Zoop

n/a

Mega Drive Game Gear Saturn
Zoop
System(s): Sega Mega Drive, Sega Game Gear, Sega Saturn
Publisher: Viacom New Media (US/EU) Media Quest
Developer: Hookstone PanelComp
Supporting companies: Beeline Group (manual design)
Distributor: CIC (EU) Zegetron (GR) Sega-Ozisoft (AU)
Sound driver: SCSP/CD-DA (6 tracks)
Genre: Action Puzzle, Puzzle
Number of players: 1
Official in-game languages: English 日本語
Release Date RRP Code US 1995-06-01 $49.9549.95 T-139086 US ▼ (Sega Channel) 199x SUBsub EU 1995-10-28 T-139086-50 PT 1995 MDJ139086 UK 1995-10-28 £29.9929.99 T-139086-50 SE (Rental) 199x GR 199x AU 199x FZOO04SMC US 1995 T-139049 JP 1996-11-29 ¥4,800 (4,944)4,800e T-26406G
Non-Sega versions Game Boy IBM PC Jaguar Macintosh PlayStation Super NES

Zoop (ズープ) is a puzzle game developed by Hookstone for Viacom New Media and released on numerous platforms, including the Sega Mega Drive and Sega Game Gear in 1995 and the Sega Saturn in 1996.

Gameplay

Gameplay

Zoop is a puzzle game that is similar to the Taito arcade game Plotting. The player controls a colored shape that can move around a 4x4 square in the center of the screen. Lines of differently colored shapes (in red, green, violet, and blue) appear from four quadrant on each side of the square, pushing the shapes in front of them forward. A cursor appears to indicate where the next shape will appear. Two consecutive shapes never come in from the same quadrant. The goal is to destroy those shapes before they are pushed into the center square, which ends the game. Gameplay relies on timely color swapping and fast reaction times.

The player's shape can move in any direction using the D-Pad. The shape can shoot other shapes by zooming out of its square to hit them, then zooming back (facing the opposite direction when it returns). On the Mega Drive and Saturn versions, the shape is a triangle, and it shoots with , , or . On the Game Gear version, the shape is a square with an arrow that indicates the direction that it is facing, and it shoots with or . Shooting a shape of the same color as the player's shape destroys it and awards points. All consecutive shapes of the same color that are behind the target shape are also cleared. More points are awarded when more shapes that are eliminated in a single move. If a shape of a different color from the player's current shape is hit, the player's shape switches colors with it, allowing the player to then eliminate shapes of that color, but the shape is not eliminated. When the player eliminates one or more same-colored shapes, if there is a different-colored shape behind them, it is hit, changing the color of the player's shape.

When enough shapes are eliminated, the level increases, which speeds up the gameplay and (before level 10) changes the background. The player's score is shown in the upper-left corner, a counter showing the number of shapes before the next level is shown in the upper-right corner, and the current level is shown in the bottom-right corner.

There are two modes, Continual and Level. Both are endless modes where the player can select a starting level between 1 and 9 and a difficulty level between 0 and 4. The game starts with shapes already on the grid when a difficulty level above 0 is selected. In a Continual game, after advancing to a new level, all the shapes remain on the grid; in a Level game, the grid is cleared whenever a new level begins.

Special shapes

If these special shapes are hit, they grant special effects. They do not end the game if they reach the center square.

	Proximity Bomb
	Eliminates all shapes touching the next shape that the player hits.
	Line Bomb
	Eliminates the entire line of shapes, regardless of color.
	Color Bomb
	Eliminates all shapes in a quadrant that are the same color as the next shape that the player hits.
	Bonus Spring
	Collecting 5 clears all shapes on the grid.

Versions

The Mega Drive, Game Gear, and Saturn versions of the game feature identical gameplay. The Saturn and PlayStation versions have enhanced visuals and sound. The Game Gear and Game Boy versions only use rectangles for shapes (unlike the other versions, which distinguish pieces by both color and shape) because of screen space constraints. The Game Boy port is the only version of the game with a multiplayer mode.

Production credits

Mega Drive version

• Designed in the UK by: Hookstone Ltd.
• Programmed in the UK by: PanelComp Ltd.
• Programmer: John Rocke
• Graphic Artists: Peter Tattersall, Malcolm Cooper, Ian Bowden
• Hookstone Worldwide Representation: John Cook, Bad Management
• Executive Producer: I. Kenneth Miller
• Managing Producer: N. Matthew Welton
• Producing Coordinator: Amanda P. Herman
• Technical Director: Jim Hanson
• Sound Producer: Steve Boyer
• Sound Coordinator: Cliff Falls
• Sound Support Software: Brian Schmidt
• Music Composition: Bobby Scumaci
• Additional Music Composition: Mark Davis
• Graphic Design: Higashi Glaser Design
• Additional Art and Animation: Jarod Pranno
• Development Support: Baki Allen, Greg Colton, Tom Hanson, Scott Lawrence, Gus Peterson, John Podlasek
• Packaging Design: Doublespace
• Manual Design: Beeline Group
• Special Thanks: Eugene Evans, Stephen Gass

Source:

US manual

Magazine articles

Main article: Zoop/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Main article: Zoop/Promotional material.

Physical scans

Mega Drive version

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

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Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average

Publication Version Score 1700 igr dlya Sega (RU) 60 Consoles + (FR) PAL 84 Cool Gamer (RU) 70 GamePro (US) NTSC-U 78 Hobby Consolas (ES) PAL 91 Joypad (FR) PAL 77 MAN!AC (DE) PAL 64 Mega Fun (DE) PAL 64 Mean Machines Sega (UK) PAL 63 Player One (FR) PAL 94 Power Up! (UK) 90 Sega Magazin (DE) PAL 61 Sega Power (UK) PAL 81 Sega Pro (UK) PAL 85 Sega Megazone (AU) 40 Sega Opisaniy i sekretov (RU) 75 Sega Saturn Magazine (UK) PAL 62 Sonic the Comic (UK) PAL 89 Todo Sega (ES) 90 Tricks 16 bit (RU) 81 Video Games (DE) PAL 67

	75
Based on 21 reviews

Zoop

Mega Drive, US
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, EU
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, FR
Manual

Mega Drive, PT
Manual

Mega Drive, SE (Rental)

Mega Drive, GR

Mega Drive, AU
Cover

Saturn version

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

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Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average
Publication Version Score Famitsu (JP) NTSC-J 58 Fusion (US) NTSC-U 75 Saturn Fan (JP) NTSC-J 50 Saturn Fan (JP) NTSC-J 62 Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J 60 Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J 64

	61
Based on 6 reviews

Zoop

Saturn, JP
Cover
Spinecard Disc

Game Gear version

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

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Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average
Publication Version Score Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U 59

	59
Based on 1 review

Zoop

Game Gear, US
Cover
Cart

Technical information

Main article: Zoop/Technical information.