Forgotten Gems: Zillion

The Sega Master System; though it never stood much chance of crawling out from under the colossal shadow cast by the NES, there were a number of classic games released for Sega's 8-bit console. Among my favorites was this game: Zillion. Combining elements from games such as Impossible Mission and Metroid, Zillion was an intriguing mix of action, platforming, and puzzle aspects.

Players start out by taking control of JJ, one of the game's three playable characters. JJ's job is to infiltrate and destroy an enemy base while freeing his comrades Apple and Champ. In each room of the base, JJ and his friends must avoid traps and battle enemy soldiers while using their laser pistols to destroy containers and search for pieces of a password that will allow them to access the next room. Fans of Impossible Mission will take note of this obvious nod to that classic game. As players progress through the labyrinthine corridors of the enemy stronghold, JJ and his compatriots come across bonuses that increase the power of their laser pistols, boost their speed, and increase their maximum health. As the characters become more powerful, players gain access to deeper levels of the enemy base until at last they reach a showdown with its guardian and trigger the self-destruct sequence.

For me, one of the most enjoyable aspects of the game was the sense of character growth that accompanied the collection of the various power-ups. In a manner similar to Metroid, players collect items that give their characters physical bonuses and increase the power of their weapons. Each time one grabs a 'level up' icon they slightly boost the speed, jumping ability, and maximum health of that particular character. In contrast to Nintendo's classic, there is far less backtracking through previously visited areas since the power-up icons are instead distributed evenly throughout the base. In this way, the character growth in Zillion is more of a steady and gradual climb, and it takes on more of an RPG-like feel. Another strong point is the challenge. Not insanely difficult, but still no walk in the park, Zillion is the kind of game that rewards careful observant players, and punishes those who try to power through, guns ablaze. Other highlights for me included the (admittedly repetitive, yet still awesome) music, and the anime inspired visuals.

This game has yet to be re-released via Virtual Console or any other means, but you can try it free by clicking here.