Apidya' Special

I played the original back in the day and really enjoyed it. I couldn't believe it when a new updated version was announced. Jumping back in after all these has me hit with nostalgia. Nostalgia though will only get me so far, the game has to be decent with good graphics, exciting gameplay and incredible music and on all these counts Apidya Special excels. The new graphics maintain the look of the original and look great, all pixel art which i love. The game is very difficult but it comes with quality of life options to make things a easier. Things like instant respawn, not losing weapon power on losing a life and difficulty options really help. There are a few visibility hiccups with critters blending in to the background and super fast bullets seemingly coming out of nowhere. The game isn't randomly generated and you can learn this pattern to survive, it can be a little frustrating though, especially flying in to scenery. Overall im really impressed by the quality of this release. Its a joy to play and the insect world still looks and feels fantastic to play today.

Wow! So far I am loving it! Never played the original but I love shmups and this has so much character! It is hard, but it makes you want to get better. Cannot wait to keep playing!

One of the best Amiga games, now playable on modern machines. A superb adaptation, with great attention to detail. Lots of new features to make the game accessible to beginners. Deactivate Reset Points after death or deactivate weapon downgrade after death now possible (both optional), up to 10 Continues. New Widescreen Mode plays awesome, new music fits perfectly (Some samples are missing in techno level compared to 90s Apidya Soundtrack CD). Minor issues: A few volume issues with some sound effects. The high-score list doesn’t make much sense if ‘Continue’ and ‘Safe Game’ scores are added together with (less) 1cc scores. ‘Hard’ mode should yield significantly more points than can be achieved on ‘Normal’, as it should be classified as a higher difficulty level. However, valid lists are already being undermined by the ability to switch difficulty levels in-game. Scores should not be saved outside the standard settings. Online scores would be nice for replayability, but I suppose that’s a cost factor?

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