ZPF

It's pretty good. I like the store between stages. That's a good idea and keeps things fresh along with 3 different ships. If i had to spend a quarter per play like in an arcade, then I'll easily get $10 worth of plays. Wish it had online leaderboards though.

Seems okay. Colorful backgrounds and good music. The one hit kills are a total buzzkill and make me not want to keep playing. Not a bullet hell shooter but getting killed is to easy even for experienced players. There is absolutely no reason for any game released in 2026 to have one hit kills.

A nice successor to the previous Super XYX. I’ll get straight to the point. This game is a passion project from someone (and now their team) who has known shmups for a long time. This game was kickstarted to release physically for the mega drive. Now, it's here on steam. The game has that type of high quality art that is reminiscent of their previous titles/iterations from the YX and ZP series. Let's talk about the gameplay. A basic run of this game will go through 6 stages, but there's also bonus stages and a secret boss available if you play your cards right. At the start you are able to choose between Knight, Gladius and Gold. Each with their own respective pros and cons. Knight favors a straight forward shot and in my opinion, has the better shot power. Perception wise, it can be a bit bulky for squeezing through bullets (not that you would want to do that often in this game anyway). Gladius is more fit for those worried about shooting every enemy in sight as they offer a wide job but in exchange the damage is only slightly less than Knight. Finally, there is Gold which has a zigzag kind of shot. I probably played around with this one the least but it felt like maxing out its shot made the distance of travel damage slower than its level 2 shot power. Every shot type has a melee special. It can be used in situations to quickly kill enemies once you’ve upgraded it. I personally only found myself spamming it against something that needed to die asap. The music is pretty on point and fitting for the game. As mentioned before, the artstyle is perfect for the era of late sega genesis shmups compared to the likes of Lords of Thunder. While you’re doing a run you’ll notice that the game revolves around buying upgrades during your run. It’s euroshmup implementation done right which in my opinion is quite the rarity. Cool game, give it a try when you can. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfsvWAW4jKQ

jogo massa véio

It does what it says on the tin. ZPF is a solid Sega Genesis shmup ported to the PC. If you've played horizontal scrolling shmups such as Thunder Force, Lords of Thunder or the Darius series you'll know roughly what to expect here. Lords of Thunder is the closest comparison (given the shop and mele attack) but that game is still pretty obscure so I don't know if that will help a lot of people. Everything here is pretty solid (most importantly the controls feel tight and responsive) and I appreciate that the bullets are very visible as that could be an issue in some older shmups. I probably won't look at Mike and Ike candy the same way again though. I like the in game store as well since when you combine it with the three different ships, you have a lot of choice on how to try to tackle the challenges presented. On a negative note, this is literally just a Sega Genesis ROM with a border to fill out 16:9 screens. No extras, save states, rewind, practice mode or any such features that modern shmups tend to include. Even the difficulty options are pretty limited. Ultimately though I can't give something a negative review that is such an awesome callback to Lords of Thunder. So give a try. The price is even pretty reasonable for what it is so I'm not as bothered by the lack of modern amenities. Edit: just as an FYI, there appears to be a bug where you can't re-bind whatever is set to the 'A' button on your controller. Pretty annoying since the melee attack does not appear to be very useful and I'd like to try binding bombs to that button instead.

Developed by ZPF Team and published by Mega Cat Studios, ZPF is a side-scrolling shoot 'em up that pays homage to the golden age of 16-bit arcade action while incorporating enough modern refinements to appeal to today's players. Inspired by genre classics from the Sega Genesis and Mega Drive era, the game embraces fast gameplay, detailed pixel art, and challenging level design without feeling like a simple imitation. Instead, it builds upon the foundations established by legendary shooters to create an experience that feels both nostalgic and fresh, offering a rewarding blend of old-school intensity and contemporary polish. The core gameplay revolves around navigating increasingly dangerous stages filled with enemy formations, environmental hazards, and elaborate bullet patterns that demand constant awareness. Every level introduces new visual themes and enemy types, preventing the action from becoming repetitive while maintaining a consistently brisk pace. The game's pixel art is particularly impressive, featuring richly animated backgrounds, imaginative creature and machine designs, and explosive visual effects that capture the charm of classic arcade shooters. The soundtrack complements the action with energetic compositions that heighten the excitement of every encounter, making each stage feel like its own memorable set piece. One of ZPF's strongest qualities is its diverse roster of playable characters. Rather than offering simple cosmetic differences, each hero comes equipped with unique weapons, special abilities, melee attacks, and movement options that significantly change how the game is played. This encourages players to revisit stages using different characters to discover strategies that best suit their preferred playstyle. The inclusion of hidden routes, collectibles, and unlockable secrets further strengthens the game's replay value, rewarding those willing to thoroughly explore each stage instead of simply racing toward the finish. These additions transform what could have been a straightforward arcade shooter into an experience that invites repeated playthroughs. The boss encounters serve as some of the game's most exciting moments, delivering large-scale battles that require players to study attack patterns while maintaining constant offensive pressure. Victory depends on quick reflexes, accurate positioning, and the ability to recognize openings amid increasingly complex projectile attacks. Between missions, players can improve their capabilities through an upgrade system that provides meaningful progression without sacrificing the arcade spirit. This balance between character development and player skill ensures that success comes from mastering the mechanics rather than relying solely on stronger equipment. Although the game's challenge remains faithful to traditional arcade design, it rarely feels unfair thanks to its responsive controls and carefully tuned mechanics. Every mistake teaches valuable lessons about movement, timing, and enemy behavior, encouraging steady improvement over repeated attempts. Fans of classic horizontal shooters will appreciate its emphasis on memorization, precision, and high-score chasing, while newcomers who are willing to embrace its difficulty will find a satisfying learning curve. Steam achievements and multiple playable characters provide additional incentives to keep returning long after the first completion. Overall, ZPF succeeds as both a heartfelt tribute to retro shoot 'em ups and a quality game in its own right. Its beautiful pixel presentation, varied character roster, satisfying combat, memorable boss fights, and strong replayability combine to create an engaging arcade experience that respects the genre's heritage while introducing enough fresh ideas to remain compelling. Anyone with an appreciation for fast-paced action, demanding gameplay, and classic side-scrolling shooters will find plenty to enjoy. While its challenging nature may not appeal to every player, those who embrace its old-school philosophy are likely to discover one of the more polished modern entries in the genre. Rating: 8/10

For a detailed review of this masterpiece watch my video review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7tEe6dsOm4 If you want a quick summary keep reading. This is ZPF for the SEGA Mega Drive, Steam, Nintendo Switch and the Xbox platforms. An absolutely stunning horizontal shoot ‘em up that pushes the Mega Drive/Genesis to its limits visually, a game with a truly unique artistic identity of its own, which is something we don’t often see in gaming. ZPF was developed by experienced and highly creative and capable people who worked on games such as Commodore 64’s wonderful Metroidvania Knight ‘n Grail, Mega Drive’s Tanzer and the Turrican inspired Gunlord as well as other indie and homebrew titles for various platforms. We’re looking at a professional grade horizontal shmup that is almost pure perfection! ZPF is a side scrolling shoot ‘em up that is best described as a highly refined Euro Shmup in terms of atmosphere and music with exceptional gameplay. The game has a dose of of Danmaku tho it never really becomes a true bullethell and a pimch of Psikyo mechanics thrown in just to get your blood boiling. ZPF does utilize some bullethell design choices in the best way possible, specifically when it comes to the player’s movement and small, well crafted hitboxes allowing for some truly graceful weaving through enemies and enemy bullets. When I say that this is an Euro shmup, I mean that in the best way possible this time. Though in the past Euro shmups were known for their amazing visuals and music yet more often than not suffered from poor game design decisions or downright broken gameplay, things have changed drastically over the years and now usually only the gorgeous visuals and amazing music remain to remind us of these games’ Euro origins. Modern Euro Shmups gameplay is usually as highly refined as that of the best of the best Japanese shoot em up experiences and ZPF is no different. Pros: + Highly refined, highly polished controls and movements, allowing for highly precise micro movements with a good controller or arcade stick. + Three distinct ships to choose from each carefully designed and balanced for one of the three avaliable at the start worlds, but you can play any world with any of the ships if you like + Exceptionally creative and unique artstyle with its own signature look and feel throughout the entire game + Outstanding, atmospheric music that compliments the gorgeous 16bit visuals beautifully + Secret bosses and even a secret ending to unlcok + Adjustable difficulty + The Steam version comes with the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive ROM and you can play it on your own Emulation Set Up or even a Sega Genesis flashcart to experience it on real hardware which makes this release a must buy! Cons: - No continues by default, you have to earn money to buy them – this isn’t as bad as it sounds, you should be able to buy one as soon as you get used to the game and clear a level with enough medals which isn’t too hard. - Visuals while gorgeous can be overwhelming and hard to see at times, blending some bullets and enemies with the highly detailed backgrounds, but you get used to it. - Easy to miss secret items which contribute to unlocking the secret ending and bosses Conclusion: ZPF is a masterpiece of a game in spite of some of its shortcomings and a definite must for shmup fans. Disclosure: Mega Cat Studios provided a free Steam key of ZPF for footage capture purposes. The physical Mega Drive cartridge shown in my video was purchased personally by me.

Man those are some pixels to visit the machine elves!