Bio Menace

Bio Menace puts the player in the boots of agent Snake Logan, who is shot down over a city overrun by mutated monsters and must fight his way out while figuring out who's behind the whole chaos. Compared to most platformers of the era, there's a much heavier emphasis on shooting here: the hero starts with a submachine gun, gradually finds stronger weapons and grenades, and the environment is full of enemies who walk, jump, and attack from range. Besides combat, the levels also involve finding hostages who need to be freed, as well as keys or switches that open further paths. The levels are large and intricate, so exploration plays just as big a role as accurate aim and knowing when it's better to retreat instead.

The game runs on an engine derived from Apogee's earlier platformers, which shows in the smooth scrolling, precise controls, and carefully built levels. Visually, though, it's much grittier than most colorful platformers of the time: the environments are dark, full of green slime and crumbling city sets, and the enemies are drawn with a relish for disgustingly gruesome detail. The Ad Lib or Sound Blaster soundtrack leans into tension and pace, so the overall impression is closer to an action movie than a children's adventure. This gave the game its own niche among PC platformers aimed at an older audience.

Bio Menace came out late in the life cycle of this type of game, at a time when players' attention was already being pulled toward first-person shooters, so its reception wasn't as strong as it deserved. Even so, it's one of the technically best and most enjoyable shooting-focused DOS platformers, and it kept a good reputation within the community. The authors later released it as freeware, which extended its lifespan even further. Today it delights mainly with its large levels, the pleasant weight of its weapons, and a raw atmosphere that feels refreshingly different from most modern platformers. Anyone who enjoys fast side-view shooting won't find a much better choice on DOS.