- Release Date: 1995
- Genre: Shooter
- Style: Fixed Screen Shooter
- Similar Games: Centipede (Arcade), Centipede (Commodore 64/128), Centipede (Game Boy), Centipede (Atari Video Computer System), Centipede (Atari 7800), Centipede (Atari 5200), Centipede (IBM PC Compatible), Centipede (ColecoVision), Centipede (Texas Instruments TI-99), Centipede (PlayStation), Centipede (Game Boy Color), Centipede (Dreamcast), Centipede (Intellivision)
Game Description
Apeiron is based on that arcade classic Centipede. The action is fast and furious; blink and you're dead.The story behind the game is that your ethereal energy has been trapped inside one of the shards of a shattered mirror, and you must defend the imprisoned energy against the hungry denizens of the mushroom patch, who are led by the pentipede.
Sometimes the mushrooms yield magic coins which bestow a variety of power-ups on you; some last until you die and others have time limits. Besides the pentipede, you have a lizard, a flying saucer, and an erratic spider to contend with. Even the mushrooms themselves can be deadly as some of the ones in the higher levels fall from the sky and try to squash you when you hit them.
~ Brad Cook, All Game Guide
Review: Overall
Using that old arcade warrior Centipede as a foundation, Apeiron has updated the concept for the nineties. The back story has to do with a looking glass which shattered as you gazed through it (a la Alice; there is even a hooka-smoking caterpillar on the screen when you quit the game), trapping your ethereal energy in one of its shards. Apparently, the pentipede and his pals want that energy, and they're going to get it from you no matter what the cost. Confused? Don't worry, it's not as if you have to know the story in order to play the game.Otherwise, the play is basically the same as its predecessor -- shoot the mushrooms and the pentipede while avoiding the spider, the lizard, and the other critters traipsing across the screen. The big difference is in the power-ups, which you get whenever a completely shot mushroom yields a coin (which you have to catch; beware, you can hit them with your shots and knock them off the screen). The only problem is that the power-ups are randomly given to you immediately (as opposed to saving the coins and buying more power in between levels), so you may or may not get that multi-blaster which makes the game so much easier. If you die, you lose your power-ups, unless you managed to grab the one which prevents that erasure from happening.
That random quality makes the game a challenge, especially when the action really heats up in the higher levels. If you're lucky and manage to get the best power-ups while in the lower levels, you can probably play indefinitely. If you can't get them, though, the game could end quickly. It keeps you on your toes, that's for sure.
The other drawback in the game is that you use the mouse to play it, and if you get to the edge of the mouse pad, you could get zapped by one of the bad guys as you're moving the mouse back to the center. The movement of your shooter is also a little sluggish; it doesn't seem to move as soon as you move the mouse, as if there is a delay in the software. That can be deadly if the spider is nearby.
~ Brad Cook, All Game Guide
Review: Enjoyment
Very challenging!~ Brad Cook, All Game Guide
Review: Graphics
Reminiscent of Centipede.~ Brad Cook, All Game Guide
Review: Sound
These guys have great sound tracks for their games.~ Brad Cook, All Game Guide
Review: Replay Value
This game is not easy to master.~ Brad Cook, All Game Guide
Review: Documentation
Everything you need is in the manual.~ Brad Cook, All Game Guide
Production Credits
Programming: Andrew Welch; Art: Mark Lewis, Matt Ryan, Andrew Welch; Sounds: Killer Tracks and Ambrosia Labs
~ Brad Cook, All Game Guide
