In this day and age, bringing classic games back for a new audience just makes sense. We’ve seen all sorts of retro compilations making the rounds, along with plenty of inspired remakes. And in the midst of all that, Terminal Velocity has made its return with a new Boosted Edition.
The 3D Realms-produced title first debuted in 1995, in the heyday of old-school PC gaming. It introduces 3D flying action, but with a simpler control scheme and a whole lot to shoot at. With its fast-paced energy, it received quite a following during that time – only to be lost in the annuls of growing PC hardware.
But now, the good people at Ziggurat Interactive have brought Terminal Velocity back, releasing it for Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch and PC. Along with the old-school gameplay fans have come to expect, the visuals look better than ever. Plus, with nine unique planets and lots of cool weapons, you’ve got no shortage of firepower to bring foes down. To the skies!
While we prepare our review, we sat down with Alex Lotz, managing producer for Ziggurat Interactive, to discuss Terminal Velocity’s return!
So why bring back Terminal Velocity now with the Boosted Edition? Was it just time for the game to resurface and take flight once again?
Aside from wanting to offer a good way to experience the game on modern hardware to those that love the original, we felt the game should come back since the core experience still holds up well. We also had wonderful experiences, and positive feedback from players, throughout our work with the talented team at Terminal Reality on reviving the BloodRayne series, so we were excited to continue bringing more of their hits to modern platforms.
What makes Terminal Velocity such a special game after all this time?
Given the context of the era, target hardware, and team size that made it, the game is a remarkable feat of both game design and engineering that holds up quite well when it comes to controls, rendering, and overall action. It feels and plays great from all the available camera angles, and the more you master the movement the more its vast spaces feel like a place to express your play style rather than just a warzone. The music and cinematics also retain a lot of appeal with a distinct and memorable vibe.
How has feedback on the game been since Boosted Edition got a release?
We have loved seeing the excitement from fans of the original that have enjoyed the enhancements to the game, as well as from those who had only played part of the game in shareware form on PC when they were younger finally getting to play the full experience in Boosted Edition so many years later.
What would you say is the most addictive part of Terminal Velocity? Or is there more than one thing that makes it so fun?
Mastering the game’s six degrees of freedom (or “6DOF”) movement, whether picking off targets in larger open areas or winding through the many tunnels, is what I found most rewarding in playing the game. In adding Trophies (and Achievements) to the game for the Boosted Edition, Terminal Reality encouraged mastery of this by awarding Trophies for flying through all the game’s tunnels, as well as for evading damage and clearing levels quickly.
What was the biggest challenge in making the Boosted Edition work on today’s market?
As so many other games have been released in the years since Terminal Velocity first came out, it can be a challenge marketing to an audience that is used to playing newer games that have the benefit of more recently established game design conventions (and higher production value with the benefit of more advanced hardware).
Fortunately when a game is truly fun that doesn’t change with age, and we think the design decisions of Terminal Velocity have stood the test of time. We also noted in the case of this game that it often looks much better in motion than in still screenshots, so we did our best to lead with video and motion graphics in the marketing.
Are we seeing a boom in retro games like this, where they get a second chance to build up an audience?
There are many high profile remakes and remasters being released in recent years that have renewed interest in the original games they are based on, and there has also been a growing consciousness around the need for intentional game preservation efforts to ensure the games we love most can still be accessed and played in the future.
We’re also seeing more interest in retro games among those that own handheld devices like the Switch and Steam Deck, perhaps due to gamers not wanting to use their “small screen” device time for more modern games that they’d rather see on a larger display (and it helps that most retro titles do not demand high-powered hardware, making them even more suitable to handhelds).
Tell us how the deal came about for the Boosted Edition to get a physical release through Limited Run Games.
Ziggurat partnered with Limited Run on physical editions of two other games from the developers at Terminal Reality: BloodRayne: ReVamped and BloodRayne 2: ReVamped. In a meeting during the work on the BloodRayne physical editions a member of the Limited Run team was excited to learn we were working directly with Terminal Reality on bringing back Terminal Velocity, so the conversation toward a physical edition proceeded naturally from their enthusiasm and ours.
We see that the PS4 version is on the way this June. But what about a Nintendo Switch version? Will we ever see that get physical treatment?
We have not yet announced a physical version for the Switch (or Switch 2). We encourage anyone interested to follow our social channels for possible future announcements.
Now that Terminal Velocity: Boosted Edition has gone full speed, what can we expect next from the team? Is there another old-school favorite they’d love to see make a return?
If you’re looking for more retro space shooters with excellent soundtracks, keep an eye out in February for two titles from the Rainbow Arts catalogue. Rendering Ranger: R² [Rewind] features a faithfully emulated version of the rare Super Famicom game and its unreleased version Targa, while X-Out: Resurfaced recreates the underwater shooter X-Out and adds multiplayer for the first time.
Thanks to Alex for sitting down and talking to us! You can get Terminal Velocity: Boosted Edition now!
