What is it?
Raptor: Call of the Shadows – 2015 Edition is a vertical scrolling-shooter originally developed by Cygnus Studios and published by Apogee in 1994. It was re-released in 2015 by DotEmu with additional features. As a mercenary, you must pilot a Raptor aircraft and destroy enemy planes, ships and buildings to earn money, which can be spent on upgrades and weapons.
Platform(s)
PC, iOS
Pros
Cons
Satisfying gameplay with a wide array of deadly enemies.
You get a health bar rather than limited lives.
Wide array of purchasable weapons and upgrades.
Decent soundtrack, colourful visuals and tight controls.
Cloud saves and achievements are a nice inclusion.
High difficulty curve in the beginning; exploring the second and third zone is a death wish at first.
Not a lot of cash is earned from enemies; the goods in the shop are a bit steep.
Quitting a mission midway will rob you of the cash you earned, but your health bar is not replenished.
Spammy bosses.
The port still could’ve done with some more meaningful additions.
Verdict:
Raptor: Call of the Shadows is a tough cookie, but there’s still plenty to enjoy here thanks to its very enjoyable gameplay, plentiful amounts of enemies with varying attack patterns, and a surprisingly large amount of goods to buy in the store. The 2015 port in particular doesn’t really add anything worthwhile to the mix, outside of cloud saves. Some balance tweaks would’ve been a very helpful inclusion. At its core, though, it’s still a pretty enjoyable game with enough kick to it to justify a purchase, especially at its price. If you’ve never tried it, then this updated version is your best choice.
