3D Realms, the video game company who was known for the games "Duke Nukem 3D," "Prey" and "Max Payne," launched the Steam Early Access of their new, retro first-person shooter (FPS) game "Ion Maiden" on Feb. 28. 

Frederik Schreiber, the vice president at 3D Realms, announced the Early Access release of the game. Schreiber said that the new game is built on the Build Engine which was used to power 1990s games "Duke Nukem 3D," "Blood" and "Shadow Warrior" — he said that "Ion Maiden" is the first official 3D Realms intellectual property (IP) to launch as a Build Engine FPS game since "Shadow Warrior." He said that they had spent time tinkering with the Engine to take advantage of new technology and techniques. Schreiber told 1990s game fans that they made certain advancements to the Engine which will allow it to run bigger levels, hundreds of new colors and morphing maps that transform mid-level.

According to the Steam page of the game, players take on the role of Shelly "Bombshell" Harrison, who is a bomb disposal expert, for the Global Defense Force. Shelly will move from defusing bombs to actually utilizing and exploding them when transhumanist cult mastermind Dr. Jadus Heskel released a cybernetic army on Neo DC. Shelly's quest to defeat Dr. Heskel's army will not be complete without weapons — players can choose from her signature revolver named Loverboy, shotguns, grenades and bombs. The key features of the game include seven zones for Shelly to explore, '90s FPS action combined with modern additions such as physics and checkpoints, classic level design with multiple paths, cool effects and complicated set pieces, early access to development tools and modding on Steam Workshop and an upcoming multiplayer mode.

The Steam Early Access for "Ion Maiden" retails at $19.99. The game is currently on sale at 10% off until March 8.