Virtually Overlooked: Zillion

by JC Fletcher { Aug 30th 2007 at 5:20PM }

Welcome to our weekly feature, Virtually Overlooked, wherein we talk about games that aren't on the Virtual Console yet, but should be. Call it a retro-speculative.

Metroid Week leaves us in kind of a tight spot in terms of Virtually Overlooked content. We at the Virtually Overlooked Research Center want to be team players, but it's hard to imagine a less obscure franchise than Metroid. Samus Aran is often mentioned in the same breath as Mario and Link, and, unlike those two extremely well-known characters, she has no terrible CD-I game to her credit.

We suppose we could talk about Metroid II and Metroid Fusion, the two main-series Metroid games not on the VC, but that seems kind of obvious. Instead, here's a Sega Master System game that is one of the earliest post-Metroid Metroidvania games.

Zillion is, like Metroid, a side-scrolling, free-roaming adventure game set in a sci-fi environment. Unlike Metroid, it was a licensed property, made to tie in with an anime series co-produced by Sega. As a licensed game (and as a Sega Master System game, but that's mean) it's naturally not as good as Metroid, but it's still a great platform game.

Also as a result of its 80's-anime provenance, Zillion has a bright, squeaky-clean, metallic aesthetic that contrasts sharply with the organic, alien Metroid environments. This appearance is only augmented by the Master System palette, which is hard to describe-- you just know a Master System game when you see one. It's something in the weird teal blue. The anime character portraits, brightly colored hair, upbeat music, and humanoid enemies give a much bouncier tone than Metroid's bleak isolation. Where Samus is exploring a desolate planet of ruins and mysterious wildlife, your character in Zillion is infiltrating a populated, manmade installation. And unlike Metroid, you aren't alone.

Zillion casts you as a kid named J.J. who goes into an underground base to rescue his friends Apple and Champ, who were captured, perhaps, for the crime of having names that sound like they should belong to cereal mascots. You have a gun that looks exactly like the Master System Light Phaser, though used more for shooting robots and soldiers and less for Safari Hunting. We personally love the look of the SMS gun, by the way, and thank the Zillion designers for that little connection. Once you've rescued Apple and Champ, they become playable characters, adhering to the slow-and-powerful/fast-and-weak alternate character dynamic. Samus, of course, never had any help.

Opening doors in Zillion is never as simple as shooting at them and waiting for the bwoooop: you must find numerical combinations, and either memorize or write them down. Between Zillion, Phantasy Star, and Miracle Warriors, having to write down information in order to navigate was a pretty common Master System experience.

[Images via Hardcore Gaming 101, SMS Power]

Tags: metroidweek, sega, sms, zillion

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

jp @ Aug 30th 2007 5:39PM

Nice call. Zillion was one of the Master System's gems, a Metroid-like adventure that was only really hampered by the system's awful D-pad design. Nice to see it get some love. (And too bad the sequel sucked so very hard.)

JC Fletcher @ Aug 30th 2007 5:43PM

Zillion II sure didn't suck when I was 8 and didn't know better.

Actually, it kind of did. But I never knew because I could barely get thirty seconds into the game without dying. I just assumed that everything after that was great.

hvnlysoldr @ Aug 30th 2007 5:44PM

You guys keep pushing Cave Story and would have been a shoe-in this week on this feature but I realized you already did a retro-speculative on it.

Zack W. @ Aug 30th 2007 6:02PM

It looks like one of those games where I would play for maybe an hour and just assume victory after dying for the 100th time.

jay @ Aug 30th 2007 7:36PM

I'm actually playing through Metroid for the first time on the VC. Already knowing Zillion very well, I too thought there were many similarities. Though I'm not sure SMS games looked a certain way, unless you mean "better than NES games." Oh snap, 8 bit console wars are back on!

upirons @ Aug 31st 2007 7:03AM

Zillion was THE game to play on the SMS and I loved every minute of it. The final boss was about the only organic looking thing in the whole game. A huge dinosaur looking thing that seemed quite out of place. There was even more to the ending but I won't spoil it for any of you who may be looking forward to checking it out.

Zillion II was a huge disappointment and I can't believe they trashed what was a potentially long running series.

michael @ Aug 31st 2007 12:21AM

Master System Defense Force, Assemble!

The Master System could produce 52 colors on screen at once, while the NES could only muster 26. THAT is why it is superior. The fact that I remember that bit of useless fanboy information is the reason why I am pathetic.

Another great moment in Master System history: I faked being sick to go home from school in 4th Grade and then somehow talked my mom into taking me to the mall so I could buy the 3D glasses to play Missile Defense 3D in all it's glory.

Jules @ Aug 31st 2007 7:40AM

Ok, a bit off topic but...
I can't remember if i'm correct or not but i seem to recall that when you didn't put a game in (i think it was...) the sega mega drive, wasn't there like a maze game built in. Snails ring a bell with it too for some reason (maybe you were a snail going around the maze). Does anyone know what i'm talking about. Can you do a virtually overlooked thing on that game if i'm right :D

slightly back on topic...i don't know why everyone keeps bashing the CD-I zelda game 'face of evil'. I seem to recall liking it when i was younger. The cut scenes made me laugh - think there was one of a woman cutting fish heads. Ok it was nothing like the zelda games of today, and at the time I had never played any of the other zeldas, so i guess it must've been my first one. I never completed it though.

Alpha Jammer @ Aug 31st 2007 1:31PM

Man oh man, do I love Zillion. It is one of my all time favorite games and for sure is my fave SMS game. Great music (check out http://ocremix.org/game/zillion-sms/ for two bad-ass remixes by DJPretzel) and atmosphere. It was a challenging adventure that kept you on your toes, and constantly using control panels to alter the rooms that you came across.
The only gripe I have is the fact that the pause button for the SMS is on the console itself. Having to quickly reach up and switch characters was such a pain! And who hasn't accidentally hit RESET instead of PAUSE !!! Arg!
Here's hoping the SMS comes to the VC so everyone can experience this great game! Perhaps Gametap will offer it up soon!

ufos @ Sep 3rd 2007 1:45PM

i remember the snail maze game on sms. you had to do a button and pad combination. ithink it was hold 1&2+hold d-pad down. do it with no game in console and before the SEGA intro screen goes off.