I haven't played anything like ZPF for a long time. The first game that came to my mind when I started this title was Space Impact, and it immediately took me back to my childhood. Modern gaming has pulled me so much towards graphics, story, and everything modern that I've almost forgotten how such games even existed.
What is ZPF anyway? It is a side-scrolling shoot 'em up game, or SHMUP for short. Younger generations might wonder what that is, while older players will immediately think of titles like Space Impact or Thunder Force. It is a 2D retro action game with horizontal scrolling, where the goal is to quickly dodge enemy projectiles. Additionally, boss fights are very intense, and the gameplay is score-based with different play styles depending on the character. As it is an arcade shooter, the game is made in pixel art style, while the theme, like most SHMUPs, is sci-fi or fantasy.
The game currently offers three playable characters — Knight, Gladius, and Gold — each providing a different gaming experience. Each character has three attacks: one ranged attack, one melee attack, and a third, a sort of ultimate move shared by all three playable characters.
Knight is a character that looks like a space knight, and his attacks resemble energy swords. Gladius is a spaceship with which I personally found it easiest to play. Gold is also a kind of spaceship version, but with completely different attacks, and I found it to be the hardest to play.
Along with three playable characters, the game offers several different maps, each with its unique enemies and bosses featuring very good and recognizable art style.
The game is quite confusing at first, and nothing was clear to me during the initial launch, but after playing a few rounds, things became much clearer. I definitely think the menus could be a bit better designed and that it would be good to allow mouse usage on PC at least while navigating through the menu. The problem is not just that the mouse cannot be used, but you also cannot navigate through the menus with the arrow keys, only with the WASD keys. On the other hand, the music fits the game very well. Something is constantly happening on the screen, and the gameplay is very fast, with the soundtrack perfectly matching that pace, as well as the additional sound effects of destroying enemies.
In conclusion, ZPF is certainly not a game for everyone. I think the goal is primarily to attract an older audience that grew up with such games and pixel art graphics. However, if you want to try out this genre while looking for a game that is not too difficult and complex, ZPF is a title worth giving a chance. Still, at the same time, one should not expect anything revolutionary or particularly grand.
A copy of the PC version for review purposes was provided by the publisher Mega Cat Studios
