Review: Apidya’ Special
Back in 2016, I wrote a retro review of Apidya on the Commodore Amiga.
To my great surprise and delight, I’m pleased to say that Apidya’ Special has now been released for modern consoles.
Apidya is a side-scrolling shoot ’em up in the same vein as R-Type and UN Squadron. The main difference is that your “craft” is a bee rather than a spaceship or aeroplane. I’ve always felt this made Apidya stand out from other games in the genre.
If you’d like to know more about the game, be sure to check out my retro review.
Apidya’ Special features several modern updates, including:
- Enhanced graphics and sound.
- The ability to switch between the updated and original visuals at the press of a button.
- Additional options, including the choice between the 50 Hz and 60 Hz versions.
The updated graphics enhance the original presentation rather than radically changing it. That’s a good thing, in my opinion, as the original visuals were already distinctive and highly imaginative. Being able to switch instantly between the old and new graphics is a particularly cool feature.
One of the main reasons I have such fond memories of Apidya is the soundtrack by Chris Huelsbeck. It still sounds fantastic today, and the updated version improves the audio without trying to reinvent it.
Maybe it’s my age, but I found Apidya’ Special to be a really tough game. I completed it on the Amiga when I was younger, but this time I struggled to get past the first stage. I even switched to the 50 Hz European mode, but it didn’t help much!
Overall, Apidya’ Special is an excellent package for fans of the original who want to test their skills once again. It preserves everything that made the original game great while adding just enough modern touches to give it some extra visual flair.
Review by Chris.
