Fantasy Zone

Last updated

Fantasy Zone
Fantasy zone arcadeflyer.PNG
Japanese flyer
Developer(s) Sega
Publisher(s)
Designer(s) Yoji Ishii
Programmer(s) Shuichi Katagi
Artist(s) Masaki Kondo
Composer(s) Hiroshi Kawaguchi
SeriesFantasy Zone
Platform(s) Arcade, Master System, Nintendo Entertainment System, MSX, PC Engine, Game Gear, X68000, Saturn, Mobile phone, Nintendo Switch, Sega Genesis Mini 2
Release
Genre(s) Scrolling shooter
Mode(s) Single-player
Arcade system Sega System 16A

Fantasy Zone [lower-alpha 1] is a 1986 arcade video game by Sega, and the first game in the Fantasy Zone series. It was later ported to a wide variety of consoles, including the Master System. The player controls a sentient spaceship named Opa-Opa who fights an enemy invasion in the titular group of planets. The game contains a number of features atypical of the traditional scrolling shooter. The main character, Opa-Opa, is sometimes referred to as Sega's first mascot character. [2]

Contents

The game design and main character have many similarities to the earlier TwinBee , and both are credited with establishing the cute 'em up subgenre. [3] It also popularized the concept of a boss rush, a stage where the player faces multiple previous bosses again in succession. [4] Numerous sequels were made over the years.

Gameplay

Arcade screenshot Fantasy-Zone-Screenshot.png
Arcade screenshot

In the game, the player's ship is placed in a level with a number of bases to destroy. When all the bases are gone, the stage boss appears, who must be defeated in order to move on to the next stage. There are eight stages, and in all of them, except the final one, the scrolling camera is not fixed; the player can move either left or right, although the stage loops. The final level consists of a rematch against all of the previous bosses in succession before facing the final boss.

Opa-Opa uses two different attacks: the standard weapon (initially bullets) and bombs. He can also move down to land on the ground by sprouting feet and walking around until he flies again.

It is possible to upgrade Opa-Opa's weapons, get bombs and flying engine to increase speed, and get extra lives. To do these, the player must get money by defeating enemies, bases or bosses, and access a shop by touching a marked balloon. Prices rise with each purchase. When the player chooses to exit or the time runs up, another screen appears to equip these upgrades; only one engine, weapon and bomb can be equipped at a time.

Some of the purchasable weapons have a time limit that starts as soon as the shop is left. Some of the bombs can be used at any moment, but are limited in quantity.Engine upgrades are permanent. The powerups can also be reassigned by reentering the shop or touch a balloon with the word "Select" written on it. If the player loses a life, all of the upgrades are lost.

Versions

Fantasy Zone arcade board Fantasyzonepcb.jpg
Fantasy Zone arcade board

Fantasy Zone was ported to the Master System, MSX, Nintendo Entertainment System, X68000, and PC Engine —all with similar gameplay. For example, the Master System version lacks some features such as the radar that indicates the location of the bases or a gauge that indicates energy level, and two of the bosses were replaced by alternate bosses.

Two different versions were released for the Famicom and NES. The Japanese version was released in 1987, developed and published by Sunsoft. The American version was released in 1989, developed by Pixel and published unlicensed by Tengen. In 1997, Fantasy Zone was released in the Sega Ages series in Japan for the Sega Saturn.

Fantasy Zone was re-released as an enhanced remake for the PlayStation 2, again in the Sega Ages series. Although similar in appearance to the arcade version (even incorporating the original arcade sounds), this version uses polygons instead of sprites and adds some stages, including bonus levels with the viewpoint behind Opa-Opa as he tries to collect coins from any boss that was defeated at the moment; this game mode is very similar to Space Harrier , or the unreleased Space Fantasy Zone. This version was released in North America and Europe as part of the Sega Classics Collection .

Fantasy Zone was released for mobile phones in 2002 in Japan and in August 2003 in the United States. Due to hardware limitations, this version was divided in three different parts. The Master System version was re-released in Japan for the Virtual Console on March 11, 2008, for Europe and Australia on April 11, and in North America on April 14. [5]

On September 18, the final Sega Ages disc was devoted to the series, Fantasy Zone Complete Collection. Instead of a 3D remake, it compiles all of the games in the series, including spin-offs, all of Sega's own versions, and a remake of Fantasy Zone II for System 16 hardware.

The original arcade version is unlockable in Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection . A 3D port of the game was released on March 19, 2014 for the Nintendo 3DS titled 3D Fantasy Zone: Opa-Opa Bros. New features of the 3DS port involve stereoscopic 3D visuals, adjustable difficulty settings, the ability to save the game, the ability to switch to the Japanese versions and US versions of the game, a Stage Select feature, and a new mode which involves the player playing as Upa-Upa, Opa-Opa's brother. The two replacement bosses from the Master System release can be unveiled, each replacing the standard boss.

The arcade version is a minigame in several entries in the Yakuza series, beginning with Yakuza 0 . [6] It is identical to the original arcade release, except the addition of a rapid fire button.

A Sega Genesis port of the game was developed for the Sega Genesis Mini 2, the successor to the Sega Genesis Mini microconsole, which was released on October 27, 2022. The port added a Super Easy mode. [7]

Reception

Fantasy Zone was very successful in Japanese arcades, helping to give rise to the popular System 16 arcade board. In April 1986, it was the second top-grossing table arcade cabinet of the month in Japan. [8] It was the top-grossing arcade game in Japan from July–August 1986. [9]

The Sega Master System version was reviewed in 1988 in Dragon , given 4 out of 5 stars. [10] In 1988, it got four categories of 9/10 each from Computer and Video Games , calling it "a beaut of a game [where] I-want-to-eat-this-cartridge scrolling backdrop and aliens float in from all sides spitting death at you". [11] In 1989, Computer and Video Games rated the PC Engine version 88% and the Master System version 87%, considering the PC Engine version to be better than the Master System version but not as commercially successful. [12] Console XS reviewed the Master System version in 1992, giving it a 91% score. [13]

It was reviewed by Génération 4, [14] Sega Power , [15] Happy Computer, [16] and Tilt in 1987 [17] and 1990. [18]

Sequels

Notes

  1. ↑ Japanese: ファンタジーゾーン, Hepburn: Fantajī Zōn

Related Research Articles

<i>Zero Wing</i> 1989 arcade video game

Zero Wing is a 1989 side-scrolling shooter arcade video game developed by Toaplan and originally published in Japan by Namco and in North America by Williams Electronics. Controlling the ZIG space fighter craft, players assume the role of protagonist Trent in a last-ditch effort to overthrow the alien cyborg CATS. It was the eighth shoot 'em up game from Toaplan, and their fourteenth video game overall.

<i>Ghouls n Ghosts</i> 1988 Video game

Ghouls 'n Ghosts, known as Dai Makaimura in Japan, is a side-scrolling platform game developed by Capcom, released as an arcade video game in 1988 and ported to home platforms. It is the sequel to Ghosts 'n Goblins and the second game in the Ghosts 'n Goblins series.

<i>Columns</i> (video game) 1989 video game

Columns is a match-three puzzle video game released by Jay Geertsen in 1989. Designed for the Motorola 68000-based HP 9000 running HP-UX, it was ported to Mac and MS-DOS before being released commercially by Sega who ported it to arcades and then to several Sega consoles. The game was subsequently ported to other home computers, including the Atari ST.

<i>Shinobi</i> (1987 video game) 1987 video game

Shinobi (忍) is a side-scrolling hack and slash video game produced by Sega, originally released for arcades on the Sega System 16 board in 1987. The player controls ninja Joe Musashi, to stop the Zeed terrorist organization from kidnapping students of his clan.

<i>After Burner</i> 1987 video game

After Burner is a rail shooter arcade video game developed and released by Sega in 1987. The player controls an American F-14 Tomcat fighter jet and must clear each of the game's eighteen unique stages by destroying incoming enemies. The plane is equipped with a machine gun and a limited supply of heat-seeking missiles. The game uses a third-person perspective, as in Sega's earlier Space Harrier (1985) and Out Run (1986). It runs on the Sega X Board arcade system which is capable of surface and sprite rotation. It is the fourth Sega game to use a hydraulic "taikan" motion simulator arcade cabinet, one that is more elaborate than their earlier "taikan" simulator games. The cabinet simulates an aircraft cockpit, with flight stick controls, a chair with seatbelt, and hydraulic motion technology that moves, tilts, rolls and rotates the cockpit in sync with the on-screen action.

<i>Altered Beast</i> 1988 video game

Altered Beast is a 1988 beat 'em up arcade video game developed and published by Sega. The game is set in Ancient Greece and follows a player character chosen by Zeus to rescue his daughter Athena from the demonic ruler of the underworld, Neff. By collecting three power-ups in a level, the player character transforms into one of five magical beasts. It was ported to several home video game consoles and home computers. Altered Beast was the pack-in game when the Genesis launched in North America and the Mega Drive in Europe.

<i>Space Harrier</i> 1985 video game

Space Harrier is a third-person arcade rail shooter game developed by Sega and released in 1985. It was originally conceived as a realistic military-themed game played in the third-person perspective and featuring a player-controlled fighter jet, but technical and memory restrictions resulted in Sega developer Yu Suzuki redesigning it around a jet-propelled human character in a fantasy setting. The arcade game is controlled by an analog flight stick while the deluxe arcade cabinet is a cockpit-style linear actuator motion simulator cabinet that pitches and rolls during play, for which it is referred as a taikan (体感) or "body sensation" arcade game in Japan.

<i>Golden Axe</i> (video game) 1989 arcade game

Golden Axe is a 1989 hack and slash game developed and published by Sega for arcades, running on the Sega System 16B arcade hardware. Makoto Uchida was the lead designer of the game, and was also responsible for the creation of the previous year's Altered Beast. The game casts players as one of three warriors who must free the fantastical land of Yuria from the tyrannical rule of Death Adder, who wields the titular Golden Axe.

<i>Super Hang-On</i> 1987 video game

Super Hang-On is a motorcycle racing arcade video game released by Sega as the sequel to Hang-On. It uses a simulated motorcycle arcade cabinet, like the original game. An updated version was released in arcades 1991 as Limited Edition Hang-On.

<i>Bonanza Bros.</i> 1990 video game

Bonanza Bros. is a 3D-style, 2D side-scrolling stealth action game developed and released by Sega in 1990. It is one of the earliest arcade games powered by the Sega System 24 arcade system board. It was ported to various home systems, including the Mega Drive/Genesis, Master System, PC-Engine/TurboGrafx-CD, and several home computers.

<i>Alien Storm</i> 1990 video game

Alien Storm (エイリアンストーム) is a beat 'em up shooter released as an arcade video game by Sega in 1990. It was ported to the Genesis/Mega Drive and Master System. The Mega Drive version was re-released on Wii's Virtual Console in 2007 and was also included on Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The game was also re-released on the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack in 2022.

<i>Gain Ground</i> 1988 video game

Gain Ground is an action game with strategy elements released as an arcade video game by Sega in 1988. It was ported to the Master System, Mega Drive/Genesis, and TurboGrafx-CD.

<i>Forgotten Worlds</i> 1988 video game

Forgotten Worlds, titled Lost Worlds in Japan, is a side-scrolling shooter video game by Capcom, originally released as a coin-operated arcade game in 1988. It is notable for being the first title released by Capcom for their CP System arcade game hardware.

<i>Super Fantasy Zone</i> 1993 shoot em up video game

Super Fantasy Zone is a scrolling shooter video game developed and published by Sunsoft for the Mega Drive. Part of Sega's Fantasy Zone series, it was released only in Japan and Europe. Players control the character Opa-Opa on his quest to defeat Dark Menon, and the game plays similarly to previous Fantasy Zone entries. The game plays similarly to Defender, where the screen scrolls in the direction that Opa-Opa is going. The player shoots at enemies to defeat them, collecting gold coins that are used to purchase temporary upgrades that improve Opa-Opa's offensive capabilities and speed, among other things.

<i>Super Thunder Blade</i> 1988 video game

Super Thunder Blade (スーパーサンダーブレード) is a combat flight simulation shooter game developed and published by Sega for the Mega Drive/Genesis console. It was one of the two launch titles for the console in Japan, as well as being one of the six launch titles for the console for its U.S. launch. It is a follow-up to the 1987 arcade game Thunder Blade.

<i>Hellfire</i> (video game) 1989 video game

Hellfire is a 1989 horizontally scrolling shooter arcade video game originally developed by Toaplan and published in Japan by Taito and North America by U.S.A. Games. The first horizontal shoot 'em up title to be created by Toaplan, the game takes place in the year 2998 where a space matter known as Black Nebula created by robot dictator Super Mech spreads and threatens to engulf human-controlled galaxies, as players assume the role of Space Federation member Captain Lancer taking control of the CNCS1 space fighter craft in a surprise attack to overthrow the enemies with the fighter craft's titular weapon.

<i>Wardner</i> (video game) 1987 video game

Wardner is a side-scrolling platform game developed by Toaplan and published in arcades worldwide by Taito in 1987.

<i>Devils Crush</i> 1990 video game

Devil's Crush is a pinball video game developed by Compile for the TurboGrafx-16 and released in 1990. The second installment in the Crush Pinball series after Alien Crush, the game has an eerie occult theme with skulls, skeletons, and demons. It was later followed by Jaki Crush and Alien Crush Returns.

<i>Fantasy Zone II: The Tears of Opa-Opa</i> 1987 Video game

Fantasy Zone II: The Tears of Opa-Opa is a horizontally scrolling shooter for the Master System published by Sega in 1987. It was ported to the arcade, Famicom, and MSX2, and was remade for the System 16 hardware on a PlayStation 2 compilation in 2008. It was re-released on the Wii Virtual Console in North America on June 29, 2009. Like the first Fantasy Zone, the player controls a sentient spaceship named Opa-opa who fights surreal invader enemies. Like its predecessor, Fantasy Zone II departs from scrolling shooter themes with its bright colors and whimsical designs. For this reason, it is occasionally dubbed a "cute 'em up".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M2 (game developer)</span> Video game developer

M2 Co., Ltd. is a Japanese video game developer and publisher, best known for handling emulation of re-released games, such as some Sega Ages titles, Virtual Console titles for Nintendo systems, the 3D Classics series for the Nintendo 3DS and their ShotTriggers range of classic STG games. M2 has also created entirely new titles such as WiiWare games for Konami under the ReBirth moniker and more recently a new GG Aleste game. In addition, M2 currently holds the rights of Aleste series and all NEC Avenue and NEC Interchannel games on TurboGrafx-16 and variants, previously owned by Lightweight.

References

  1. ↑ "1986年セガ業務用ゲーム全リスト" [Complete list of Sega arcade games from 1986](PDF). Mega Drive Fan (in Japanese). 1992. p. 83. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
  2. ↑ Plunkett, Luke (April 6, 2011). "Remembering Sega's Exiled Mascot" . Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Fantasy Zone – Hardcore Gaming 101".
  4. ↑ "Fantasy Zone – 2014 Developer Interview". Shooting Gameside. Vol. 10. September 26, 2014. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Fantasy Zone and Mega Turrican Now Available on Wii Shop Channel!". Nintendo of America. April 14, 2008. Archived from the original on June 13, 2013. Retrieved April 14, 2008.
  6. ↑ Brown, Peter (January 19, 2017). "Yakuza 0 Review" . Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Sega has announced a Mega Drive Mini 2, including Mega CD games". June 3, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 282. Amusement Press, Inc. April 15, 1986. p. 21.
  9. ↑ "ゲーム人気度ベスト10" [Best 10 Popular Games]. Gamest (in Japanese). Vol. 3 (September 1986). August 18, 1986. p. 73.
  10. ↑ Lesser, Hartley; Lesser, Patricia; Lesser, Kirk (August 1988). "The Role of Computers: FantasyZone" (PDF). Dragon. No. 136. pp. 76–81.
  11. ↑ "Fantasy Zone review". Computer and Video Games . No. 79. May 1988. p. 123 – via Amiga Magazine Rack.
  12. ↑ "Complete Games Guide" (PDF). Computer and Video Games . No. Complete Guide to Consoles. October 16, 1989. pp. 46–77.
  13. ↑ "Software A-Z: Master System". Console XS . No. 1 (June/July 1992). United Kingdom: Paragon Publishing. April 23, 1992. pp. 137–47.
  14. ↑ "Le site des anciennes revues informatiques - www.abandonware-magazines.org". Génération 4. 1987. Retrieved March 22, 2022– via abandonware-magazines.org.
  15. ↑ "Fantasy Zone" (PDF). Sega Power . December 1993. p. 130.
  16. ↑ "Happy Computer". Happy Computer. November 1986 – via Kultboy.com.
  17. ↑ "Tilt". Tilt . December 1987. pp. 100–101.
  18. ↑ "Tilt". Tilt . March 1990 – via abandonware-magazines.org.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.