Developer: ZPF Team Publisher: Mega Cat Studios Release: 04/16/26 Genre: Shooter
Even now, thirty years after its discontinuation the Genesis shooter library continues to amaze. There is no shortage of shooters on the platform; it has one of the richest libraries of any system in that regard. But new homebrew efforts continue to this day and the results using modern development tools are nothing short of amazing. ZPF is a modern indie shoot-’em-up built for classic hardware, developed by Mega Cat Studios. Unlike most retro-style games, this one actually runs on the real Genesis, and it’s immediately clear that it’s aiming to be more than a novelty. The result is a polished, challenging, and visually striking shmup that feels right at home on the system while also pushing it further than most originals ever did.
An unknown menace terrorizes three worlds, fantasy, alien, and the future. To combat this threat heroes from each world band together in their respective ships to combat this threat and save their respective homes. But who is this menace? This mystery and many more awaits……
The closest comparison to ZPF is Lords of Thunder as the mechanics and gameplay are similar. ZPF has three playable ships, each with unique primary weapons and melee attack. In addition you can switch ships for every level. The Knight has rapid fire Vulcan blades that fire in a straight line. Its melee attack throws daggers a medium distance and are the strongest. The Gladius looks like a ship straight out of R-Type. Its weapons sacrifice power for coverage. This ship has a spread gun and a liquid metal shield. The gold ship is probably the most versatile. Both of its weapons, the slicer beam and plasma hammer, are powerful and cover a decent spread. You also have bombs that are massively overpowered but I will get to that.
There are no power-ups in the traditional sense. All ships have their weapons from the start. As you kill enemies you earn credits to spend in the shop between levels. Here the game resembles Forgotten Worlds as you can increase the power of your weapons, buy extra lives, continues, score multipliers and even hints about the next stage. You can even pay to reduce the density of enemy bullets! The game is generous with its credits so you can easily purchase everything you want in each level with a moderate level of skill.
The level design in ZPF is straightforward. There are no branching paths, walls, or other elements that make stages interesting. Instead the game relies on spectacle and action to hold your attention. The game has modern design sensibilities and avoids some of the cheap design pitfalls of older shooters. Waves are measured and provide plenty of opportunity to use both of your weapons. Because you are visiting so many varied enemy variety is high. The pacing is good but I do feel the straightforwardness holds the game back. The best shooters employ creative level design, with traps and use of the environment to spice up gameplay. The numerous transitions in each level seem to point to maybe this was planned but not implemented. As is they are jarring and feel pointless. Regardless though the juxtaposition between melee and long range gameplay is good enough to carry the game.
ZPF offers replay value with multiple endings. There are a number of factors that affect the ending you will receive. These include the ship used, the route taken through the game (the first three levels can be completed in any order) and the highest, score. Points play such a big part in the game you can buy multipliers and trade your credits to also boost your score. As well to see the true ending you must collect hidden keys in every level. Now to be fair, the endings are not the greatest. But any excuse to wrangle more value out of a great game should be celebrated.
Unlike most games in the genre ZPF strikes a nice balance between old-school design and modern sensibilities; it is challenging, but rarely unfair. It rewards practice and pattern recognition, much like genre classics. Enemy patterns get complex quickly but the game provides tools to manage it. Because you earn so many credits you can easily buy extra lives and continues to stay in the game. As well, if you find dodging bullets too hard you can reduce their number significantly. It does not make the game a cake walk but makes it manageable for novices. The only pain point would be the game’s color choices. While the backgrounds are fantastical bullets frequently blend into them leading to far too many cheap deaths. It happens often enough that it is a knock against the game unfortunately.
On a technical level ZPF is phenomenal. The extremely detailed pixel art pushes the Genesis hardware to its limit and the game looks like a Neo Geo title. Nearly every hardware trick common on the Genesis is present, from segmented sprites and line scrolling to multiple layers of parallax scrolling. The game throws around tons of sprites and explosions with only a slight hint of slowdown. The art direction is amazing as you visit varied worlds with creative enemy and boss designs. ZPF is not quite the spectacle that Earthion is but comes close.
In Closing
ZPF is a fantastic modern Genesis shooter that feels both authentic and refined. It captures the spirit of classic shmups while smoothing out some of their rough edges. A few small design issues keep it from the upper echelon of the genre on the Genesis but overall ZPF is an excellent example of how far you can push the system and is worth your time.
