In yet another staggering show of enthusiasm from the retro gaming crowd, a new Sega Genesis (Mega Drive for non-US readers) was just announced on Kickstarter and is enjoying an absolute funding blitz.
ZPF is the latest project from famed retro dev (in this case publisher) Mega Cat Studios, known for its lengthy catalogue of modern games released on retro consoles. Described by the company as "a good old-fashioned horizontal shooter," also "known in the community as a horizontal shmup (or STG)," ZPF seems to take influence from classic shooters like Thunder Force, Eliminate Down, and Steel Empire.
The dev team is led by Perry "Gryzor" Sessions, creator of the 2020 indie shmup Super XYX, with Tanzer creator Mikael Tillander handling the coding and hardware side of things. Composer Jamie Vance, whose credits range from Call of Duty 2 to WWE SmackDown! Vs Raw 2006, is handling the soundtrack and doing some voiceover work.
Although the Kickstarter was just announced, it's safe to say there's a pretty hearty appetite for new Sega Genesis games with gorgeous pixel art from time-tested retro developers, as ZPF reached its initial $15,000 Kickstarter funding goal in just 19 minutes, reached 300% funding in under 24 hours, and at the time of writing has five times that target amount in backer money.
Stretch goals aside, the final version of the game at launch will include "at least" six stages "of full-on mayhem," three playable characters with their own unique ranged and melee abilities, "many mid and end stage bosses," a shop with buffs and hints, as well as "secrets, hidden stages, and multiple endings."
The story seems to involve three heroes with very little regard for gravity and ammo capacity fighting against all manner of bullet spongey aliens, but let's be real, we don't play these types of games for their nuanced stories or thoughtful commentaries. We just want to blow stuff up, and ZPF definitely seems to fit the bill.
Backers on Kickstarter can bag themselves a variety of rewards based on how much they pledge, from a simple "thank you" from the developers to limited edition cartridges, an artbook, the soundtrack on vinyl, a poster, stickers, and more.
Mega Cat is aiming for a February 2025 launch.
