GamesThird Person ShooterMy eyes can barely process this all-new Sega Genesis game, but this 1,100% Kickstarter-funded shoot ‘em up proves the 36-year-old console was ahead of its timeWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesThird Person ShooterMy eyes can barely process this all-new Sega Genesis game, but this 1,100% Kickstarter-funded shoot ‘em up proves the 36-year-old console was ahead of its timeWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Mega Cat Studios)
ZPF, from the undisputed king of the modern retro game, Mega Cat Studios, is precisely what you’d expect from a game that builds on pretty much every classic shoot ‘em up of the 16-bit era – from Forgotten Worlds to Shadow of the Beast and everything in-between. It’s frenetic, sometimes overwhelmingly so, but there’s an order to the chaos as you slowly learn to navigate just enough to survive a little longer than you did your last run.
The scoring system, which grants points based on enemies killed and the varying worth of items you collect, makes stepping away even harder. Watching your three-digit handle climb the scoreboard as you wipe beads of sweat from your brow will never not be satisfying. But before you get that satisfaction here, you’ll need to learn to maneuver througha lotof enemy fire of varying shapes and sizes while making time to collect power-ups and line up your shots to ensure you aren’t just wasting metal.
In the demo I played, I whirled across the screen as three different characters: a knight that fires off a thick blast of blades straight in front of him, a ship called Gladius that uses a scattershot type weapon, and another ship called Gold that utilized a “slicer beam” to, well, slice and dice enemies in a straight line. All three characters also have their own unique melee abilities and a bomb that neutralizes everything on screen.
(Image credit: Mega Cat Studios)
Speaking of everything on screen, there’s a variety of different biomechanical aliens firing at you from all over the place, and then there’s the power ups that whirl past you. What really surprised me on a technical level is just how profoundly detail-rich the environments are. Frankly, from prismatic light beams to giant mushrooms and turtles to Banyan trees, it’s what I imagine an Ayahuasca trip would look like, and it can be just a hair overstimulating at times.
In the case of ZPF,Segareallydoesdo what Nintendon’t, at least when we’re talking about 16-bit consoles. It also does what the Sega Genesis didn’t do until just now: it looks and plays like an indie game released in 2024, except it’s on a cart that you actually stick into your old Sega Genesis or Mega Drive without any mods or hardware upgrades.
Granted, it’s designed to be reminiscent of games from the early 1990s, but simply put, it’s more colorful, more detailed, and smoother than its progenitors, even on the late ’80s-era CRT screen I was wired into. Conversely, I think the enemies and bullets could use a little more contrast against the environments, as at times it can be hard to distinguish between the two, but otherwise it’s a visual feast.
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The multi-layered backgrounds and parallax scrolling are impressive, and it makes awesome use of the hardware’s color palette. The sheer amount of stuff happening on-screen without any performance dips is a sign the developers are working within the very limits of the 35-year-old console’s power.
One more try
(Image credit: Mega Cat Studios)
Speaking of which, you can count on that full release to arrive with a ton of additional features that were only stretch goals when the Kickstarter first launched. I stumbled upon Mega Cat’s crowdfunding campaign a few weeks ago, close to when it started, and it had managed to fully reach its funding goal in 19 minutes. When I first wrote about ZPF less than four weeks ago, it was approaching five times its initial funding goal at $71,000, and now, at the time of writing, it’s at $171,000. If that isn’t evidence enough that the world needs ZPF right now, I don’t know what is.
I have a lot of confidence in ZPF’s potential to live up the substantial amount of hype it’s generated in its short funding and marketing campaign, just so long as those expectations are for a faithful tribute to the glory days of 16-bit shoot ‘em ups with enough technical innovation to strongly compete for the title of best-looking Sega Genesis game. It’ll strain your eyes and your thumbs, and you’ll curse yourself for thinking “one more try” yet again, but if you have any sort of fondness for the shoot ‘em up genre, it’ll also fill you with delight.
It’s never a bad time to peruse our list of thebest retro consolesavailable now.
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GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2
Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
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Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2
Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3
Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams’ disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5
Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1
Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2
Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3
Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”