In Search of Dr. Riptide

1994, Sound Blaster blaring pseudo-metal, and I'm diving into the sea in what looks like a cross between an arcade game and a shareware fever dream. In Search of Dr. Riptide from MindStorm Software wasn't the kind of title making magazine covers back then — but it had its place on the floppy disk circulating through the classroom.

You play as Nick Nautilus, some kind of underwater agent whose mission is as straightforward as a torpedo: find and destroy the secret lab of one Dr. Riptide, a scientist seemingly determined to prove that science and common sense don't have to go hand in hand. The whole thing has the vibe of a B-movie action flick from the video rental store — don't expect worldbuilding or a sophisticated plot, don't expect anything that goes beyond an excuse to shoot things.

The core of the game is a top-down action shooter set beneath the waves. You control a submarine or a diver — depending on the situation — and blast your way through waves of enemies across various underwater locations. The mechanics are simple, sometimes brutally so: shoot, dodge, collect, move on. Difficulty spikes unpredictably, which back then was either intentional or a lack of testing. I'm betting on the latter. Still, the game has a certain rhythm that keeps you at the monitor for at least an afternoon.

What I remember most about the game is its visual style — underwater environments were still pretty fresh on PC in 1994, and MindStorm leveraged that for graphics that weren't cutting-edge, but had character. The EGA or VGA palette brought enough blue-green to make you believe you were actually underwater. Sound-wise, it was standard for the era: FM synthesis, explosions from a single channel, music that stops bothering you after ten minutes. Today the game has aged exactly as you'd expect from a sixth-tier shareware title from the mid-nineties — with care, but without mercy.

Who would In Search of Dr. Riptide appeal to today? Collectors of the DOS shareware scene and anyone who wants to be reminded what an average action title of that era looked like — no frills, no nostalgia from the big names, but an honest piece of period atmosphere. You can play it in your browser through DOSBox in a few hours, and that's exactly the right length. Some things shouldn't last longer than they deserve to.