Apidya’ Special arrives next week with new stages, co-op and 20 bosses

Apidya is coming back. More than 30 years after its original Amiga release, the insect-themed shoot-’em-up is getting a new version for modern hardware. Apidya’ Special is due on 25 August 2026 for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch, with updated graphics, extra content and new music arrangements from Chris Hülsbeck. This isn’t just the old Amiga game running through emulation. Team Apidya has rebuilt the game from scratch, using the 1992 original as the base while also bringing in ideas and material from a planned console version that never made it to release. That makes Apidya’ Special a fairly substantial reworking. It keeps the structure and style of the original, but adds new pixel art, extra sound effects, wider display options and more content than Amiga players saw the first time around.

Two ways to play

The new version offers both widescreen and 4:3 display modes. The widescreen option uses new parallax effects and fills modern displays properly, while the 4:3 mode sticks much closer to the proportions of the Amiga original. Players can also switch on scanlines, bloom and CRT-style filters if they prefer that kind of presentation.

None of that changes the basic game. Apidya is still a side-scrolling shoot-’em-up built around fast movement, weapon upgrades and large boss encounters. There’s more of it this time, though.

Apidya’ Special includes five themed worlds: Meadow, Pond, Sewers, Cyber and Lair. Each can contain up to five stages, and the full game features 20 bosses. Hidden stages return too, while random events can change certain runs. One example is Night Mode, which alters enemy graphics and gives stages a different appearance. It’s not a complete redesign, and it doesn’t try to become one.

Co-op joins the package

One of the bigger additions is local co-op. A second player can join in and control another bee with its own weapon set. That gives the remake a more conventional two-player setup than the original game offered and should make the campaign easier to jump into with someone sitting beside you. Difficulty and accessibility settings have also been expanded.

That matters because Apidya comes from an era when shoot-’em-ups could get difficult quickly. The new version still lets players keep the original-style challenge, but it also offers more control over how demanding the game becomes. So, if you want the pressure, it’s there. If you don’t, there are more options now.

Chris Hülsbeck returns

The music was one of the stronger parts of the original game, so Chris Hülsbeck’s involvement is a notable part of the remake. He’s back with newly produced studio arrangements, alongside music connected to the Amiga release. Physical editions will also put extra focus on the soundtrack, with some packages including additional audio material.

Physical versions are planned for PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch. PC, Xbox Series X/S and the other console versions will be available digitally. ININ Games is publishing Apidya’ Special, while Team Apidya is handling development. The team also includes people with links to the original production.

Where Apidya came from

The first Apidya appeared on the Commodore Amiga in 1992. German developer Kaiko created it, and Blue Byte released the game through its Play Byte label. The Japanese-looking title and presentation sometimes caused confusion, but Apidya was a European game built specifically around the Amiga. Its main hook was easy to understand. Instead of flying a spaceship through another science-fiction battlefield, you controlled a bee.

That bee travelled through meadows, ponds, organic interiors and later mechanical areas while fighting insects, aquatic creatures and increasingly large bosses. The setting gave Apidya an identity that stood apart from many shooters of the period.

The weapon system followed familiar genre rules, with power-ups strengthening attacks as you progressed. Stages mixed straightforward shooting with tighter obstacle sections, enemy waves and large boss battles.

Visually, the game made strong use of the Amiga’s 2D hardware. Detailed pixel art, smooth scrolling and Hülsbeck’s soundtrack helped make it one of the more recognisable European shoot-’em-ups on the machine.

Familiar structure, modern hardware

Apidya’ Special doesn’t throw away that formula. It still looks and plays like a horizontal shooter. The difference is that Team Apidya has built more around it: widescreen graphics, extra stages, new audio, co-op play, display filters and additional difficulty options.

That approach keeps the remake fairly easy to understand. It’s not trying to turn Apidya into a 3D action game or rebuild it around completely different mechanics. It takes the original structure and adds the sort of features expected from a modern release.

For anyone who never owned an Amiga, this will be the easiest way to see what Apidya was about. And for people who already know the 1992 game, there’s enough new material here to make this more than a straight re-release.

Spread the love

Two ways to play

Co-op joins the package

Chris Hülsbeck returns

Where Apidya came from

Familiar structure, modern hardware

MORE AMIGA & RETRO NEWS