Raptor: Call of the Shadows
Description official descriptions
Raptor is a vertically-scrolling shoot 'em up. It features smooth scrolling VGA graphics, a variety of enemies on ground, air and sea, and an original soundtrack.
After completing each level you have the option of upgrading your ship with a powerful arsenal of weapons and goodies. Some weapons are effective on only ground or air targets, while some are on both. There are some really advanced weapons like the auto-track mini-gun which can effectively destroy almost any kind of targets without aiming the ship.
Dying in shoot'em ups can be annoying, especially if you have to start all over the beginning. However, in Raptor you can save your game between each level. If you have enough credit you can even buy multiple shields for further protection.
The 2010 edition of Raptor: Call of the Shadows includes improved graphics and native support for higher resolutions (640x400, 960x600 and 1280x800). Standard graphics are also available.
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Credits (DOS version)
11 People (10 developers, 1 thanks)
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Apogee Theme | |
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Reviews
Critics
Average score: 76% (based on 14 ratings)
Players
Average score: 3.8 out of 5 (based on 107 ratings with 11 reviews)
The Good
It is exciting meeting the end-level bosses. The music's cool, and the high-costing weapons are truly devastating. The levels are unique, and so are the episodes. Finally, most everything is destructable.
The Bad
This game is hard! Also, it gets kinda annoying since there is no mid level save feature (you almost kill a boss, but the boss kills you, and you have to start all over). The levels are a bit long and monotonus.
The Bottom Line
A very good top-down shooter. If there was a save game feature and it wasn't so monotonus, I would recommend it. But for now, play Stargunner.
DOS · by Archagon (108) · 2001
The Good
Wow, almost missed this one :-)
Raptor is indeed a classic shooter, one of a kind so that even now, five years after it came out, people are still measuring shooters against it. It has a smooth engine, delightful graphics (for the time), decent music and hours worth of gameplay, a variety of weapon upgrades for your ship and most importantly - it's damn fun!
The Bad
A bit too repetitive, and doesn't hold a candle to Tyrian - but hey, it came out earlier and is a damn good game in its own right.
The Bottom Line
A great shooter most people find extremely solid and enjoyable.
DOS · by Tomer Gabel (4538) · 1999
Par for the course in a stale genre
The Good
Fast, smooth, and polished. Mindless fun.
The Bad
The pattern-oriented vertically scrolling shooter became very stale between 1983 and 1994. Raptor doesn't add anything new or interesting to this type of game. In fact, if you go back to the genre-defining Xevious from over ten years earlier, you'll find that it is more sophisticated than Raptor in many ways.
The Bottom Line
A vertically scrolling shooter with well-done VGA graphics. If you liked Raiden, you'll like Raptor.
DOS · by James Hague (10) · 2000
Trivia
Origin of the game's name
The name "Raptor" came from the Cygnus guys going to see the original Jurassic Park movie with the id guys and thinking that "Raptor" made a better game name then "Mercenary" (working title).
Shareware version
In the shareware version (which contains 1/3 of the game), you can play indefinitely, if you managed to survive the final boss level. You are simply sent back to level 1, with your score intact!
Awards
- Power Play
- Issue 02/1995 – Best Shareware Game in 1994
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Related Sites +
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GitHub: skynettx/dosraptor
The source code of the original DOS version of Raptor, version 1.2. Released to the public on October 1, 2023. -
Mountain King Studios
Developers of "Raptor: Call of the Shadows". -
Raptor: Call of the Shadows
Apogee's official homepage for Raptor: Call of the Shadows
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by IJan.
Macintosh added by Sciere. iPhone added by LepricahnsGold.
Additional contributors: Kate Jones, Xantheous, Kasey Chang, Apogee IV, B.L. Stryker, lights out party, Tracy Poff, Patrick Bregger, Cavalary.
Game added December 2, 1999. Last modified March 21, 2024.