Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold is ultimately a Wolfenstein 3D clone with mediocre innovations and a generic plot.
The script is ham-handed; another mad scientist wants to rule the planet for his own ends. The plot does keep the player interested, but it is too shallow to have any longstanding impact. Every episode (10 levels, each, six episodes) you battle with Goldfire. When you defeat Goldfire, he escapes via teleporter and you must defeat the real boss of the level to destroy the installation.
Gameplay: Aliens of Gold was heralded as innovative, having paved the way for more complicated fare such as Doom and Quake. However, Blake Stone is little more than Wolfenstein 3D with a few extra coats of paint. Sure, you can talk to other non-player characters, have mission objectives, there are one-way walls and so forth, but the game plays and looks visually almost identical. The game is certainly fun; blasting aliens and ceiling cannons is enjoyable. Further, the storyline is okay, if a bit ancillary to the action. However, the game lacks the purely visceral thrill of blowing away Nazi fascists. The enemies are almost carbon copies of Wolfenstein enemies in some instances, only conscripts rather than Nazi soldiers. The same goes for many of the weapons. There are a few more than in Wolfenstein 3D, but you still have a pistol, semi-automatic, and gatling gun among them. So while gameplay is fun and enjoyable, it is not necessarily superior to its predecessor, despite some added depth.
Graphics: The appearance of Blake Stone is almost identical to Wolfenstein 3D. The levels are the same square block design as its predecessor. Corners all end in 90 degree angles. There are no curves outside of the wall textures. The graphics today are poor at best and difficult to watch at worst, particularly on a large monitor. The artwork is okay, with colorful characters and unique textures, though a bit cartoony. Having been released nearly two years following Wolfenstein it might have been markedly improved rather than a clone. In fact, I remember playing this when the shareware was originally released and being excited that it might be an improved Wolfenstein 3D with aliens, but was disappointed visually.
Sound: The sounds are probably the highlight of Blake Stone. Weapons, vending machines, lasers, doorways, and enemy cries are all represented in detail. Stereo imaging is good, though the midi soundtrack was average.
Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold will appeal to the nostalgic, but hard-core and modern gamers would find more value in the first-person shooter masterpieces such as Wolfenstein, Doom, Quake, and Unreal.