Apidya – The King Of Shooters On Amiga Returns…
Apidya is one of those Amiga classics that has kept on poppin up on social media more or less since the dawn of the medium, it is crazy to think of that Apidya is today no less than 34 years old and this is the first time we ever got to see a remake in any form, yes the game saw two budget releases between the first release in 1992 and the last in 1994, the crazy part is that the game is considered rare across all three versions, yes even the Team17 version is rare which is crazy to think of since that studio was after all one of the most loved Amiga exclusive studios at the time.
The Amiga version is shown on the left, and the Special version is on the right, so you can compare them side by side.
The Main Menu Has Gone From Apidya II to Apidya Special…
ININ and Kaiko have finally delivered a remake of Apidya, now released as Apidya Special. The package includes both the Amiga original and the remake, and at first glance it feels like a near 1:1 conversion with updated graphics and a bit of fine‑tuning in both music and gameplay. You can switch between versions with a single button press — something I ended up doing far more often than expected, mostly because the remake felt noticeably easier. And yes, I can confirm that both the Amiga version included here and the remake are indeed much easier than the 1992 original.
So what makes it easier? Honestly, it’s hard to pinpoint. The two versions feel almost identical most of the time. The biggest difference is probably the controls — using a modern stick with multiple buttons is simply more comfortable than the old Amiga methods (space bar or the infamous waggle‑to‑power‑up technique). That alone smooths out a lot of the difficulty spikes we fought through back in the day.
There Are Artistic Differences…
The game often feels very similar to the original, yet there are plenty of moments where you’ll stop and think, “Huh, I don’t remember seeing that before.” And there’s a good reason for that. Even so, I haven’t found a single spot where anything feels out of place.
Taking screenshots was a bit of a nightmare, though — I kept dying every time I shifted my focus to hit the capture button. Still, I did my best, and I hope you enjoy them for what they are.
The graphics have clearly been tweaked and upgraded to better fit the overall design, and as mentioned earlier, the changes are almost always improvements rather than downgrades.
Chris Huelsbeck Is At It Again…
The legend returns — and not only has he redone the music for the Special version, but he also went back and fine‑tuned the Amiga original soundtrack. What’s especially cool is that when you switch between the two versions on the fly, the music switches too. And yes, both audio versions are absolutely fantastic. As always with his work, I can listen to these tracks anywhere: in the car, on my stereo, through my headset at work — they just fit every situation.
The sound effects have also been upgraded. And honestly, just like with the rest of the game, they could’ve stuck with the original assets and it would still have been great. But you’ve got to appreciate how they went all‑in and updated everything.
The Bosses, The Bonus Stages, And The Hidden Areas — They’re All Here…
The incredibly strange bosses from the original game return here, and while the Amiga versions back in 1992 were downright groundbreaking for the system, they still look brilliant today — and yes, still wonderfully weird. Their attack patterns and movement are just as unfair and annoying as ever, demanding plenty of practice from the player. It’s not bad game design per se, but more of that old‑school Euroshooter problem that plagued the era: brilliant ideas wrapped in slightly sadistic execution.
Your Bee arsenal also shows its limits during boss fights. You might reach a boss fully powered‑up, armed to the teeth… but every time you die, you downgrade. Eventually you become so weak that the fight feels even more unfair than it did at the start. It’s classic Apidya — equal parts genius and punishment — and it’s all here in the Special version.
Verdict.. Which One Is The One To Play…
Apidya was one of the Amiga’s few anime‑styled games, and the only other one I truly loved in that category back then was the brilliant Yo Joe! Packed with a fantastic intro and ending, Apidya delivered a visual and storytelling style that absolutely reeked of Japanese influence. It was a well‑crafted game full of clever ideas and crossovers with other titles of the era, pushing the Amiga 500 right to its limits. It’s no wonder the game is still so loved and talked about today.
What is hard to understand is how Apidya bombed on the sales charts — and even more baffling, how boxed copies have become nearly impossible to track down. I’m lucky I grabbed the Team17 box back in the day, but I still wish I had the original big PlayByte box… You know, the one that goes for around $500 on eBay.
So, is Apidya Special worth the asking price of around $19.99? Absolutely — even if you’re only here for the music and not into the genre at all. If you’re into both, then it’s a steal. Just be aware: the game is much easier now, yet still manages to be just as punishing in certain moments as it was back in 1992.
Trailer added below.