2003 · Port · Sega Corporation · Shooter

Fantasy Zone

Port

The mobile version of Fantasy Zone is a release of the arcade game Fantasy Zone adapted to J2ME-compatible mobile devices.

Released: 31 December 2003
Platforms: Game Gear Legacy Mobile Device MSX Master System NES TurboGrafx-16
Genres: Shooter
Developers: Sega Corporation
Publishers: Sega Corporation
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: Side view
Themes: Action Fantasy
Engine: J2ME

About

Fantasy Zone is a 1986 horizontally scrolling shooter video game developed and published by Sega for arcades. It is the first game in the Fantasy Zone series, and was later ported to several home consoles, including Sega's 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.

The game's design and main character have similarities to Konami's TwinBee, and both games are credited with establishing the cute 'em up subgenre. Fantasy Zone also popularized the concept of a boss rush, a stage where the player faces multiple previous bosses again in succession. The game was followed by several sequels, beginning with Fantasy Zone II: The Tears of Opa-Opa in 1987.

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

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.

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. It was the top-grossing arcade game in Japan from July–August 1986.

The Sega Master System version was reviewed in 1988 in Dragon, given 4 out of 5 stars. 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". 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. Console XS reviewed the Master System version in 1992, giving it a 91% score.