The classic Terminal Velocity from the 90s is coming soon in a new version

Here’s a line you probably didn’t expect to read this year: Final speedthe classic 360-degree shooter from the 90s is getting a new edition.

Terminal Reality, backed by the original developers Final speed and her spiritual successors, Fury 3 and Hellbenderthey went back to update the original Final speed with some quality of life features for 2023.

It’s not a complete remaster like e.g. Soul of Demonsbut rather an update similar to Night Dive’s efforts sting and reissue of the original Earthquake. Launching with widescreen support and a bunch of new achievements, Terminal Velocity: Boosted Edition will be released on PC via Steam on March 14th internationally and March 15th for Australians, with a console release later this year.

The trailer doesn’t really address the kinds of improvements we’ll be seeing Enhanced Edition, although it mentions that the game will launch natively. (Original Final speed is now available digitally, but runs through the DOSBOX emulator.) The accompanying press release adds that the game’s textures have been upscaled across the board, while the audio has been updated for better spatial placement.

“Terminal Reality created a title built by their studio – a hyper flight simulator Final speed – and expressed their interest in bringing this meaningful game to modern devices,” Cole Law told Kotaku Australia. “It’s a joy for Zikkurat to work with Terminal Reality, drawing on their deep knowledge and history of the game, watching their mastery of developing both old and new technologies, and celebrating the nostalgia of the game that made them who they are.”

In response to questions via email, Terminal Reality president and chief technology officer Mark Randel explained that it took about a year to Terminal Velocity: Boosted Edition to life. The re-release doesn’t come with updated multiplayer features, but it allowed them to incorporate something that was never possible in the original version or the 20th anniversary re-release of the game.

“Most people didn’t know this, but you could press the BACKSPACE key and see full information about your mission in a floating overlay at the bottom of the screen,” Randel said via email. “For the 20th Anniversary Edition, we added space for it in the HUD, but we couldn’t fill it because some mobile screens might cut it off. Twenty-seven years later, we finally got it up and running, and we’re still showing it. So it only took 27 years to complete this feature for the game.”

The draw distance in the game has also been improved Enhanced Edition — this was updated for the game’s 20th anniversary, but the developers explained that they took the time to significantly improve “rendering accuracy” for the upcoming re-release.

Final speed was one of the exceptional hits of the 3D Realms publisher, which was founded in 1994 as an offshoot of the legendary shareware publisher Apogee. 3D Realms was tasked with exclusively focusing on publishing and co-developing 3D titles, including several hits like Shadow Warrior, Duke Nukem 3D, Rise of the Triad, Wacky Wheels, Death Rally, and the first two Max Payne games. (3D Realms also worked on the original version PowerSlavebut the publisher dropped the Egyptian-themed shooter halfway through development.)

If the name Ziggurat sounds familiar, that’s because it’s the same publisher that also breathed new life into the Australian RTS classic Kill Krush n’ Destroy A few years ago. At that time, Zikkurat said KKnDThe revival was part of a “complete re-introduction of this great franchise” and this strategy appears to have been applied to Final speed also. Ziggurat has previously worked with the Terminal Reality team on reboots BloodRayne games and with a little luck, success can lead to ka Terminal speed 2.

“We would like to make a full sequel to the game using the latest technology, please buy lots of copies Terminal Velocity: Boosted Edition so we can fund it,” Randel said.

Would the gaming environment in 2023 support a hyperfluid arcade flight shooter? Final speed? With the success of recent titles like Project Wingman and a latent love for titles like Rogue SquadronI quietly hope so. Terminal Velocity: Boosted Edition launches on PC via Steam on March 14th (or March 15th Australian time), with an unspecified launch later this year on all major consoles.