Raptor: Call of The Shadows - 2015 Edition

[h1]Что делает он, ведь сейчас будет взрыв!.. Но мне не гореть на песке, — Запреты и скорости все перекрыв, Я выхожу из пике.[/h1] Голосом Леонида Володарского. Идёт две тысячи мохнатый год. Мега корпорации захватили Землю и начали осваивать Луну. Они ведут войну между собой за территории и влияние. Они вербуют наёмников. Вы – один из них, пилот суперсовременного истребителя Раптор, принадлежащей группировке, с штаб-квартирой на старой нефтяной платформе. Вас наняли для борьбы с ордами корпорации МегаКорпс. Раптор способен летать не только над землёй, но и в космосе, поэтому Вы успеете увидеть не только равнины, горы и города, но и лунные базы. Raptor – классическая стрелялка с видом сверху. Наш истребитель летит снизу-вверх и палит из всех видов оружия по нескончаемому потоку различных вражеских летательных аппаратов. Им помогают стационарные установки с ракетами и пулемётами. Надо очень внимательно не только сбивать шустрые или крепкие корабли, но и уворачиваться от массового вражеского огня. Если пульки отнимают немного жизней, то ракета может снести значительный кусок брони. Жизни в конце уровня сами не восстанавливаются, приходиться ремонтироваться в ангаре, да ещё и дополнительные щиты покупать, так что рекомендую начинать играть на минимальной сложности, иначе вы рискуете все доходы тратить на ремонт. Вообще, на базе можно закупиться разным вооружением, начиная от ракет разного типа и самонаводящимися пулемётами и заканчивая супер-мега-дорогой лазерной установкой, которая сносит всё. Деньги вы получаете за уничтожение противников и разрушение строений. Фишка с разрушающимися зданиями и техникой очень впечатляла не только в детстве, но и сейчас, ведь далеко не во всех подобных играх присутствует полная разрушаемость. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3383505316 Игра вышла в далёком 1994 году, поэтому графика и звуки в ней соответствующие. Хотя, одна из причин, почему это одна из моих любимых игр подобного жанра – это разнообразие. Множество видов врагов и оружия, а самое главное, разные уровни. Даже на Луне разработчики старались сделать разную поверхность, разные здания и запоминающие детали, типа разбившейся летающей тарелки или большого склада военной техники. А уж во втором эпизоде они проявили фантазию. Мы побываем и над сельской местностью с полями и комбайнами, и над большими заводами, и в джунглях с старинными храмами, и над ночным городом. Музыка стандартная, синтезаторная, энергичная. Мелодия из главного меню всплывает в голове, как только вижу скриншот из игры или название. В 2015 DotEmu выпустила переиздание. Ничего кроме простого запуска на современных системах, достижений и странного ляпа с сохранениями они не добавили. Игру очень рекомендую просто потому, что это одна из любимых игр моего детства, хотя и понимаю, что сейчас она будет интересна только таким старпёрам, как я.

[h1] A bit better version of the classic shoot'em up. This time game runs at 24 FPS instead of 15 FPS on DOSBox. Controller is working fine, just make sure to manually save after each mission or risk losing progress as there's no autosaving feature. Game is missing also some CRT filters to make it feel more nostalgic. Gameplay is good and controls responsive. Take on 4 different locations with a few missions each. After each mission buy some upgrades like better main weapon, bombs, rockets, shield, etc. Music is ok. Overall ok shoot'em up but with some minor technical flaws. [/h1]

For a game that has been out ages it has some terrible bugs. Every time you save your game, it makes a new save, this is annoying when you get a Game Over as you then have to figure out which save to load. You can work around this, but it's a pain. What is really bad is that, if you save a few times without going through and deleting some of the new saves, you get to a point where the game tells you that you must delete a save before you can save. Now all the progress you made is lost. Don't recommend, if I hadn't been given this as a birthday present then I'd be getting a refund.

Played the original when it first released. The nostalgia is like no other. 10/10 Game.

Fantastic classic game but a miserable port. There are pieces of the iconic midi music that just abruptly end and loop, and the save state system is atrocious. There is a hard limit on the number of saves you can have and making a new save does not overwrite the old. This necessitates a constant pruning of save states. The last time I pruned, I made the discovery that deleting all saves means erasing your current game. A real shame.

Mouse and save issues. Unplayable.

What a throw back to my childhood! I love this game and version. Absolutely wishlist it and pick it up if it goes on sale

Raptor: Call of The Shadows – 2015 Edition is less a reinvention and more a careful preservation of a very specific era of PC gaming, bringing Scott Host’s 1994 vertical shoot-’em-up back to modern storefronts with only light adjustments. It carries with it the unmistakable identity of the shareware age, where gameplay clarity, replayability, and tight loops were prioritized over cinematic presentation or narrative depth. What stands out immediately is how little of its core has been altered, and that decision defines the entire experience—for better and for worse. The game drops you into the cockpit of a heavily armed futuristic fighter, tasked with dismantling waves of enemy forces across a sequence of missions. The structure is straightforward: each level is divided into segments filled with aerial threats, ground installations, and eventually a boss encounter that tests both positioning and firepower. Unlike many shoot-’em-ups that rely purely on precision dodging, Raptor introduces a shield system that gives players a small margin for error. This doesn’t make the game easy, but it does shift the pacing slightly, allowing for more aggressive play and creating a balance between survival and destruction. The result is a flow that feels less punishing than traditional arcade shooters while still maintaining constant tension. What truly elevates Raptor beyond a standard shooter is its economy-driven progression system. Instead of relying solely on temporary power-ups during missions, the game rewards players with currency based on performance, which can then be spent on permanent upgrades between stages. This adds a strategic layer that encourages replaying missions to maximize earnings and optimize loadouts. Weapons vary significantly in function, from straightforward cannons to specialized systems designed for crowd control or targeted damage, and choosing the right combination becomes an important part of success. This system gives the game a subtle sense of long-term progression that keeps it engaging beyond its moment-to-moment action. Level design plays a major role in sustaining that engagement. Each environment is packed with destructible elements, blending ground targets and airborne enemies into a chaotic but readable battlefield. There is a satisfying rhythm to clearing waves of foes while weaving through incoming fire, and the constant stream of explosions reinforces the game’s sense of impact. Boss encounters serve as highlights, often requiring players to adapt their approach rather than relying on a single strategy. Even though the game follows a consistent formula, it manages to maintain variety through enemy placement and escalating difficulty. Visually, the 2015 Edition remains firmly rooted in its original aesthetic. The pixel art, color palette, and overall presentation are unmistakably tied to the early 90s, and while the game supports modern resolutions and includes conveniences like achievements, it does little to modernize its look or interface. For players with nostalgia for that era, this authenticity is part of the appeal, preserving the charm of a classic PC shooter. For others, it may feel dated, especially when compared to modern indie titles that reinterpret retro styles with more polish and flair. The audio design follows a similar pattern, with energetic but distinctly old-school music that reinforces the game’s identity without evolving it. Where the 2015 Edition struggles most is in its lack of meaningful enhancements. It functions more as a compatibility update than a full remaster, leaving many of the original game’s limitations intact. Menu navigation can feel clunky, and certain design elements—such as save systems and interface responsiveness—reflect their age. These issues don’t break the experience, but they do create friction that becomes more noticeable over time, particularly for players accustomed to modern standards of usability. Despite these shortcomings, the core gameplay loop remains compelling. Raptor succeeds because it understands exactly what it is: a fast-paced, replayable shooter built around clear mechanics and rewarding progression. It doesn’t attempt to reinvent itself or expand beyond its original scope, and that restraint allows its strengths to shine through. The combination of arcade action and persistent upgrades gives it a distinct identity that still feels satisfying decades later. In the end, Raptor: Call of The Shadows – 2015 Edition is best approached as a historical artifact that still happens to be fun. It offers a glimpse into a design philosophy centered on immediate engagement and mechanical clarity, and while it may lack the refinement and innovation of more modern titles, it retains a charm and effectiveness that are hard to dismiss. For those willing to accept its age and limitations, it provides a straightforward but enjoyable experience that stands as a testament to the enduring appeal of classic shoot-’em-ups. Rating: 7/10

If you remember the old 94 version, and got all excited because there's a remaster, and you thought "hey, this is awesome! Raptor was such a fun mindless game I definitely want to get it!" Don't. The game is riddled with bugs; your saves aren't obvious and if you're used to saving after every mission, you will soon find out that you are out of saves! But where are they located at so you can delete a few? Certainly not installed on you computer that's for sure! No, you get to use the "load mission" option and try to remember what your cash was like so you don't delete the wrong file. And achievements? Bugged. Bugged all over the place. You might get the boat, you might not. You might get destroy, you might not. You might even get the beat all sectors but don't count on it. You can play the game in so many fashions; one sector in a round robin fashion, until the last three things you do are the final wave of each, thinking hey, that will trigger the achievement. No luck. Play through it one sector at a time, that has to work! No, it doesn't. For 5 bucks, which is about what I paid for it, you'll get about 5 or 6 hours of mindless button pressing. So a buck an hour of trying to achievement grind for things that are indeed, bugged. But you still gotta try, right? Music is still good though, loops in bad places but that's that. Wish they would have done more of the night colors instead of just two stages out of 18.

Хороший порт хорошей игры в хорошем жанре. Ничего плохого не вижу.