Zero Wing

For the 2020 re-release by Retro-bit, see Zero Wing Collector's Edition.

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Zero Wing
System(s): Sega Mega Drive, Nintendo Switch Online
Publisher: Toaplan (JP), Sega, Tatsujin
Developer: Toaplan
Original system(s): Toaplan System 1
Sound driver: Cube
Genre: Shooting
Number of players: 1
Release Date RRP Code JP 1991-05-31 ¥8,000 (8,240)8,000e T-40023 EU 1992-07 1138-50 UK 1992-05 £39.9939.99 1138-50 SE (Rental) 199x AU 199x JP ▼ 2022-07-01 SUBsub US ▼ 2022-06-30 SUBsub EU ▼ 2022-07-01 SUBsub UK ▼ 2022-07-01 SUBsub AU ▼ 2022-07-01 SUBsub
Non-Sega versions Arcade CD-ROM²

Zero Wing (ゼロウイング) is a Sega Mega Drive horizontal shoot-'em-up game developed by Toaplan. A port of the developer's titular 1989 arcade game Zero Wing, it was first published in Japan by Toaplan themselves in May 1991, and was brought to Europe by Sega in July 1992.

Zero Wing is notable for being one of few Mega Drive ports developed by Toaplan themselves, and for the infamously poor English translation of its opening cutscene, which spawned one of the earliest internet memes, "All your base are belong to us".

Story

Introduction

Set in 2101, the game follows the signing of a peace treaty between the United Nations and the alien cyborg CATS (キャッツ). However, CATS breaks the covenant and takes control of the Japanese space colonies. The protagonist Trent leads a ZIG space craft, which had managed to escape from the mothership destroyed by CATS, with the aim to defeat enemy forces, avenge the mothership and its crew and liberate the Earth.

Gameplay

The game is a science fiction-themed side-scrolling shooter where players assume the role of Trent taking control of the ZIG space fighter craft through eight increasingly difficult stages, each with a boss at the end that must be fought before progressing any further. The stage design has a particular emphasis on navigating narrow passageways. The ZIG is moved in any direction with the D-Pad. It fires its weapon with or . Rapid-fire is enabled by default, though a higher firing rate can be achieved by manually tapping the button or using a rapid-fire controller. There are three types of weapons in the game, which are switched by collecting colored items. Collecting the same item successively upgrades the weapon strength; collecting a different weapon maintains the current weapon strength.

The ZIG is equipped with a tractor beam (プリソナービーム), which can be deployed with . The beam grabs most enemies and holds them as a shield against enemy fire. Enemies can be used to ram other enemies or thrown at other enemies by pressing again. Larger enemies weigh down the ZIG and make it more difficult to maneuver. The ZIG can also find bombs that attach to it in a similar manner but which explode after being thrown. Additionally, the ZIG can acquire two options, small drones that mirror its weapon, to assist it. Options are invulnerable and can also be used to ram enemies.

The ZIG is destroyed when it collides with an enemy or surface or absorbs enemy fire. It respawns at a predetermined checkpoint with the base weapon and without any options or speed increases. The game ends if the player runs out of lives but can be continued if there are credits remaining. The player is awarded extra lives at certain point thresholds. The game has three selectable difficulty levels (Easy, Normal, and Hard) and defaults to the Easy difficulty setting.

As with previous titles from Toaplan, the game loops back to the first stage after completing the last stage, with the difficulty increasing. There are 35 different endings for each time the game is successively completed.

Weapons

	Vulcan Shot (バルカンショット)
	Initially equipped. Starts as a standard horizontal shot but grows into a conical spreadshot as it is leveled up.
	Laser (レーザー)
	A fast-firing, penetrating laser that increases in size and power as it is leveled up.
	Homing Missile (ホーミングミサイル)
	Homing missiles that increase in size and power as they are leveled up.

Items

Items can be collected by flying over them or by grabbing them with the ZIG's tractor beam.

Weapons and speed upgrades award 5,000 bonus points if already at max level. There is also a chance of earning an extra life or even a "10UP" when collecting an item at max level.

	Transporter (UNITトランスボーター機)
	Destroy to release an item.
	Vulcan Shot
	Equips the Vulcan Shot weapon or levels up the weapon strength if already equipped, up to 3 levels. Also equips two options if not already equipped.
	Laser
	Equips the Laser weapon or levels up the weapon strength if already equipped, up to 3 levels.
	Homing Missile
	Equips the Homing Missile weapon or levels up the weapon strength if already equipped, up to 3 levels.
	Super Bomber (スーバーボンバー)
	A bomb module that attaches to the front of the ZIG. It can be thrown with , whereupon it explodes in a large radius. Like captured enemies, it can be used as a shield or to ram enemies, though it detonates when it hits anything.
	Speed Unit (スピードユニット)
	Increases the movement speed of the ZIG, up to four times.
	Special
	Appears instead of a bomb item if the player is already holding a bomb while at maximum weapon level. This item upgrades the ZIG's weapon to an otherwise unattainable fourth level.

Stages

	Natols
	Legrous
	Pleades
	Aquese
	Submarine Tunnel
	Barricade Zone
	Bellon
	Gerbarra

History

Legacy

Full introduction

The infamously poor translation of Zero Wing's English releases has seen the game become the star of community parody. A line in the game's introduction, "All your base are belong to us", was heavily featured in a fan music video for the song Invasion of the Gabber Robots by The Laziest Men on Mars (itself a cover of the game's song "Open Your Eyes") This video, compressed and heavily shared in the early days of the web, gave rise to one of the very first modern internet memes.

The meme was addressed by Toaplan's Tatsuya Uemura (the game's programmer and composer) and Masahiro Yuge (composer) in interviews during the 2010s. He stated the poor English translation in the Mega Drive version was handled by a member of Toaplan in charge of export and overseas business.

The game was re-released worldwide as Zero Wing Collector's Edition by Retro-Bit as part of Toaplan Shooters Collector's Edition in October 2020.

Production credits

Zero Wing Original Staff

• 68k Side: T.Ota, H.Furukawa
• Z80 Side: T.Uemura
• Graphics: S.Nakaoka, N.Ogiwara, M.Hayashi, S.Nito
• Music: T.Uemura, M.Yuge, T.Tomizawa

© Toaplan 1991.

Source:

In-game credits

Magazine articles

Main article: Zero Wing/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Print advert in Beep! MegaDrive (JP) #1991-03: "March 1991" (1991-02-08)
also published in:

• Mega Drive Fan (JP) #14: "March 1991" (1991-02-08)

Print advert in Beep! MegaDrive (JP) #1991-05: "May 1991" (1991-04-08)
also published in:

• Mega Drive Fan (JP) #16: "May 1991" (1991-04-08)

Print advert in Beep! MegaDrive (JP) #1991-06: "June 1991" (1991-05-08)

Print advert in Beep! MegaDrive (JP) #1991-07: "July 1991" (1991-06-08)
also published in:

• Beep! MegaDrive (JP) #1991-08: "August 1991" (1991-07-08)

Physical scans

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) 80 Aktueller Software Markt (DE) 72 Beep! MegaDrive (JP) NTSC-J 80 Console XS (UK) NTSC-J 77 Computer & Video Games (UK) 93 Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 7 (RU) 40 Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide (UK) 87 Famitsu (JP) NTSC-J 70 Games-X (UK) 92 Hippon Super (JP) NTSC-J 60 Hobby Consolas (ES) 86 Joypad (FR) PAL 90 Joystick (FR) 86 Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming (UK) PAL 72 Mega Drive Fan (JP) NTSC-J 66 Mega (UK) PAL 70 Mega Force (FR) 80 MegaTech (UK) 82 MegaTech (UK) PAL 82 Mean Machines (UK) 91 Mean Machines Sega (UK) 91 Player One (FR) 79 Play Time (DE) 68 Sega Power (UK) NTSC-J 100 Sega Power (UK) PAL 88 Sega Pro (UK) 78 Sega Pro (UK) PAL 77 Sega Force (UK) PAL 86 Sega Opisaniy i sekretov (RU) 66 Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J 75 Super Gaming (US) 67 Supersonic (FR) 85 Tilt (FR) 80 Video Games (DE) 67

	78
Based on 34 reviews

Zero Wing

Mega Drive, JP
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, EU
Cover
Cart Manual PCB

Mega Drive, SE Rental (Hent orange)
Cover

Mega Drive, AU

Technical information

Main article: Zero Wing/Technical information.

References

NEC Retro has more information related to Zero Wing