Raptor: Call of the Shadows

aka: Mercenary 2029, Raptor: Call of the Shadows - 2010 Edition, Raptor: Call of the Shadows - 2015 Edition
Moby ID: 511
DOS Specs
Buy on Windows
$4.99 new on Steam

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.

Groups +

Screenshots

Promos

Videos

See any errors or missing info for this game?

You can submit a correction, contribute trivia, add to a game group, add a related site or alternate title.

Credits (DOS version)

11 People (10 developers, 1 thanks)

Programming
Music / Sound Programming
Level / Scenario Design
Graphics / Artwork
Music
Sound
Apogee Theme
Cover Illustration
Manual Design
Financing & Resources
  • Apogee Software
Special Thanks to
  • The Apogee Beta Testers

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 76% (based on 14 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.8 out of 5 (based on 107 ratings with 11 reviews)

A great top-down shooter.

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

Amazing how some old games are still better than new ones.....

The Good
With the graphics of today, everyone has forgotten about old games. No one ever touches their Bio Menace, or Duke3D CD anymore. Instead they reach for Navy Seals and Counter-Strike. Raptor: Call for the shadows, I say, is better than a lot of games out today.

The graphics of this game are great (compared in its time). The ships look real, and you will love getting to the big explosion when you destroy a boss ship. The weapons all look good, so you wont be bored of them after a while.

The sound is also great, the music will keep you playing, and the sound effects also seem to be carefully made to sound very realistic.

There are mass arrays of weapons, each that must be bought, which is also another good aspect of this game. Players will love having to shoot and shoot to get more things to shoot with.

The Bad
The only thing wrong with this game is its repetitiveness. Throughout the game, you basically do the same old things over and over. They could have added special missions, like say you had to fly a ship into a certain building, but this is a minor problem.

The Bottom Line
This game is a great idea. And players should look for it, and get to play the greatest game (one of them) ever. I give RCOTS a 5/5 :)

Windows · by ThE oNe (180) · 2002

Classic shooter action for the PC. Raptor KICKS YOUR ASS!!

The Good
Raptor is a game that managed the impossible: bringing top down shooters to the pc and doing it Right. For the most part, all other previous scrolling shooters were a piece of crap when brought to the pc, and the genre only thrived on consoles or arcades. Raptor was the first game of it's kind that I could play on the pc without puking, and it was so because it combined furious mindless action with the right amount of gameplay depth to keep things from getting stale.

For starters the developers nailed the concept of the genre perfectly, and crammed as much action into the game as they could, you can destroy everything (and in fact doing so is encouraged since it gives you money!) and the enemies came from everywhere, be it land, sea or air. The locations are varied (tough deep space is missing...), the end-level bosses where massive as per regular shooter rules, and you had a humongous arsenal of weapondry to kick ass with.

The trick was, of course, that the weapons or power-ups were rarely found in-game, and were instead purchased in the black market! Previous games had already made use of that formula, but no other gave it so much sheer importance. In fact, you could say this is the "Privateer" of scrolling shooters, with dozens of weapons, shield upgrades, nukes, etc. available for purchase. How do you acquire the cash? Completing levels of course, but also blowing shit up, and racking the most kills! Finally a real incentive to be good at one of these games!!!

Furthermore the game allows you to take advantage of other PC-only skills, such as being able to save your game (a must when you added the mercenary angle) and the option to personalize your character as you see fit (which is not really PC-only but... hey! you couldn't do that without a keyboard! Well, at least not comfortably...).

To top it off you have absolutely Beautiful graphics, with silky-smooth animation and amazing detail (ok, for the time!) and a great sound engine to make each explosion feel extra-special.

The Bad
Well... hmmmm....

No 2P support. I mean, wouldn't it have been cool to be able to export your character and continue playing with a friend??? Probably the only rule this game broke was that one: no 2p support.

Other than that there's the fact that sometimes the action feels kinda slow, but Raptor is one of those slow-scrolling shooters, not the ones you zip around on-screen like 1942 or the like...

The Bottom Line
Required playing if you consider yourself a real action gamer. Raptor brings the fun of shooting the hell out of everything and adds just enough style to make it a completely fantastic experience that keeps giving instead of just a couple of funny minutes you spend at the arcade. It's a pulse-pounding experience that never gives up, and keeps coming for more. Play Raptor. Go visit strange and exotic lands... And blow the shit out of everything in sight!!! But keep your eyes on your profit margin or else you are never gonna get that twin laser!

DOS · by Zovni (10504) · 2002

[ View all 11 player reviews ]

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

Analytics

MobyPro Early Access

Upgrade to MobyPro to view research rankings!

Related Games

The Shadows of Mordor
Released 1987 on Commodore 64, DOS, 1988 on Apple II...
Shadows
Released 1996 on Windows
Batman: The Telltale Series - Shadows Edition
Released 2019 on Windows, Xbox One
Star Wraith 3: Shadows of Orion
Released 2002 on Windows
Call of Duty: Ghosts
Released 2013 on Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360...
Ports of Call
Released 1987 on Amiga, DOS, 2009 on iPhone...
Call of Duty
Released 2003 on Windows, 2004 on Macintosh, Xbox 360
Horizon VR: Call of the Mountain
Released 2023 on PlayStation 5
Shadows on the Vatican - Act II: Wrath
Released 2015 on Windows

Related Sites +

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 511
  • [ Please login / register to view all identifiers ]

Contribute

Are you familiar with this game? Help document and preserve this entry in video game history! If your contribution is approved, you will earn points and be credited as a contributor.

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.