Games based on movie franchises have always been a frequent occurrence, and their quality ranged from very good (Peter Jackson's King Kong, The Chronicles of Riddick) to crooked crafts (bOomer: Torn Towers, Aliens: Colonial Marines). Most often, of course, they were created to make money at the moment and subsequently be thrown into the dustbin of history with an estimate in the region of 40-60 points.
In the case of Apocalypse, the situation is a little different; Apocalypse is an independent work, an original IP, where Bruce Willis himself was invited to the main role, who, according to the authors' idea, was supposed to become the face of the project and attract the attention of buyers on store shelves. And the genre is just right - 3D third-person action. The very thing for an action movie star.
To understand whether it was worth it, we will try to answer a few questions.
Apocalypse (November 17, 1998)
Plot? The main character Trey Kincaid, a former assistant to a villain named Reverend, is in prison for trying to prevent him from bringing the end of the world and the Apocalypse closer. As soon as there was an opportunity to escape, Trey grabs a machine gun and breaks free. His goal is to stop the Reverend and the horsemen of the Apocalypse: Death, Plague, Beast and War.
The story of stars from the sky is not enough, but it is quite standard for fantastic action movies of those years.
How is it played? Eleven strictly linear levels representing narrow corridors and sometimes arenas. Sometimes the camera is transferred to the top or side view, but this does not complicate or simplify the gameplay. There are also sections with platforming. The platforms are always quite large, and it is almost impossible to miss them.
The hero himself has a health bar and a weapon charge if he has something other than the initial machine gun in his hands. In addition, there is a life counter. We spent everything - level first. Why it is needed if there is an opportunity to save the game between each level is not clear. Life is more a vestige than a necessity.
The management is quite responsive and there is no long response. A minus can be called only eight directions in which the hero moves. It should be understood that there is no question of any smooth control. On the other hand, all levels are rectums and there is almost no need to gently wriggle between hordes of enemies.
Who are the enemies? Jailers, mutants, zombies, huge tanks, helicopters, etc. Almost every episode ends with a boss battle, and there are separate levels for riders where the battle takes place. In the dry balance of eleven levels, only seven have a direct passage from point A to point B.
There are a lot of enemies on the levels. Up to twenty on one screen, than the cover of the disc boasts, but this is a bit of guile. Sometimes permanent deformations of levels are added to the number of enemies and special effects: then the bridge will collapse, then the ground will open up, then the building will explode. It's fun and this dynamic is impressive for the first time. However, from such a number of effects and objects on the screen, the number of frames per second sometimes drops below thirty.
What to kill with? Nine types of weapons: from a default machine gun, lasers and a rocket launcher to a bomb that kills all enemies within reach. Each weapon is good in its own way, but there are clear favorites, for example, Rip Laser (a blue electric beam that touches enemies around the main target) or a flamethrower.
How does it sound? The sounds of shooting and the environment are pretty standard and there is nothing to surprise here. A machine gun sounds like a machine gun, a laser sounds like a laser, and a rocket launcher sounds like a rocket launcher. The soundtrack is another matter and has a number of memorable compositions under which to shoot at enemies fervently. Next, a selection of the best, in my opinion, music from the game:
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Prison
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Roofs
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The plague - under this song there is a boss fight with the boss.
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Military factory
What time is it? Ninety minutes. Two hours if you really want to rub against every wall. The game is very short and there are no additional modes in it. But there are three difficulties and perplexity for what I spent the money. So that you understand: the speedrun world record is 33 minutes, and there the runner just runs forward through the levels, bypassing enemies and sometimes cutting corners during jumps.
Is it exactly like Contra? Ideologically, yes. Non-stop action with a bunch of enemies and weapons. However, the departure from the "one hit in the hero - corpse" scheme dramatically affects the complexity and replayability. At the same time, Apocalypse gameplay is head and shoulders above both 3D Contra: Legacy of War and The Contra Adventure. At least by the fact that it does not discredit the name of the series, it is easily mastered and does not lose momentum from the first to the last second.
Do I need Bruce Willis? No, but it was somehow necessary to sell a new IP with a generic name. Bruce does not play his role very diligently, from time to time throws the same type of phrases and serves only as a marketing lure rather than an author's vision. Adding Jean Reno to Onimusha 3 or Norman Reedus to Death Stranding turned out better.
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Conclusion. Years later, Apocalypse is still being played cheerfully and brings a fan share. Having Bruce Willis doesn't make the game any better, but it doesn't get any worse either. If you really want to play Contra, but the idea that the hero dies from a single shot scares you away, then try Apocalypse. In light mode, this game can become a very short but vivid adventure for the next hour.
Rating: "Destroy it all"
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