There've been enough rereleases, remasters, remakes, and refurbishments of classic games - somebody has finally been brave enough to start bringing back the bad games, too.
The Fortress of Dr. Radiaki is now available through Zoom Platform, a DRM-free PC gaming storefront similar to CD Projekt's GOG. For $5.99 USD, you can get a digital version of the game that'll run on a modern machine and comes complete with "extras" including a full manual scan and promotional items like insert paperwork and a magazine ad.
Now you might be wondering just what the hell The Fortress of Dr. Radiaki actually is. The game hails from an era - that is, 1994 - when FPS games were still called "Doom clones". But a true Doom clone would have things like varied enemies, weapons that feel distinct from each other, and level design that includes concepts such as 'up' and 'down'. These are features that Dr. Radiaki does not have. But it does include a completely incomprehensible perspective simulation that subtly warps levels as you play, so there's that.
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Unlike a lot of very bad games, The Fortress of Dr. Radiaki isn't even particularly infamous. It's not the subject of a billion retro gaming videos on YouTube - there's really just one notable breakdown, from Civvie 11 - and it's not spoken of in hushed tones on discussion forums the way, say, Superman 64 or Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing are.
Instead, Dr. Radiaki is notable precisely for how not notable it is. After nearly 30 years, somebody cared enough about a forgotten DOS game with effectively no historical significance to track down its license holders and get it released on a modern storefront. I can't help but love the initiative.
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