Have you ever wondered what would happen if you took two of your favorite franchises and made a crossover? It could go horribly wrong, or it could be the best thing ever. Either way, you’re going to end up with something interesting, to say the least. That’s exactly what happened with Space Fantasy Zone. That’s right, it’s a mash-up of two of SEGA’s classic arcade games: Space Harrier and Fantasy Zone.
I don’t know what “configration” means, but I think it stands for “work in progress.”
Now, if you don’t really follow the era before the blue hedgehog, these games might not be familiar to you. Space Harrier came out in 1985 and was one of SEGA’s first “super scaler” games. It’s a third-person-perspective on-rails shooter known for it’s fast gameplay, surreal setting and groundbreaking use of 16-bit technology. Fantasy Zone hit arcades in 1986, it was a side-scrolling shooter where the screen looped continuously, similar to Defender. It’s famous for it’s colorful graphics and incredibly cute cartoonish character designs.
Space Fantasy Zone was being developed by NEC Avenue in 1991 for the PC Engine CD-ROM² system. However, it was never released and no reason was ever specifically given as to why it was cancelled. It’s rumored that it was either quality issues or licensing issues with the use of the franchises. Maybe it was because they couldn’t come up with a more imaginative title. Even though it was never officially released, a prototype became available and was in a nearly completed and fully playable state.
I don’t think there’s much of a story, and don’t try to fit this into any timeline in either series. Sure, both game series took place in the “Fantasy Zone”, and they were always sort of connected in some roundabout way. Space Fantasy Zone stars Opa-Opa. What’s an Opa-Opa you ask? He’s a self-aware egg shaped spaceship with legs and wings. He was one of SEGA’s earlier mascots that appeared all over the place, including in the anime Zillion and Phantasy Star Online.
When you first look at Space Fantasy Zone, you might think it’s Space Harrier reskinned with Fantasy Zone graphics. There’s nine stages, all of them themed after the ones from the first Fantasy Zone game, complete with enemies and the bosses from Fantasy Zone as well as some chibi-cutsey versions of Space Harrier enemies. It’s deeper than that, as it combines gameplay elements from both games. You get a life bar and can take a number of hits before it’s game over instead of having lives. Every enemy you shoot down gives you money that you can spend on power-ups and sub-weapons.
The bosses from Fantasy Zone work really well in the third-person perspective.
The power-ups you can buy range from incredibly useful to completely useless. Most of the power-ups are lifted straight from Fantasy Zone, along with the limited time use of the sub-weapons. There’s several levels of strength upgrades which makes enemies and bosses easier to take down. You can buy some speed options, but I feel going all out on speed makes the game much harder. Most importantly there are the shield expansions and refills, which let you take more hits. Copa-Copa, who provides additional firepower, can be bought as well.
There are one-time use items such as bombs, temporary disability, a 256-ton weight, and a decoy. Of course, the better you do during the stages, the more money you end up having to buy these goodies. If you find yourself low on cash, you’re going to have to choose what you buy carefully so you don’t screw yourself in the next stage.
You may also choose to go out in a blaze of glory by dropping the weight on your head.
The graphics have a bright and colorful pastel look to them, and the sprites are a nice size with a fair amount of detail. The backgrounds and obstacles are very faithful to Fantasy Zone and the bosses translate well into the Space Harrier perspective. The PC Engine wasn’t known for its scrolling capabilities, so some sprites look a little choppy as they’re coming towards you. While it’s not bad, on par with Space Harrier II on the Genesis, I can see some people being put off by it.
I wonder what the Weaponald’s clerk does if you don’t stop? Hmm…
While the music is present, there are a few spots where it seems like some is missing. Mainly the title screen and introduction. I’d like to think a final version would have had some sort of tunes playing there. Everything’s fine during the actual gameplay, which is what counts the most, and it’s great. The main theme is, as you may have guessed, a mashup of the main Space Harrier theme and the ever-so-catchy first level theme from Fantasy Zone. It’s incredibly bright and cheery, both themes mashup very well, it’s probably one of the better features of the game. The music in combination with all of the quirky sounds Opa-Opa makes really make the genre “cute-em up” earn its name.
If you’re a fan of the old school SEGA arcade games, you owe it to yourself to check out Space Fantasy Zone. While it may not be as long as Space Harrier, and it weighs in a bit on the easy side, the gameplay is fairly solid. It’s not groundbreaking by any means, but they didn’t set out to make a game that was going to revolutionize the shooter genre. NEC Avenue wanted to make a game that was fun to play and I had a blast with it. I think it’s a shame this was never released and will more than likely never be released on any virtual consoles.
Whether you’re a fan of either game or both, playing this will certainly bring on the nostalgia.
With that said, BUYER BEWARE! This was an unfinished prototype. You will absolutely come across copies of this game on eBay or at swap meets or wherever it is you kids these days go to buy classic games. They’re not original and quality will vary. There are copies out there that will come with a color manual and I can see it being worth it to collectors. There might be some where the music won’t work correctly and you might spend in excess of a few hundred dollars for something that won’t work right. I think about it the same way as reproduction cartridges. If it’s something you want to buy, make sure you know what you’re getting before you do. I’m sure there’s an original copy of the prototype disc floating around somewhere, more than likely it won’t be burned onto a CD-R and and labeled with a Sharpie.
I’m not sure what’s going on in the ending but I’m pretty sure I saved the universe.
Seen it? Beaten it? Lamenting over the fact it was never released? Comment below or drop me a line on Facebook or Twitter!