is a scrolling shooter video game developed by Compile and published in Japan by Pony Canyon and in North America by FCI. It was released for the MSX computer, the Family Computer Disk System, the Nintendo Entertainment System, and for the Virtual Console. It was reworked for the MSX2 computer as Zanac EX and for the PlayStation as Zanac X Zanac. Players fly a lone starfighter, dubbed the AFX-6502 Zanac, through twelve levels; their goal is to destroy the System—a part-organic, part-mechanical entity bent on destroying mankind.
Zanac was developed by main core developers of Compile, including Masamitsu "Moo" Niitani, Koji "Janus" Teramoto, and Takayuki "Jemini" Hirono. All of these developers went on to make other popular similarly based games such as The Guardian Legend, Blazing Lazers, and the Puyo Puyo series. The game is known for its intense and fast-paced gameplay, level of difficulty, and music which seems to match the pace of the game. It has been praised for its unique adaptive artificial intelligence, in which the game automatically adjusts the difficulty level according to the player's skill level, rate of fire and the ship's current defensive status/capability.
Gameplay
In Zanac, the player controls the spaceship AFX-6502 Zanac as it flies through various planets, space stations, and outer space and through an armada of enemies comprising the defenses of the game's main antagonist—the "System". The player must fight through twelve levels and destroy the System and its defenses. The objective is to shoot down enemies and projectiles and accumulate points. Players start with three lives, and they lose a life if they get hit by an enemy or projectile. After losing a life, gameplay continues with the player reappearing on the screen and losing all previously accumulated power-ups; the player remains temporarily invincible for a moment upon reappearing on the screen. The game ends when all the player's lives have been lost or after completing the twelfth and final area. However, the player can earn 1-ups (extra lives) throughout the game by accumulating high point scores. Zanac has a continue option which allows players to restart the game from the level in which they lost all their lives. As the main cannon's power level is upgraded, the number of bullets fired from the ship as well as their speed increases. In addition, the player operates a specialty weapon that is separate from the main cannon. There are eight different specialty weapons, each represented by differently-numbered power-ups. The player can change the type of specialty weapon equipped by collecting a differently-numbered power-up or can upgrade their current specialty weapon by collecting a numbered power-up that matches their current weapon. These weapons range from directional bullets to shields to indestructible projectiles. Players lose all accumulated power-ups if they lose a life.
thumb|left|Gameplay on the [[NES version]]
Enemies in Zanac include meteors, various bullet-shooting enemy aircraft, bullet-resistant disks, ground turrets, and reconnaissance planes. The bosses consist of stationary fortresses consisting entirely of ground turrets. The player must destroy all these turrets within a specified time limit to score bonus points. Every stage has one or more of these stationary fortresses. In addition, large enemy ships acting as "mini-bosses" appear throughout the game. These ships are more resistant to the player's weaponry; all bullets inflict minor damage and are repelled off the mini-bosses, which change color as they become more damaged. The ALC increases for experts but decreases for inexperienced players.—the same company responsible for other games such as Blazing Lazers, Devil's Crush, and the Puyo Puyo series. Compile then re-released the game for the MSX2 computer later that same year as Zanac EX, which featured improved graphics (with smooth scrolling) and extended music over the original MSX version. Zanac was then ported and heavily reworked again for release on the Family Computer Disk System in Japan on November 11, 1986, and then in North America for the NES in October 1987. The NES version was later re-released for Wii's Virtual Console service on December 3, 2007, and published by D4 Enterprise. This version is identical to the NES version released in 1987.
Compile released a compilation titled Zanac X Zanac for Sony's PlayStation console in Japan on November 29, 2001, to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the original. This compilation features an updated version of Zanac—titled Zanac Neo—and three versions of the NES version of the game, including a version featuring enhanced graphics and sound. The game features two-player cooperative gameplay as well as a remix of the game's soundtrack.
A version of the game was released on the Nintendo Switch via the G-Mode Archives series in January 2021.
Reception and legacy
Zanac, in retrospect, has been considered a unique shoot 'em up game, combining gameplay elements from games such as Xevious, especially with the extensive power-up system and vertical-scrolling gameplay that features both air and ground targets.