Raptor: Call of the Shadows
- May 5, 2014
- Cygnus Studios
- 8h median play time
Get on SteamRaptor: Call of the Shadows is a vertical shooter game set in a dystopian future. As a mercenary pilot, you must complete missions and defeat enemy forces while upgrading your aircraft. The game features numerous stages, enemy types, and power-ups, offering a challenging and action-packed experience.
iPad
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Mac OS
PC
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Ms Dos
Reviews
- Raptor is a nostalgic classic that still provides an enjoyable experience nearly 30 years after its release, with engaging gameplay and a variety of weapons.
- The game features a unique upgrade system that allows players to buy and sell weapons and power-ups, adding depth to the gameplay.
- Many players appreciate the challenging difficulty levels and the ability to relive fond childhood memories while playing.
- The game suffers from technical issues, such as poor audio quality and control problems on modern systems, particularly with the Steam Deck.
- Some players find the gameplay to be slow, bland, and repetitive, with design flaws that detract from the overall experience.
- The graphics and sound have not aged well, leading to a less appealing experience for those accustomed to modern gaming standards.
- music46 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The music in this game is a nostalgic nod to the 90s, featuring a mix of crisp MIDI soundtracks and digitized edits that resonate well with fans of the original DOS version. While some users experienced issues with getting the music to work initially, community guides are available to enhance the audio experience. Overall, the soundtrack is praised for its effectiveness and charm, contributing significantly to the game's atmosphere.
“From the very moment you enter the hangar and the brooding music starts playing, you have to allow it to get under your skin.”
“This 1994 gem is a great nostalgia trip for everyone who has played this game at least once in their lives, blasting you all the way back to the glorious days of 90s DOS gaming with a crisp MIDI soundtrack.”
“Also has one of the best soundtracks of games that I've played to date.”
“Worse; this is just the original DOS release wrapped in DOSBox, and poorly wrapped at that, since the music doesn't even work.”
“The game is locked at a low framerate and the sound design and soundtrack isn't anything to write home about, but this is a DOS game we're talking about here.”
“As with every game in this collection, the graphics will look worse than you remember, and the music and sounds will be crappier too.”
- gameplay28 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized as a classic scrolling shooter that prioritizes atmosphere and immersion over intricate mechanics, making it appealing to fans of the genre who prefer a more relaxed experience. While some may find the mechanics dated, the game still offers enjoyable and stylish gameplay that holds up well, with a playtime of around 6-8 hours. Overall, it is recommended for those who appreciate the shmup concept without the traditional one-hit death or complex bullet patterns.
“It's an elegant and classic scrolling shooter game with stylish visuals and great gameplay.”
“Classic shooter from the 90s, gameplay and music still holds up in 2019.”
“Dated gameplay sure, but still fun even to this day!”
“If you decide to dispassionately analyze it in a mechanical sense and deconstruct it, you will be able to tear it to pieces.”
“To hyperfocus on its individual mechanics is wholly misguided.”
“Lastly... I highly recommend this game if you love shmups as a concept, but you despise traditional shmup mechanics such as one-hit death or crazy bullet hell patterns.”
- graphics26 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with some praising the pixel art style and detailed visuals reminiscent of classic Amiga and Atari ST games, while others criticize the 2015 re-release for its blurry smoothing filter and inferior audio quality. Players appreciate the clarity of the graphics in the context of the gameplay, especially in a bullet hell setting, but many express a desire for updated graphics and sound without altering the core gameplay experience. Overall, while the visuals may not meet modern standards, they still evoke nostalgia for fans of the original version.
“It's an elegant and classic scrolling shooter game with stylish visuals and great gameplay.”
“The pixellated graphics are skilfully rendered and it's very clear what's happening, which is definitely a good thing since the game is basically a bullet hell.”
“The graphics are pretty detailed for the time, similar to an Amiga or Atari ST game, especially the scrolling terrain.”
“The 2015 version runs natively on Windows and includes achievements if that's important to you, but it uses crappy recordings of the original MIDI files instead of playing them directly and it throws a blurry smoothing filter over the graphics, making it look muddled and cheesy.”
“As with every game in this collection, the graphics will look worse than you remember, and the music and sounds will be crappier too.”
“So that is basically the choice you make; play the original state in a window, or get the 2015 release and play fullscreen with pixel-smoothed graphics.”
- story18 mentions
- 6 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 22 % negative mentions
The game's story revolves around a series of sequenced missions across three episodes, where players can upgrade their fighter between missions using money earned from defeating enemies and bosses. While the gameplay mechanics allow for replaying missions and strategic upgrades, the visual presentation suffers from cluttered levels and poor color contrast, making it difficult to follow the action. Overall, the narrative structure supports engaging gameplay, but the execution may detract from the experience.
“There are buttons for each of the three episodes (Bravo Sector, Tango Sector, and Outer Regions) and the 'auto pilot' button starts the next mission you haven't finished yet.”
“The levels are ugly - they can get incredibly cluttered to the point where it's hard to tell what is even happening. The color palette gets very dark and murky in places, sometimes to the point where enemies are difficult to distinguish from the background scenery. Both of these things, combined with some pretty poor color contrast, means that the inclusion of the occasional nighttime mission was a very, very bad idea.”
“Each mission ends with a massive boss ship to destroy before you can proceed, and some missions have an extra boss ship appear in the middle of the level.”
“It's possible to play missions from each of the three episodes out of order, or replay a set you've finished to farm for more credits if you're not ready to take on the next episode yet.”
- stability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The current DOSBox version shows significant improvement over the 2010 and 2015 releases, which were plagued by bugs and poor audio quality. However, it still suffers from some stability issues, making it a somewhat buggy port overall.
“This DOSBox version is much better than the 2010 and 2015 versions that are very buggy and have terrible audio.”
“It's a pretty buggy port.”
“I can forgive open world types which can be buggy and therefore need ports.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its unique and immersive qualities, making it an excellent choice for players who prioritize emotional engagement over intricate mechanics. Those willing to fully engage with the experience will find it particularly rewarding.
“If you allow the game to take you on a journey and get immersed in it, it is truly excellent, because it simply has a certain unique atmosphere and feeling to it.”
“If you love games that prioritize excellent atmosphere and immersion over meticulously crafted mechanics, this may also be for you.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users consistently highlight the game's excellent replayability, indicating that it offers engaging content that encourages multiple playthroughs.
“Great replayability.”
“Great replayability.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game may experience performance issues on lower-end systems due to its emulation rather than native execution, which could affect overall optimization.
“This game might have performance issues on lower-end systems, since it is emulated rather than natively run.”
“This game might have performance issues on lower-end systems, since it is emulated rather than natively run.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game somewhat tedious, but acknowledge that it is necessary to accumulate money for acquiring powerful weapons.
“It's a bit grindy, but you are going to need that money to get the strong weapons.”
