Zanac

Developer: Compile     Publisher: FCI     Released: 1987     Genre: Shooter     Platform: NES

Gradius was the game that made me appreciate the shooter genre.  I had played many a shooter on the Atari 2600, some that I really loved like Demon Attack and Atlantis Attack.  But the mechanics and theme of Konami’s classic took it to the next level.  If Gradius made me like the genre than Zanac made me love it.  This was my introduction to the Compile universe and I would continually return to it every time.  Even though Zanac came early in the NES’ life I still feel it is one of its better shooters.

Unlike most shooters Zanac has an elaborate story that adds some context to the heavy opposition you face.  The System was a device created by an unknown alien race millennia ago.  If accessed properly it would grant untold wisdom and knowledge.  But if its systems were improperly accessed it would become a tool of destruction.  Mankind fails in doing this task, causing the system to react violently.  But a hole in the system’s logic means it is meant for large scale attacks and not small responses.  As such the Zanac fighter is sent in to dismantle the System alone.

Going from Gradius to Zanac is a lot like the jump from Pitfall to Super Mario Bros. in terms of complexity.  Zanac has a more robust weapons system that offers plenty of choice.  You have two weapons by default.  The standard cannon is a single shot that can upgrade to a triple beam by collecting power chips.  Grab enough power chips and you can even upgrade it to the super, but good luck doing it that way.  Your secondary option is the all-range which can fire in eight directions.  While not especially powerful it can destroy bullets and is better than nothing.

Zanac’s weapon system goes deeper than that.  There are eight special weapons, numbered from 0-7.  They start at level 0 but can upgraded to level 4, at which point some weapons change dramatically.  Each weapon is radically different and has their own quirks.  By default you have weapon 0.  Some like Circular (No. 3) are incredibly useful; who doesn’t want a rotating shield?  The Rewinder (No. 5) fires a single indestructible ball that travels the entire screen than returns.  But at max level it transforms into a massive powerful laser.  The Plasma Flash (No. 6) is a limited set of smart bombs that can be useful if you aren’t the best pilot.  For my money High Speed (No. 7) is the best.  It has rapid fire, can be directed, and at max level can destroy bullets.

I purposely left out No. 2.  The Field Shutter is a shield that steadily covers your entire ship at higher levels.  At first it will absorb a certain number of hits.  At full power it lasts eighty seconds instead.  Sound good right?  Unfortunately the game’s dynamic AI absolutely hates it.  Once collected the game will spawn a never ending stream of enemies on top of everything else until you get rid of it.  It is no big deal, it is not that great anyway.

Speaking of AI, Zanac’s big feature is its ALC, or Artificial Level of Difficulty Control.  The game judges your performance in a number of nebulous categories and adjusts accordingly.  Certain enemies will appear more frequently depending on your current weapon.  If you are a shooter savant, able to dodge and weave through bullets with the greatest of ease and collect lots of power-ups the game will throw more enemies on screen.  Fail to defeat fortresses or end level bosses in time or die frequently and the system will ease up.  This means more frequent power-ups and long stretches with no enemies.

Taking the ALC in to account your experience with Zanac will vary.  But even if you “game” the system Zanac still puts up a fight.  At its absolute worst the game is relentless.  The game will blanket the screen with Loga’s that spit multiple light bars, numerous Mortars that spit endless streams of missiles as well as near invincible eggs.  If you die at this point the system won’t adjust right away, leaving you screwed.  Even though you can build up a high number of extra lives they can go fast in an instant.  This is only a worst case scenario though.

For the most part I found the difficulty fair.  The scoring system is generous and you’ll rack up extra lives.  Power-ups are literally everywhere.  Even against end level fortresses the items will cycle through each number sequentially.  There are plenty of hidden items and ways to reach full power immediately as well.  The rare fairies will clear the screen and even destroy a fortress immediately if you keep them around.  The signature climax landers will boost your weapons if you shoot them.  There are even warp zones that let you skip levels.  The game is still pretty long at twelve stages but it does its best to make the journey as painless as possible.

In Closing

Zanac has held up amazingly in terms of gameplay and is one of the better shooters for the NES.  A long, varied quest and a strong power-up system combine to provide hours of entertainment.  Don’t pass this one up.