One of the first 'cute 'em ups' following Konami's Twinbee, Fantasy Zone first launched in Japanese arcades in 1986, but is better known in the west for its decent Master System conversion. Iconic protagonist Opa-Opa also sneaks in cameo appearances in many Sega games, most recently as a playable character in Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing. Almost 30 years later, the original comes to Nintendo's current handheld in the form of 3D Fantasy Zone: Opa-Opa Bros., another valued entry in Sega's excellent range of 3D classics.
Assuming control of Opa-Opa, the player is tasked with completing seven individually themed and progressively more difficult rounds; these rounds are completed by destroying ten enemy bases and then passing a boss battle. Stages are horizontal and can be scrolled in either direction, looping back upon reaching the edges - in a similar fashion to inspirational '80s arcade classic Defender. There's an eighth, final boss rush round and a twist ending revealing the 'shocking' truth about the nature of the attackers; yes, this rather surreal looking shooter does have a story of sorts, but all you really need to know is that you should shoot everything and avoid dying.
The not-dying part can be tricky for newcomers thanks to a rather brutal difficulty and power-up system. Shooting enemies reveals coins, which should be gathered up fast before they disappear. Amassing enough coins earns the right to enter a floating balloon shop to purchase some much needed firepower, yet there are drawbacks - wide beam, laser beam and 7-way shot all come with a time limit which won't last the entire round. Other special weapons - such as smart bombs and fire bombs - are bought per unit, so if you want to stock up be prepared to shell out. Revisiting the shop can be a shock, meanwhile, to find that prices have increased on all weapons previously purchased; if you lose a life you also lose everything currently owned. Expert players use default weapons for the first half of the game, building up coin funds without raising shop prices, before proceeding to speed through the final rounds with access to more affordable weapons of choice.
Fortunately for beginners, there are plenty of new features to ease them into the game. The overall difficulty and amount of lives can be adjusted, it's possible to increase the rate of rapid fire and any round already reached can be jumped straight into. Enabling 'Base Marker' adds disembodied white hands which point to the position of the next off screen base, allowing faster base destruction. Screen size can also be adjusted, but default provides the best results, making the other two options somewhat defunct; there's no simulated cabinet mode like in 3D After Burner II, simply because the original Fantasy Zone cabinet wasn't very interesting.
By far the most helpful new feature is the coin bank. Coins collected during play are added into a virtual savings account, from which withdrawals can be made at the beginning of each game; more money equates to more accessible weaponry. Combined with the round select, the end game suddenly becomes much more feasible to beginner players. There are also 2 additional unlocks to lengthen the time weapons last and increase the amount received from coin drops, but you'll need to accumulate a LOT of coins to access these. There's even an odd option to swap out round six's boss to the (much worse) Master System version.
Completion of the game also unlocks a new special mode, the 'brothers' part of the subtitle. In this mode, you play as Opa-Opa's brother Upa-Upa, with some significant changes. Firstly, a permanent engine is selected (speed) and all power-ups are now displayed on the touch screen; enabled by touch and only when you have enough coins, every second of use of any given weapon has a cost. Activate the 7 Way Shot for example, and watch all your coins disappear in seconds. No coins, no firepower. It's even more brutal than standard mode and has a noticeably harder difficulty, so experts need only apply. Aside from having a different theme tune for the first stage, nothing else is dramatically different.
The 3D effects are nice enough, with clear distinction between parallax layers, but being a 2D game at heart there's nothing here to get too excited about. Curiously, the best use of 3D is during the staff credits - view these for a glimpse of how a modern Fantasy Zone could look.
Conclusion
With its charmingly cute and colourful designs combined with catchy upbeat music, Fantasy Zone is instantly appealing. However, beneath the happy exterior hides a traditional arcade challenge. Expertly presented by developer M2 to allow newcomers to get easily involved with its pick up and play options, the hardcore can still try for the 1 credit clear. Repeat play truly rewards, too, though it's perhaps a shame there's no ability to share high scores with friends through an in-game leaderboard. In summary, though, fans of arcade shooters should pick this up without a second thought - it's a welcome and long overdue return of a true classic.
Comments 31
I've never played any version of Fantasy Zone, and I have no idea why I didn't seek it out before. Now that it's out in 3D Classics form, I'm sold!
I can't wait to pick this one up once Nintendo transfers my content from my old 3ds to my New 3ds.
i love these M2 remakes. when i get done with majora 3d ill be on to this.
Totally doesn't surprise me Nintendolife got Jonathan to review this game.
I considered picking this up when it got on the eshop. Sadly, it was also the day everything else came. Definitely on my eShop radar if such a thing exists
This game actually looks pretty cool! May make it the first Sega 3D remake I purchase!
Oh do I love this game! This my favorite shoot'em up/cute'em up. I going to get this no matter what this review said!
This somehow escaped me when it came out originally, i'll definitely be picking this up
Another worthy addition to Sega's 3D Classics line up.
This game is awesome. Looking forward to the 2nd one as well.
I've been looking forward to this for ages. Sadly it didn't release here in Australia.
Looks good. I love shoot em up game, so might pick this up.
Love this game. Bring it on. Can't wait for Streets of Rage 2
Bought it the minute it appeared on eShop. As always, hard as nails.
Brings back memories of me and a Game Gear, one long winter in New York and later on, in Japan. That, along with Sonic 2.
Also, thanks or the review, Jonathan!! I didn't know what the heck the coin back was for.
i LOVE this game!! i played it hundreds of times when i was a kid. now i get to play it hundreds more.
I always wanted to get into this game, but couldn't because of the arcade difficulty. This looks to be the best option I could possibly ask for. I'll pick this up along with 3D Outrun next month.
Sounds like fun! I should get it sometime.
Not normally my type of thing, but this looks really intriguing. Will get it at some point.
@1wiierdguy Been looking for this for ages? But it is on SEGA Ages: http://img.gamefaqs.net/box/2/3/6/54236_front.jpg
Sorry for the terrible pun. Sucks to hear the game's not being released in AU. Occasionally happens in Europe or more specifically in Germany, too. I hope you're going to get it sooner or later.
Looks really nice, but I havet to admit I am so much more interested in Fantasy Zone 2, which I played through on my master system so often, because I just love the music and colorful look.
Hopefully it'll get a Europe release as well.
@Steel76 We will get part 2 later on in the west, after outrun I think. I still hope for Streets of rage 2 to be released soon in this series.
Loved this on my Master System 2 back in the day, one of my first console games actually.
@3dcaleb I still love your profile picture.
As much grief Sega deservedly gets over how it's handling Sonic, I'm very pleased that they continue to release these 3D Classics. They are single-handedly keeping a niche genre alive that Nintendo themselves haven't sorted in years. And there doing it with quality titles. I've purchased well over half of their 3D Classic titles and all have been very worth it.
Love this series! I can spare my carts rest, finally! Have the 2nd on my import but I think I'd repurchase it when it gets its us release so I can have both on my new mm3dsxl.
I've never been good at Fantasy Zone and have had a hard time liking through the years until this version which is right up my alley. I'm still not very good but better with the difficulty set to easy lol. The game looks great! Thanks again Sega for a wonderful 3d Classic. Hope Sega keeps them coming. Next up Outrun!
@ericwithcheese2 these 3D Classics Rock! I hope Sega will keep making them even after this next run of 3D Classics. I would love to see Shining in the Darkness get a 3D Classic release and maybe Phantasy Star 1.
For me, 3D Powerdrift is the one I REALLY want M2 to announce...!
This game is incredible. Fantasy Zone has always been a great game and I can't wait for the sequel to come out as well. It would be nice if M2 would do a version of Super Fantasy Zone to complete the trilogy, but we can't have everything.
Anyway, Sega classics are king!
This is the game that convinced me to choose a master system over an Nes! Just blew my doors off and have been a huge sega fan since! If only they would start posting classics on the wii u vc!!
I remember playing this on the Sega master system. I really enjoyed the game and it's music back then.
This is cool I think Sega should start look at the mega CD back catalogue I know most where not great but to play games like Nighttrap,Road Rash,Sewer Shark, Silpheed,Road Avenger would amazing
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