Released for $6, Final Zone is the latest retro re-release to be given new life thanks to the dedicated efforts of Ratalaika and Shinyuden. This forgotten isometric Genesis title is a flawed but interesting low cost download that curious players might want to wishlist.
Taking control of a walking battle mech, gameplay is basically a Survivor precursor as the goal is to take out a set amount of enemies in a looping arena. Once all enemies are destroyed, that stage’s boss must be taken down. Rinse and repeat until all seven stages are cleared. Overall, gameplay is straightforward but getting there takes patience. There also isn’t much text, leaving most of the plot in the instruction manual.
The problem comes from the lacking control scheme. Final Zone really should have been a twin-stick shooter, but this simply wasn’t an option back in the 16-bit era. Instead, the game auto-pivots the direction of the mech according to enemy placement. Unfortunately, this auto-aim feature is unreliable and inconsistent at best, resulting in needlessly high difficulty. About halfway through the campaign, I found heat seeking missiles and stuck with them until the end as it helped with the aiming issue. Adding another layer to this Survivor gameplay are the unknown spawn points of the enemies. It is really weird that the player is tasked with defeating X amount of enemies but they pop up randomly and after long stretches of nothingness. In the meantime, dozens of tiny orb enemies annoy the player, providing a reason to keep shooting until the main enemies appear. The loose hit boxes do not streamline the overall situation either.
Like many other Ratalaika recent re-releases, box art and instruction scans are viewable from the main menu, there is an option to save/load at will, there is a rewind option but it really isn’t necessary for this game, and cheats are toggleable before the game begins. These extra QoL features are welcomed but Final Zone is a difficult game, mostly from cheap hits and wonky hit detection, so activating the Invincibility cheat is practically mandatory if you want to see the end.
Visually, the game isn’t anything spectacular to see although the box and character art is especially well done. Unfortunately, the soundtrack not only loops to annoying lengths, it also is heavily composed in that warbly Genesis tone. I had to turn down the volume about 3/4 into the campaign because it was driving me mad.
Even though Final Zone is far from a good game, this twenty-minute experience is an interesting one and I am thankful for its re-release. It won’t hold your attention for long and the poor auto-aiming mechanic is less than idea, it still comes recommended for those looking for something a little different and obscure. If anything, seeing a retro release like this get new life is exciting and I am looking forward to Ratalaika’s next forgotten/neglected 8 or 16-bit re-release. (More translated TG-16 games, please!)
Not As Good As: BattleTanx
Also Play: the Aero the Acrobat re-releases
Wait For It: a re-release of Faselei! (NGPC)
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
X/Twitter: @ZackGaz
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RATING
OUR SCORE - 5
5
SCORE
Final Zone is a forgotten Genesis mech action game that is a Survivors precursor that doesn’t fully hit the mark but still really cool to see a game like this game new life thanks to the appreciated efforts of Ratalaika and Shinyuden.