If you ever enjoyed Duke Nukem 3D, Bio Menace, Crystal Caves, Blake Stone, Commander Keen, Secret Agent, Wolfenstein 3D, Alien Carnage, Raptor: Call of the Shadows, Shadow Warrior, Death Rally or Wacky Wheels in the past, then you owe a little bit of thanks to Apogee. The shareware publisher was a massive name in the early to mid-’90s for their work in helping publish a ton of iconic indie games, and overnight it was revealed that the indie publisher is making a comeback.
The publisher (which is calling itself Apogee Entertainment instead of Apogee Software), with a bit of help from Duke Nukem voice actor Jon St. John, showed off a string of titles that will supposedly ship over the next 12 months. While there weren’t any specific dates or announcements, the showcase did have footage of what looked like a remastered Cosmo’s Cosmic Adventure, some Raptor gameplay (although it didn’t look remastered at all), some games with zombie elements, and a survival platformer called Residual.
In an interview with Gamesindustry, Apogee founder Scott Miller said the studio was looking to promote games that “have a strong fun factor” with a low barrier to entry. “I don’t think we’re going to do any games like Cuphead that are enormously difficult; that’s not really our thing,” Miller said.
The first title announced, Residual, is due out in the Australian spring. Players will explore a procedurally generated planet with light puzzle elements, according to the official release, and it’ll ship on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox X/S, and the Switch.
As for everything else? Apogee certainly has a bucket full of games that could totally use a sequel. The footage of the original Raptor with “currently in development” overlaid is definitely good news on a hump day. But remakes of Blood and Terminal Velocity — or a Terminal Velocity sequel/prequel — would do just nicely.
Update 10:50 AM: One of the developers involved has revealed that a Monster Bash remake, Monster Bash HD, is absolutely on the cards. It’s looking pretty authentic, all things considered.
Following the return of the legendary indie publisher @Apogee_Ent I can officially announce that I’m working on Monster Bash HD ????
We will share more info over time but until then, enjoy this before-after preview ???? pic.twitter.com/GXLQuAhlDv
— Primož Vovk (@Emberheartgames) April 20, 2021
Leave a Reply