47 years old and I cannot tell you how many hours of my childhood were spent playing this game. Best game soundtrack! Takes me right back to my childhood.
I am 40 and used to jam out out this game so much as a kid.. we used to have battles with all the kids that lived around us. I used to make money on bets till they figured out I was sandbagging pretty hard.. aw good times..I think it was the music that kicked butt.
did you know that the less you shoot, the fewer enemies will appear? the game matches your aggression. just another little secret in a game packed with secrets.
I love love LOVE how the Guardian Legend and this game both have the same assets and sound effects. Two great games with both good soundtracks. Awesome!
Amazing shooter, one of my alltime favorites! I once sent a high score in to Nintendo power. It also taught me the rhythm of Compile shooters well enough that I won a tournament for Blazing Lazers about a year later. I liked to run up the AI level to rack up my score! Though I would always try to shoot the spy satellite, which I was told helped cool things off a little. I found a number 5 or 7 weapon, plus the powered up triple shot could get me through any level
My friend shared this video with me via whatsapp, told me do you remember when we were cheering you in the last stages and you were playing standing up 😂 1979 ❤
Wow, I never played this as a kid, but it's amazing how similar this is to TGL, with musical cues and sound effects re-used in that game, and even the overall gameplay matches the shooting sections of that game.
An underrated all-time classic. Incredibly difficult - with an amazing soundtrack. When I completed the game I took a photo using an old instamatic camera 😂 . Sadly, I've long since lost the photo. One of the very best for the NES. There's a way to select a completely different ship by entering a code/holding a key on controller two while starting the game with controller one, but I can't remember the process.
Definitely one of the best shmups on the NES and certainly a groundbreaking game for it's time. Hard to believe they pulled this off fairly early in the NES lifespan.
This game needs a Nintendo Switch Online release! Well it was released on the Wii Virtual Console!! Nintendo, I hope you are listening. Please add this game to the Nintendo Switch Online service.
Only half way through the video and have already picked up numerous tips, I beat this with continues recently but I'm looking to beat it again with an arcade stick instead of a NES pad so need to up my game! Very well played, and thanks for the upload.
Ever since Guardian Legend, and then with emulation Gun-Nac, I’ve meant to set aside time to play through this (I mean it’s been nigh on 23 years now). But I always got intimidated by the weapon system and the rank. But dang it looks like weapon 6 is basically the Enemy Eraser weapon from Guardian Legend but rechargeable! That really makes me think I could finally get through this!
You are correct in that Weapon 6 is basically the same as the Enemy Eraser from TGL. Once you upgrade it to maximum, you get 1 charge that turns everything on the screen into 1 ups (see 07:35)
I personally prefer Neo zanac over the original. This game starts out hard and never let up. I think Neo zanac is a little more well balanced in its difficulty. But mad props to you PEG. You are the Messiah of shmups
Thanks!. I just purchased Zanac X Zanac for the PS1, so it's in the queue of games to play. I actually intend to play/clear all of the Zanac and Aleste games in the near future.
Weapon #7 was also my weapon of choice. Fully upgraded, it would annihilate most enemies on screen. Weapon #3 with the protective orbs may be the best for completing the game by playing conservatively but it wasn't fun as fun. I remember at the start of the game, I would gamble by ramming into the right square (the one hiding the sphere) to upgrade faster. (The more you shot at the square, the more it reveals what's inside but the upgrade becomes less potent.)
I definately plan on playing the aleste series in the near future. I've got both of the game gear games and the 2 master system games already, so they will be happening at some point soonish.
That's awesome. Here I am watching this and think of games like Blazing Lazers, Gun Nac, The Guardian Legend and came to conclusion that Compile was the premier software developer for shooters. Then I saw your comment and it only cemented the desition. The Zanac X Zanac game for Playstation was sick as fuck. You ever play that?
I bought zanac x a few days ago, still waiting for it to show up. I will be playing it at some point but it will probably be a while before i do a video.
I played this when it first came out, and have owned it ever since. Beat it numerous times. To this day, one of my top games of all time, and the standard to which I base the quality of all (...ALL) other top-down rail shooters. Shout to Zanac NEO, as well. Not really a secret, but if you hold down the (I think) A and B buttons while pressing Start to begin a game, you use the ship that’s on the game cover art. Extra bonus shout to weapons 7, 5, 0, and (my favorite) 1. Super powered 6 (enemy eraser) not only makes all enemies on screen disappear, but converts them all to 1ups. \m/, (*o*) ,\m/ Cheers!
For what are those yellow balls after youve improved your main shot to maximum? And is there a rank system in the game? I feel that is getting harder when i pick a lot of power ups haha. Thanks! There is not a lot of info about this game out there.
@@COS34SHMUP I don’t think that they are for anything more than points after your weapon is fully upgraded… I also don’t think there’s any kind of a rank system for the ship. The game does have a feature called “super power play”, which basically means that the better you play (including how much firepower you have), the hardwr it gets.
@@PEG oh wow that seems powerfull. Thank you. For a noob that just wants to clear the game, what is the best way to improve the main shot? With the yellow balls? If i improve it with those little red guys the shot stays powerfull even if i die right?
There's a way to get a bunch of blue landers with the 6 and I can't remember. I use to have this game memorized. I wish I knew the theory behind getting the landers in the beginning. I've gone as far as 6 or 7 without death. I think you fire primary weapon once at a score of 1000 and once more at 2000, only firing at the satellites with the special weapon to get the blue lander, then you fire at it to make it red which speeds up the game. Does anyone know the theory behind the shot numbers required to get blue landers?
that’s correct cbmbdb. the only time i change the way i play because of that is later in the game when there are these creatures on the screen that you can’t kill by shooting them, they just absorb your shots. the way to destroy them is to crash into them (and it doesn’t kill you), so i lower my fire rate and just smash them.
and once you turn them blue, you shoot them to turn them red, and the red one not only give you an extra life, they increase the speed of your shot which dramatically increases your power, especially against bosses.
@@Akuajin Negative. The Compile company had many titles for the MSX platform. In addition to Zanac, there is Zanac Ex which is even better. You Americans are poorly informed about the MSX platform. Compare the music and gameplay of the MSX version before you say nonsense.
@@erwinbrasil We are not talking about Zanac EX for the MSX2 now are we, so back to the topic at hand here… ZANAC for the MSX doesn’t hold a candle to the NES port, the MSX vertical scrolling is choppy, the audio is ok, the color pallet is drab which is expected and the MSX also lacked level variation for the first 5-6 levels. The NES port of ZANAC has fluid scrolling, A.I. is much more punishing, the graphics are far better and the audio for the early years of Famicom/NES was pretty top notch, pretty sure the FDS version used the extra audio channel as well. Now to bring up Zanax EX for the MSX2, the NES-FDS/MSX 2 ports are damn near identical with some minor changes to EX with weapons and background color and slightly changed sprites. Both NES/MSX 2 ports play out the same, but again MSX2 vertical scrolling was still not at fluid as the NES due to hardware limitations but it was vastly better then Zanac for the MSX. So before you spout your crap about not being informed, you got checked my guy, I own a Sony Hit Bit MSX2, both Zanic/EX and I have it ported to the Coleco as well (MSX 1 conversion) I am pretty well versed in Compile SHMUPS (Aleste/Zanac series and beyond). So TLDR, NES/FDS port still edges out the MSX/MXS2 Zanac. Truth hurts, that said I do love me some MSX 2 games like Space Manbow etc etc.
47 years old and I cannot tell you how many hours of my childhood were spent playing this game. Best game soundtrack! Takes me right back to my childhood.
Same here. Right down to the age 🤣
I am 40 and used to jam out out this game so much as a kid.. we used to have battles with all the kids that lived around us. I used to make money on bets till they figured out I was sandbagging pretty hard.. aw good times..I think it was the music that kicked butt.
It could have been me writing that exact comment.
Still my #1 fav NES shooter of all time!
did you know that the less you shoot, the fewer enemies will appear? the game matches your aggression. just another little secret in a game packed with secrets.
I love love LOVE how the Guardian Legend and this game both have the same assets and sound effects. Two great games with both good soundtracks. Awesome!
Oh man, so much nostalgia. I have not seen or heard this since I played it. And I got it when it was brand new.
Amazing shooter, one of my alltime favorites! I once sent a high score in to Nintendo power. It also taught me the rhythm of Compile shooters well enough that I won a tournament for Blazing Lazers about a year later. I liked to run up the AI level to rack up my score! Though I would always try to shoot the spy satellite, which I was told helped cool things off a little. I found a number 5 or 7 weapon, plus the powered up triple shot could get me through any level
My friend shared this video with me via whatsapp, told me do you remember when we were cheering you in the last stages and you were playing standing up 😂
1979 ❤
This game is why I chose my profile picture and my nickname.
Bravo! I would not go into any unknown territory in the galaxy without PEG. So well played!
Thank You! I love this game❤️👍
All I can say wow! Thank you for bringing this back!!!! Now I want to play!!!! I remember struggling to beat this game!
Wow, I never played this as a kid, but it's amazing how similar this is to TGL, with musical cues and sound effects re-used in that game, and even the overall gameplay matches the shooting sections of that game.
For me, I played this game many times since I was 13 age and still such a addicted game🥰🥰🥰
An underrated all-time classic. Incredibly difficult - with an amazing soundtrack. When I completed the game I took a photo using an old instamatic camera 😂 . Sadly, I've long since lost the photo. One of the very best for the NES.
There's a way to select a completely different ship by entering a code/holding a key on controller two while starting the game with controller one, but I can't remember the process.
Definitely one of the best shmups on the NES and certainly a groundbreaking game for it's time. Hard to believe they pulled this off fairly early in the NES lifespan.
This game should have been a franchise! This game is seriously slept on by many.
They did make a sequel way later called Zanac Neo. It's awesome. I've got a playthrough up on my channel.
This game needs a Nintendo Switch Online release! Well it was released on the Wii Virtual Console!!
Nintendo, I hope you are listening. Please add this game to the Nintendo Switch Online service.
I still love and play this game - My controller of choice for this game is the NES Advantage!
Only half way through the video and have already picked up numerous tips, I beat this with continues recently but I'm looking to beat it again with an arcade stick instead of a NES pad so need to up my game! Very well played, and thanks for the upload.
Ever since Guardian Legend, and then with emulation Gun-Nac, I’ve meant to set aside time to play through this (I mean it’s been nigh on 23 years now). But I always got intimidated by the weapon system and the rank. But dang it looks like weapon 6 is basically the Enemy Eraser weapon from Guardian Legend but rechargeable! That really makes me think I could finally get through this!
You are correct in that Weapon 6 is basically the same as the Enemy Eraser from TGL. Once you upgrade it to maximum, you get 1 charge that turns everything on the screen into 1 ups (see 07:35)
Oh that’s what happened! Thanks so much for explaining that. I watched it like ten times trying to figure out what you did.
I remember when I ended it and became the messiah of earth, ah it was a good feeling, sometimes I can still hear the music in my head, lol
I personally prefer Neo zanac over the original. This game starts out hard and never let up. I think Neo zanac is a little more well balanced in its difficulty. But mad props to you PEG. You are the Messiah of shmups
Thanks!. I just purchased Zanac X Zanac for the PS1, so it's in the queue of games to play. I actually intend to play/clear all of the Zanac and Aleste games in the near future.
your peripheral vision is very good, which is what it takes to play Zanac,
Weapon #7 was also my weapon of choice. Fully upgraded, it would annihilate most enemies on screen. Weapon #3 with the protective orbs may be the best for completing the game by playing conservatively but it wasn't fun as fun.
I remember at the start of the game, I would gamble by ramming into the right square (the one hiding the sphere) to upgrade faster. (The more you shot at the square, the more it reveals what's inside but the upgrade becomes less potent.)
Oh wow. What a cool shooter 😲😍
Simply, awesome!
Getting into the Aleste hype. Compile made some of the best console shmups.
I definately plan on playing the aleste series in the near future. I've got both of the game gear games and the 2 master system games already, so they will be happening at some point soonish.
That's awesome. Here I am watching this and think of games like Blazing Lazers, Gun Nac, The Guardian Legend and came to conclusion that Compile was the premier software developer for shooters. Then I saw your comment and it only cemented the desition. The Zanac X Zanac game for Playstation was sick as fuck. You ever play that?
Decision not desition lol
I bought zanac x a few days ago, still waiting for it to show up. I will be playing it at some point but it will probably be a while before i do a video.
Area four was a killer for me as a kid a great game though
my most powerful weapon is the number 1 maxed out... most benificial.
I only saw 6 and 7 maxed out!!
I played this when it first came out, and have owned it ever since. Beat it numerous times. To this day, one of my top games of all time, and the standard to which I base the quality of all (...ALL) other top-down rail shooters. Shout to Zanac NEO, as well.
Not really a secret, but if you hold down the (I think) A and B buttons while pressing Start to begin a game, you use the ship that’s on the game cover art.
Extra bonus shout to weapons 7, 5, 0, and (my favorite) 1. Super powered 6 (enemy eraser) not only makes all enemies on screen disappear, but converts them all to 1ups.
\m/, (*o*) ,\m/
Cheers!
For what are those yellow balls after youve improved your main shot to maximum? And is there a rank system in the game? I feel that is getting harder when i pick a lot of power ups haha. Thanks! There is not a lot of info about this game out there.
@@COS34SHMUP I don’t think that they are for anything more than points after your weapon is fully upgraded… I also don’t think there’s any kind of a rank system for the ship. The game does have a feature called “super power play”, which basically means that the better you play (including how much firepower you have), the hardwr it gets.
All power ups give temporary invincibility for a short amount of time when you collect them, so it's more than just poimts.
@@PEG oh wow that seems powerfull. Thank you. For a noob that just wants to clear the game, what is the best way to improve the main shot? With the yellow balls? If i improve it with those little red guys the shot stays powerfull even if i die right?
@@PEG *facepalm* Pardons - looked right past the obvious - yes, they always provide temporary invincibility. Life-saving in a bullet-hell like Zanac!
Como amo este juegoo,daria todo por volverlo a jugar
Hello. Why sometimes player ship self-explode? I can't understand what wrong with game. Played on retroarch.
where could I find the soundtrack to this game?
There's a way to get a bunch of blue landers with the 6 and I can't remember. I use to have this game memorized. I wish I knew the theory behind getting the landers in the beginning. I've gone as far as 6 or 7 without death. I think you fire primary weapon once at a score of 1000 and once more at 2000, only firing at the satellites with the special weapon to get the blue lander, then you fire at it to make it red which speeds up the game. Does anyone know the theory behind the shot numbers required to get blue landers?
Wow, I've never seen anyone upgrade weapon #2 before.
I played the heck out of this on my NES. I heard some years back that it gets harder the more you shoot. Can anyone confirm that.
I don't think so. But if it does increase, it's not enough to matter over the 1 hour runtime of the game.
that’s correct cbmbdb. the only time i change the way i play because of that is later in the game when there are these creatures on the screen that you can’t kill by shooting them, they just absorb your shots. the way to destroy them is to crash into them (and it doesn’t kill you), so i lower my fire rate and just smash them.
That AI's no match for a human.
Man vs. Machine: The Road To Victory
Is this using external autofire? The game's built in autofire does not fire this fast.
No, it's using in game autofire. The red landers increase your autofire rate. That it why I use the lander bomb early in the run (stage 2 I think)
Score 21,293,180pts
ive scored alot higher than that at the very end... by having more than 100 extra lives,NO CHEAT CODES.
Do they have this game on android????
No, you can't play this game on android is only from video games
This looks like a cross between TGL and Aleste.
We commonly call it Aleste 0.
Idk what you did at 7:38:
I know you can get one blue guy firing the special weapon only; here are SEVERAL at once...?!?!?
You have to max weapon number 6. You will get 1 shot that turns all enemies into blue landers.
Thats something else!
Thank you...
and once you turn them blue, you shoot them to turn them red, and the red one not only give you an extra life, they increase the speed of your shot which dramatically increases your power, especially against bosses.
They are blue at default. They turn red after a few shots....its the fact that there were multiple ones.
I think I was still stuck at Area 3 or something
Zanac MSX > Zanac NES
No way, the NES port was a vast improvement in every aspect.
@@Akuajin Negative. The Compile company had many titles for the MSX platform. In addition to Zanac, there is Zanac Ex which is even better. You Americans are poorly informed about the MSX platform. Compare the music and gameplay of the MSX version before you say nonsense.
@@erwinbrasil We are not talking about Zanac EX for the MSX2 now are we, so back to the topic at hand here… ZANAC for the MSX doesn’t hold a candle to the NES port, the MSX vertical scrolling is choppy, the audio is ok, the color pallet is drab which is expected and the MSX also lacked level variation for the first 5-6 levels.
The NES port of ZANAC has fluid scrolling, A.I. is much more punishing, the graphics are far better and the audio for the early years of Famicom/NES was pretty top notch, pretty sure the FDS version used the extra audio channel as well.
Now to bring up Zanax EX for the MSX2, the NES-FDS/MSX 2 ports are damn near identical with some minor changes to EX with weapons and background color and slightly changed sprites. Both NES/MSX 2 ports play out the same, but again MSX2 vertical scrolling was still not at fluid as the NES due to hardware limitations but it was vastly better then Zanac for the MSX.
So before you spout your crap about not being informed, you got checked my guy, I own a Sony Hit Bit MSX2, both Zanic/EX and I have it ported to the Coleco as well (MSX 1 conversion) I am pretty well versed in Compile SHMUPS (Aleste/Zanac series and beyond).
So TLDR, NES/FDS port still edges out the MSX/MXS2 Zanac. Truth hurts, that said I do love me some MSX 2 games like Space Manbow etc etc.
Only scrooling , no more