We’ve been following the release of ZPF closely and are excited to see that the Genesis title is now out on modern platforms. The game started as a Genesis exclusive that smashed its crowdfunding goal and has been a big success for publisher Mega Cat Studios and developer ZPF Team. Before we get into our thoughts on the Switch port, it’s worth mentioning that ZPF is still available to buy as a Genesis cart direct from Mega Cat Studios, as well as now being available on Steam, Switch, and Xbox.
Right, with all the details out of the way, how does this 16-bit shooter play on the Switch? We’ve played the game on a Genesis and feel that while this would be our preferred way to play it, mostly due to the controller and the ability to play on a CRT TV, this emulated version holds up fine. That said, the console port does have some slight lag, which, in all honesty, is barely noticeable, and will only really erk veteran shmup players, or those that primarily play on real hardware.
There are, of course, extra borders added to this version as the original game has been made in the traditional 4:3 ratio, but everything seems to be as it should without any stretching. There have been no modern features added, such as save states, rewinds, online leaderboards, or cheat menus. For us, that is a very good thing, but younger players, or those used to quality-of-life features, may feel this detracts. Old school gamers will love that you have to just finish the whole game on one credit and earn those high scores again each time they play.
ZPF on consoles is basically just the Genesis game squeezed into a decent emulator. The six main levels are backed up with a few secrets that we won’t spoil here, and you can choose from three levels to start with, as well as three different characters to choose from. The whole game is a vibrantly colored, neo-fantasy set, horizontal shooter that has one hit kills, a money system, and end of level bosses. At the end of each level you can buy some extra things with the collected money from downed ships, such as extra lives and more fire power.
Controlling your character in ZPF is very easy, you move around the screen in eight directions and have a melee weapon as well as a standard shot. There are limited bombs to use, which are best saved for bosses, but can help clear the screen when in a tough spot. Most of the enemies are what you would expect from this type of game but there is a lot of variety with each level having a different set of enemies to destroy. It’s also quite challenging given the limited lives, although you can buy continues in the shop if you save enough money.
The graphics are great and capture the magic of the 90s very well. Some may argue the color pallete is a little garish in places, but we just feel it uses the Genesis to the max. ZPF is a staright up shooter that doesn’t try to reinvent anything, it just has great graphics, great music, and a decent challenge. It does play a little better on the actual Genesis but anyone who just wants a quick arcade blast on a modern console won’t be disappointed.
