on a beat-up beige PC in my uncle’s garage in 1999. Late night. Big CRT hum. A bowl of stale pretzels between us. The game booted, Caleb growled “I live… again,” and we both laughed a little too loud. Then I got blown up by my own TNT. Classic me.
Years later I stumbled upon an even more in-depth retrospective that reminded me why this game still draws blood—Blood on DOS: I Live… Again, and Yep, It Still Bites Back.
Years later, I played it again in DOSBox on a tiny laptop, because I missed the weird vibes. You know what? It still slaps. It’s sharp, mean, and oddly funny. And it’s way faster than you remember.
If you’re hunting for a hassle-free way to boot it up today, the shareware build lurks on DOS Games Online, just a click away from your browser or DOSBox.
How I ran it (old box and modern box)
- Original: Pentium II, 233 MHz, 64 MB RAM, Sound Blaster 16. CRT at 640×480. Mouse and arrow keys.
- Now: DOSBox. I ran setup.exe first. Sound: Sound Blaster 16 (port 220, IRQ 5, DMA 1). Music: General MIDI. Video: 640×480. Mouse turned on. I bound alt-fire to right-click, because TNT needs finesse or you’ll meet the loading screen.
Little tip: if the music sounds like squeaky toy pianos, try a different MIDI device in setup. I also bumped mouse sensitivity a notch. It helps with those twitchy cultists.
The feel: fast, crunchy, and funny in a dark way
Blood is a Build-engine shooter, but meaner than Duke. It’s all feel. The shotgun has bark. The TNT has that hollow thump. The flare gun sticks, then—whoosh—cultist on fire. Caleb hums nursery rhymes. He’s not nice. That’s the point.
I love how each weapon has a neat twist:
- Pitchfork: goofy, but it saves ammo early.
- Flare gun: the delayed fire tick is pure mischief.
- Sawed-off: alt-fire both barrels for that sweet close-up boom.
- TNT: tap to throw far, alt-fire to drop it at your feet. I’ve blown myself up more times than I’ll admit.
- Voodoo doll: line of sight matters. No line? You stab yourself. Ask me how I learned that. Twice.
- Tesla Cannon and Napalm Launcher: loud, flashy, and great for big rooms.
Real moments that stuck
- Cradle to Grave (E1M1): I picked up a skull key and jumped at my own shadow in the mortuary. A zombie stood back up because I didn’t remove his head. In Blood, you either burn them or headshot them, or they rise again. I forgot. He didn’t.
- Dark Carnival: I wasted five minutes shooting balloons and the little duck targets like a kid at the county fair. Then a gargoyle statue woke up and clawed my face. Rude.
- The train level: I crouched under low beams and chucked TNT into a car full of cultists. One bundle bounced back. That reload screen felt like a scold.
- Secret doors: a blood smear, a weird crack, or a wall that sounds hollow—tap “use” and you’ll find a stash. The “Guns Akimbo” power-up made me grin every time.
Enemies that teach you respect
Cultists are the real boss. They chant, they roll their R’s, and they shred you with tommy guns. Hear the burst—duck now. Zombies are tricky too. Don’t waste shells; take the head or light them up. Phantasms float and take less bullet damage; the Tesla Cannon turns them into spark dust. Also, the little hands that leap at your face? Every time, I panic and spin like I’m swatting a bee.
Difficulty and pacing
I play on Well Done. Extra Crispy is fun, but I end up yelling at the screen. Blood moves fast, but it also punishes mistakes. Peek, toss TNT, back up. Save often. No shame. This game doesn’t care about your feelings.
Music and mood
On a Sound Blaster 16 with General MIDI, the tracks feel eerie and thin—like a haunted church organ in a cold room. It fits. The echo in crypts. The hiss of fire. The wet splash after a good hit. It’s all texture.
Little gripes (that I weirdly like)
- Slopes and stairs can snag you if you sprint mindlessly.
- Mouse look can feel stiff unless you tweak it.
- Some secrets feel “how would I know?” unfair. But when you find one, you feel clever, so I keep chasing them anyway.
- TNT bounce can goof up in tight halls. I love TNT, but it does not love me back.
Multiplayer—then and now
Back then, we ran LAN over IPX in my friend’s basement. It was chaos. Proximity bombs on spawn points. Maniacal laughter. Now, you can fake IPX in DOSBox, and it still works if your group has patience. If you’ve got an old crew, try it. It’s loud, messy fun.
Speaking of quick connections, if your long-lost LAN buddies are scattered to the winds and you’re looking to meet new people just as efficiently as a Blood deathmatch pairs foes, consider giving speed dating in Tustin a shot—these lively, time-boxed events let you size up a whole room of potential friends (or Player Twos) in a single evening without the awkward small-talk grind.
Quick hits: Best parts
- Weapons that feel different and smart.
- Level themes: graveyards, carnivals, trains, and cathedrals.
- Caleb’s gallows humor and that gravel voice.
- Secrets that reward poking around.
- The speed. Blink and you’re toast.
Want to see where Blood lands among the broader galaxy of classics? Give this roundup of the best MS-DOS games of all time a look and see how your nostalgia list compares.
Who should play this?
If you like fast shooters with bite, this is your thing. If you want a chill stroll, this is not your thing. If you giggle at dark jokes and don’t mind a little pixel gore, welcome home.
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My bottom line
Blood on DOS still rocks. It’s sharp and wild, and it hasn’t lost its edge. I fire it up around Halloween, lights low, one earbud crooked so I can hear the house creak. I’ll toss a bundle of TNT, whisper “please don’t bounce,” and grin when it lands just right.
If you’re in the mood for still more nostalgia, another personal list of the best DOS games ever told might send you down a rabbit hole of weekend downloads.
I live… again. And yeah, so does Blood.