Originally released in 1992 on the Amiga, Apidya developed a cult following for its unique insect visual theme and crazy difficulty. Updated with modern features and presentation upgrades, this is easily the best and most accessible way to play this horizontal shooter you most likely never played.
Playing as a wasp, Apdiya’ Special isn’t a typical shooter from a visual perspective. Instead of shooting legions of spaceships or aliens, the visually storytelling takes place in real world environments. From a suburban backyard, through a swampy pond-like area, to even some sewers, the visuals are undoubtedly the highlighting feature. There is just something about a bee (that also can fly through water) shooting missiles at ticks, moths, a large mantis, a mole, fish, and there is even a large duck head. From a presentation standpoint, this game is trip and there isn’t anything else quite like it. The downside, there can be a lot happening on screen and enemies and their projectiles don’t always merge well with the expressive backgrounds. I died so many times seemingly from nothing but there was probably some tiny bullet that I simply couldn’t see.
Gameplaywise, this horizontal shmup adopts R-Type difficulty but with the upgrade system of Gradius. Enemies sometimes drop flowers that move the upgrade bar at the bottom when collected. It is a risk-reward system that constantly barters the player. Do you try and stockpile a bunch to earn that special powerup but might die before that happens? Honestly though, you’ll probably die because this game is very difficult.
Like R-Type, the default settings are severely stacked against the player. One hit and you get sent back to the beginning. Plus, bumping into the ground also causes death, making it tricky to shoot those ground-based enemies. With the default settings, I couldn’t survive for more than a few seconds on the first stage. Luckily, there are a bunch of options to make the difficulty more player friendly like being able to turn on an insta-continue system that allows the player to continue from the point of death. However, even adjusting all the toggles in the player’s favor, this is still a very difficult game. Memorization through trial and error, with a good helping of fast reflexes, is required if you want to make any progress. Rage quitting is part of the experience.
ININ worked on this remake with some of the original dev team and it is easy to see the care put into it. In addition to numerous gameplay options, there are several visual options available, like being able to cycle through widescreen and the original style with the press of a button. There is even an option to switch to the original 50fps. Plus, one button is assigned to turbo fire while another can shoot individual shots. I wish more shooters had this level of customization.
It is recommended to give Apidya’s Special a curious play through just because it is so visually different. Gameplaywise, Gradius fans will feel right at home, but the steep difficulty will alienate and frustrate casual players. Still, put this one on your wishlist because passionate remakes like this don’t come around very often.
SCORE: 7/10
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
X/Twitter: @ZackGaz
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