Overview
Set in the "near future" of 1997, the brilliant but completely deranged Dr. Proton has decided to take over the world with his army of Techbots. When the CIA fails to stop him, they reluctantly call in Duke Nukem, a macho, TV-watching, self-proclaimed hero who agrees to save the world mostly just so he can get back to his soap operas.
Duke fights his way through the devastated, roboticized streets of Los Angeles in Episode 1, chases Dr. Proton to his secret Moon base in Episode 2, and finally travels through time to confront him in the future in Episode 3. Players must navigate massive, maze-like levels, collect colored keycards, and blast through walls using Duke's atomic blaster.
Visual Archive
Behind The Scenes
A Highly Interactive Environment
Before Duke Nukem 3D revolutionized the first-person shooter, the original 2D Duke Nukem platformer stood out for its incredible level of environmental interactivity. Players could shoot crates to find items, blast turkey from the oven for health, or even shoot cans of soda to regenerate hit points. It also featured breakable walls and security cameras that could be destroyed for bonus points, creating a deeply tactile feeling that most platformers of the era lacked.
The "Nukum" Naming Controversy
Shortly after the game's initial release, Apogee discovered that the villain in the animated TV show Captain Planet and the Planeteers was also named "Duke Nukem." Terrified of a massive copyright lawsuit from Turner Broadcasting, Apogee quickly released a patch that changed the title screen and the hero's name to Duke Nukum for the 2.0 release. It was only later, when they discovered the TV show hadn't actually trademarked the name, that they proudly restored the original "Nukem" spelling for the sequel.