Of all the games in the (fairly small) Fantasy Zone series, this right here is the best one! It takes everything from the Master System Fantasy Zone II and makes them, uh, gooder!
Levels are no longer segmented; warpgates still exist, but you don't have to go through them if you don't want to. If you do, though, you'll be taken from the Bright Side to the Dark Side and vice versa, with the latter having a few unique enemies to put up with and noticeably harder bosses. Despite this, it's not like it's punishing; it's entirely possible to go through the game without dying or leaving the Dark Side once, and it's hella fun to do so.
This is the second game where special bombs and normal bombs are seperate. This time, the former is a charge input that can be used as long as you like as long as you don't die. This means I've been able to find a lot more ways to experiment with them than usual, and both stages and bosses go by quickly once you've figured out which ones they're most effective in.
On top of these things are fun things that none of the other games have! The Engine Parts Shop so you're not at your slowest after dying to a boss, being able to actually see whatever weapons you're holding instead of having to look at the timer bar, and the fact that Opa-Opa's "personality of vice" happens to have an influence on gameplay unlike before, among other things, are all things that help this game be a bit more distinct, and all the better for them.
Beautiful game. It's the only one in this series I've went 4 loops through.
One more thing: If you get the worst ending (by not beating at least 4 of the first seven bosses in their Dark Side versions), the game punishes you by not only not letting you move on to the next loop, but not letting you save your high score (if you got one.) Keep that in mind!
Levels are no longer segmented; warpgates still exist, but you don't have to go through them if you don't want to. If you do, though, you'll be taken from the Bright Side to the Dark Side and vice versa, with the latter having a few unique enemies to put up with and noticeably harder bosses. Despite this, it's not like it's punishing; it's entirely possible to go through the game without dying or leaving the Dark Side once, and it's hella fun to do so.
This is the second game where special bombs and normal bombs are seperate. This time, the former is a charge input that can be used as long as you like as long as you don't die. This means I've been able to find a lot more ways to experiment with them than usual, and both stages and bosses go by quickly once you've figured out which ones they're most effective in.
On top of these things are fun things that none of the other games have! The Engine Parts Shop so you're not at your slowest after dying to a boss, being able to actually see whatever weapons you're holding instead of having to look at the timer bar, and the fact that Opa-Opa's "personality of vice" happens to have an influence on gameplay unlike before, among other things, are all things that help this game be a bit more distinct, and all the better for them.
Beautiful game. It's the only one in this series I've went 4 loops through.
One more thing: If you get the worst ending (by not beating at least 4 of the first seven bosses in their Dark Side versions), the game punishes you by not only not letting you move on to the next loop, but not letting you save your high score (if you got one.) Keep that in mind!