Interactive environments

Lore & Background

The game is set on Earth 'sometime in the early 21st century'. Duke returns to Earth after the events of Duke Nukem II, but his ship is shot down over Los Angeles. He learns that aliens are attacking and have mutated the LAPD. Duke fights through Los Angeles, space stations, and the Moon, eventually killing the Cycloid Emperor. The Atomic Edition adds an episode where Duke kills the Alien Queen. The 20th Anniversary World Tour adds an episode where Duke defeats the Cycloid Incinerator.

In Their Own Story

Duke shoulders through the sticky door of a dive bar, the neon sign buzzing like a trapped fly. He boots a stool; it spins, wobbles, and crashes into a table, sending a half-empty beer mug skittering. A drunk grumbles, but Duke's already at the jukebox, planting a fist into its glass face. The machine groans, coughs out a CD, and Duke snatches it mid-air. He leans over the bar, taps a highball glass until the bartender's knuckles whiten, then flashes a grin. Before the guy can spit a retort, Duke strides to the restroom, flips the lid on a urinal, and flushes—a roaring gurgle that cuts through the noise as he saunters out, leaving a trail of toppled furniture and bewildered patrons.

Reader's Guide

As a first-person shooter, gameplay involves moving through levels from Duke's point of view, shooting enemies. Environments are highly destructible and interactive; most props can be destroyed. Levels are non-linear, with air ducts, back doors, and sewers. Duke's arsenal includes the Mighty Foot, pistol, shotgun, chain gun, RPG, pipe bombs, freezethrower, shrink ray, laser land mines, and Devastator. The Atomic Edition adds an Expander. The 20th Anniversary World Tour adds an Incinerator. Items include medkit, steroids, night vision goggles, HoloDuke, protective boots, aqua-lung, and jet pack.

Did You Know?

• The shareware version was released on January 29, 1996, and the full version on April 19, 1996.
• The Plutonium PAK expansion was released on October 21, 1996, adding a fourth episode.
• The Atomic Edition, a standalone version with the Plutonium PAK content, was released on December 11, 1996.
• A fifth episode was released on October 11, 2016, with 20th Anniversary World Tour published by Gearbox Software.
• The game was developed on a budget of roughly $300,000 by a team of 8 people, increasing to 12 or 13 near the end.