I recently got a chance to play through Apidya’ Special, thanks to a review copy provided by PR Hound.
You can find my video, which shows off my two full playthroughs of both the remake and original graphics modes, below:
You can also find my mini review for Apidya’ Special below:
Pros:
- Multiple difficulty options with difficulty exclusive levels.
- Great original and remastered soundtrack.
- Local co-op support.
Cons:
- None.
Overall:
Apidya’ Special is a remake of the original game that was first released for the Amgia in 1992. This version is actually based on a console port that was cancelled.
The remake updates the graphics from the original, in addition to remastering the already stellar soundtrack. You are able to switch between the old version and remastered version during actually gameplay, which is pretty neat but also quite dangerous.
Even in normal mode, the game is very difficult. The enemies will often swarm and overwhelm you. Not to mention that you also need to be careful not to run into the environment.
Thankfully, there are several difficulty options outside of the default difficulty settings. You can choose to increase your lives, continues and 1up frequency rates. You can also change it so that you respawn at a checkpoint when you run out of lives, as well as keep all your power-ups when you die. Local co-op is also supported if you need additional help.
Overall, Apidya’ Special is a fun and challenging horizontal shoot-em-up that fans of the genre should love. With its release on modern platforms, this hidden gem is no longer obscure.