Play Fantasy Zone Online

Game Overview

Fantasy Zone is this weirdly charming arcade shooter where you play as Opa-Opa—a little spaceship with wings and tiny feet—zooming around these candy-colored planets to stop the Menons from stealing all the coins. It sounds silly, but there’s something hypnotic about how bright and bouncy everything is, even when you’re getting swarmed by enemies.

Each level has you wiping out every creature in sight while hunting down hidden enemy bases (six per stage in the Master System version, not ten like the arcade). Destroy them all, and a big, screen-filling boss shows up—some of them are totally different from the original arcade release, which keeps things interesting. Between levels, you can drop by a shop to upgrade your weapons or engines, though you’ll burn through coins fast if you’re not careful.

The Master System port cuts a few corners—no radar to find bases, for one—but it’s still a solid version of a classic. And if you’ve played the 3DS remake, you might recognize a couple of the bosses here, since that version lets you swap them in as an unlockable. Either way, it’s a great little shooter with way more personality than most.