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Before Neversoft released the fabled Tony Hawk's Pro Skater in 1999 they made a little game called Apocalypse a year prior. Well, perhaps "little" is a tad misleading, because Neversoft took the initiative to get Bruce Willis on board with the project, lending his voice and likeness as well as his presenting the game at E3 1997. I don't have the data to judge whether or not they made their return on investment with B Dubz - I'm going to wager that they didn't - but at the very least the crossover, piqued my attention 27 years after the fact. Maybe that counts for something!
And I'm glad I picked it up: Apocalypse is a fun, edgy time capsule from the era of frosted-tips and baggy pants. It's not totally grimdark, but an air of grittiness certainly permeates the experience, from the art direction to the plot to the soundtrack. As post-grunge buttrock blares while Brucie delivers quips like "You need more lead in your diet!" and "Oh, you want some too?" I found myself really getting into the spirit, pumping my fist and thinking to myself "bag 'em and tag 'em boys!" and "yeah buddy!" and such. Some of the billboards in the city levels even play live-concert footage, an inspired touch that would later carry over to THPS (unless you were stuck with the lame 64 port). Incidentally the footage is from a System of a Down concert, well before they blew up.
The plot itself is told through grainy CG cutscenes typical of the era, though I prefer live action FMVs that look like second-rate BBC productions from the 70's. But those are more a relic of the early CD era come to think of it... well, I digress; Apocalypse' cutscenes are charming regardless. An evil scientist (no, not Jakub) seeks to bring about the apocalypse by creating the Four Horseman and the Beast of Revelation to boot, and it's up to YOU, Trey Kincaid (Bruce Willis), stop him, but not before breaking out of jail and shooting your way through eleven action-packed levels. Honestly, the plot isn't worth humoring any further: it's inobtrusive while elevating the experience, and that's all you really need to know. I will point out, however, the final bossfight sees you killing the President of the United States, who turns out to be none other than the Beast itself. (And trust me, I'm biting my tongue trying not to make the obvious joke here.) Needless to say the religious symbolism isn't as deep something like Xenogears or Evangelion or Sonic the Hedgehog, but it's campy fun nonetheless.
Gameplay-wise, Apocalypse is a twin-stick shooter with some light platforming sprinkled in. For the most part you're shooting enemies and... well yeah, there you go; no skill trees or roguelike elements here folks. There are weapon powerups with limited ammo (and the obligatory screen-clearing bombs) to collect, and thankfully you're able to save them for later, which comes in handy because different weapons suit different situations, as opposed to just being "gun, but stronger", and there's a bit of strategy in ammo conversation. At the same time, it never feels like you're totally screwed when you're down to your humble peashooter. There were some instances when I realized I still had some special ammo left during heated moments, and that gave me the same sense of joy as finding a few extra fries at the bottom of a bag. A few boss fights are sprinkled in to sweeten the pot, and while they aren't particularly inventive I still found them to be enjoyable.
That's all well and good, but what's the catch? Apocalypse's greatest flaw is in the aforementioned platforming. I appreciate the subtle variety in level design it brings but things kind of fall apart when you have to take it seriously, and it gets somewhat dire near the end of the game when jumps get trickier and checkpoints scarcer. None of this is helped by some of the awkward camera angles. To be clear, the platforming isn't anything that can't be solved by slowing down and focusing on your timing (jumping isn't inherently busted, just a bit sloppy), but it can hurt the pacing of the gameplay overall and inevitably leads to some "c'mon dawg" moments as you watch Bruce descend into the digital aether.
(As a fun little piece of trivia, when Neversoft began working on THPS they ripped Bruce Willis' model from Apocalypse; THPS itself runs on a modified version of the same game engine. The more you know.)
So would I call Apocalypse integral to the PlayStation canon? Clearly not. Would I call it a hidden gem? That's still a bit of a stretch. Would I recommend it to people who are interested in the PlayStation library and have a few hours to spare? Absolutely. Despite its flaws Apocalypse is a fun romp you can complete in a few bursts, and the gripes I do have are far offset by the enjoyment I got out of it. Part of this is due to the game being a time-capsule of late nineties post-grunge 'tude, the other half is the fact that it's pure dumb fun. Perhaps it's lacking in replay value, but it would have been the perfect weekend rental back in the day. And, of course, PS1 emulation is effortless in the year of our lord 2025. Check it out.
And I'm glad I picked it up: Apocalypse is a fun, edgy time capsule from the era of frosted-tips and baggy pants. It's not totally grimdark, but an air of grittiness certainly permeates the experience, from the art direction to the plot to the soundtrack. As post-grunge buttrock blares while Brucie delivers quips like "You need more lead in your diet!" and "Oh, you want some too?" I found myself really getting into the spirit, pumping my fist and thinking to myself "bag 'em and tag 'em boys!" and "yeah buddy!" and such. Some of the billboards in the city levels even play live-concert footage, an inspired touch that would later carry over to THPS (unless you were stuck with the lame 64 port). Incidentally the footage is from a System of a Down concert, well before they blew up.
The plot itself is told through grainy CG cutscenes typical of the era, though I prefer live action FMVs that look like second-rate BBC productions from the 70's. But those are more a relic of the early CD era come to think of it... well, I digress; Apocalypse' cutscenes are charming regardless. An evil scientist (no, not Jakub) seeks to bring about the apocalypse by creating the Four Horseman and the Beast of Revelation to boot, and it's up to YOU, Trey Kincaid (Bruce Willis), stop him, but not before breaking out of jail and shooting your way through eleven action-packed levels. Honestly, the plot isn't worth humoring any further: it's inobtrusive while elevating the experience, and that's all you really need to know. I will point out, however, the final bossfight sees you killing the President of the United States, who turns out to be none other than the Beast itself. (And trust me, I'm biting my tongue trying not to make the obvious joke here.) Needless to say the religious symbolism isn't as deep something like Xenogears or Evangelion or Sonic the Hedgehog, but it's campy fun nonetheless.
Gameplay-wise, Apocalypse is a twin-stick shooter with some light platforming sprinkled in. For the most part you're shooting enemies and... well yeah, there you go; no skill trees or roguelike elements here folks. There are weapon powerups with limited ammo (and the obligatory screen-clearing bombs) to collect, and thankfully you're able to save them for later, which comes in handy because different weapons suit different situations, as opposed to just being "gun, but stronger", and there's a bit of strategy in ammo conversation. At the same time, it never feels like you're totally screwed when you're down to your humble peashooter. There were some instances when I realized I still had some special ammo left during heated moments, and that gave me the same sense of joy as finding a few extra fries at the bottom of a bag. A few boss fights are sprinkled in to sweeten the pot, and while they aren't particularly inventive I still found them to be enjoyable.
That's all well and good, but what's the catch? Apocalypse's greatest flaw is in the aforementioned platforming. I appreciate the subtle variety in level design it brings but things kind of fall apart when you have to take it seriously, and it gets somewhat dire near the end of the game when jumps get trickier and checkpoints scarcer. None of this is helped by some of the awkward camera angles. To be clear, the platforming isn't anything that can't be solved by slowing down and focusing on your timing (jumping isn't inherently busted, just a bit sloppy), but it can hurt the pacing of the gameplay overall and inevitably leads to some "c'mon dawg" moments as you watch Bruce descend into the digital aether.
(As a fun little piece of trivia, when Neversoft began working on THPS they ripped Bruce Willis' model from Apocalypse; THPS itself runs on a modified version of the same game engine. The more you know.)
So would I call Apocalypse integral to the PlayStation canon? Clearly not. Would I call it a hidden gem? That's still a bit of a stretch. Would I recommend it to people who are interested in the PlayStation library and have a few hours to spare? Absolutely. Despite its flaws Apocalypse is a fun romp you can complete in a few bursts, and the gripes I do have are far offset by the enjoyment I got out of it. Part of this is due to the game being a time-capsule of late nineties post-grunge 'tude, the other half is the fact that it's pure dumb fun. Perhaps it's lacking in replay value, but it would have been the perfect weekend rental back in the day. And, of course, PS1 emulation is effortless in the year of our lord 2025. Check it out.
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