Zone Warrior

Wanna be a Timecop?

I love platform shooters; this was developed in 1991 by Imagitec Design for Electronic Arts. The story is simple, pesky aliens are causing grief for us Earthlings. They have pinched a time machine and are using it to alter history and wreak havoc by taking hostages from different periods. This is an attempt to halt their influence... The invention of the wheel. England's King Arthur united the Britons. Japan's technical wizardry!

Yep, we cannot allow it and the fight is on! So, brace yourself because we are travelling into these time zones to rescue everybody. Thus saving the timeline and protecting our future. Whilst there, we may as well kill each and every bad dude that gets in our way. Yup, it's time to save the day again so let's lock and load!!

Before we begin, check out this screenshot and tell me what other run & gunner it reminds you of...

Pick-ups are pretty cool but something like the Map parts is essential for this huge platformer!!

Are you ready for a challenge?

Zone Warrior is a MASSIVE horizontally scrolling platformer that reminded me of Psygnosis' Baal in looks with (more than) a hint of Turrican-style action. Each zone is a labyrinth of rooms interconnected by a series of complicated doorways. A total of five time zones need to be saved from the dreaded aliens...

• Prehistoric - I really enjoyed this zone because it introduces you nicely into the gameplay style plus there are lots of power-ups and strong map designs compared to most other levels. I also thought the graphics were the best here with great use of the palette.

• Egyptian - This is is little disappointing for me because it's basically more of the same design but with a different graphics. However, I found it to be a lot harder and rather frustrating instead of anything close to an enjoyable challenge...

• Medieval - Saving the medieval Britons from their alien fate is a brilliant level and definitely on par with the Prehistoric Zone. I must admit, the music here is so gorgeous!

• Japanese - I would rate this as the best level of all because it is really challenging, with some great mechanics. Unlike the finicky Egyptian Zone, I found it tough but without the frustration. And the chipmusic is out of this world!!

• Holocaust - Sadly I didn't care for this zone... Very frustrating and ultimately annoying!

Travelling most zones is a neat experience with constant action to keep your trigger finger happy. During the onslaught, look for hostages and a key for the final battle (before you can progress to the next zone).

Each of these periods has its own nasties to contend with and some cannot be killed, so avoid the Venus flytraps and sharp spikes. However, most have legs or teeth, so have your trusty Turrican-inspired weapon ready. This is a rapid-firing gun that performs well and can even be upgraded with a wider spread. Also, the spacebar cycles through extra weapons you may have picked up like bombs and mines. Experiment but use wisely.

Okay, let's check out another screenshot of Tur...Erm, no, I meant Zone Warrior...

I really enjoyed the prehistoric levels with dinos and cool methods used to avoid them!

Aesthetics?

The visuals are a mixed bag; on the one hand, they look amazing with lush colours and nice details. The sprites are well-drawn and meticulous, especially the stripy dinos from the Prehistoric Zone. The scrolling is great and responsive to our hero's fast/leaping movements, essential to a running-gunner-shooter like this. However, the variety of the backdrops could have been better, especially as things get samey after a while.

Overall, the Medieval and Japanese zones looked the best, I thought. Sexy visuals!

The audio is a blast with great effects throughout. However, it's the music I really loved because everything is composed by Barry Leitch who created a wealth of fantastic chiptunes. Show-stompingly brilliant audio!!

Variety is the spice of life <sarcasm incoming> so if you like yellows, you will love this screenshot...

The graphics and music may change but the gameplay is pretty darn familiar for each level...

The CryptO'pinion?

The trouble with Zone Warrior is that it's too easy to lose your bearings. The levels are huge and wandering from "room to room" can be overwhelming. This is also due to the indistinct visuals so each area begins to feel repetitive. Thankfully, our zone warrior can collect pieces of a map to help prevent him from getting lost but I thought it was poorly implemented. Yes, I lost my bearings... a lot... and that spoilt my fun.

With a little more variation in the graphics, to help distinguish between the locations, this would have knocked the spots of other platform shooters. This is a great game with interesting mechanics and incredibly responsive joystick controls. It might whiff of Turrican but I have really enjoyed being a Zone Warrior!!

Yep, Zone Warrior is a fantastic shooter and comes highly recommended by yours truly. Play this!!

 Update: we now have a hard drive installable game thanks to Peter @8BitChip.

 Stonish has the floppy disk download thanks to the Fuzion #80 disk :-)