Super Fantasy Zone (スーパーファンタジーゾーン, Sūpā Fantajī Zōn) is a scrolling shooter video game developed and published by Sunsoft for the Mega Drive.
Players control the character Opa-Opa on his quest to defeat Dark Menon, and the game plays similarly to previous Fantasy Zone entries.
The player shoots at enemies to defeat them, collecting gold coins that are used to purchase temporary upgrades that improve Opa-Opa's offensive capabilities and speed, among other things.
Super Fantasy Zone is a scrolling shooter puts the player in control of Opa-Opa, a winged, sentient spaceship who can either fly or walk on the ground.
[2][3] It is a single-player game,[2] and the player's goal is to destroy every enemy generator, leading to them fighting a boss battle at the end of that level.
[4] The game follows Opa-Opa as he fights to avenge the death of his father, (O-papa), who was killed defending the Fantasy Zone against the invading "Dark Menon".
Writer Kirk Rutter felt that it was "nicely put together," stating that while he thought shoot 'em ups "should be basic," Super Fantasy Zone suffered from both a "lack of ideas" and substance.
[17] Joypad Magazine writer J'm DESTROY felt that, despite its appearance, Super Fantasy Zone was a good shooter, praising the ability to scroll both left and right for giving the game more variety.
[20] Cubed3 writer David Kelly felt that it was simple even by comparison to its contemporaries, praising it for being "highly entertaining" and giving commendation for making a faithful sequel despite being a different developer.
IGN writer Lucas M. Thomas agreed with Levi's assessment, echoing similar praise, though suggesting that players new to the series may want to try Fantasy Zone first.
[9] Eurogamer writer Dan Whitehead appreciated how Super Fantasy Zone contrasted with the Wii's typically "deadly serious shooters" on the Virtual Console, He felt that it was not among the greatest of the genre, but still enjoyed it.
[25] Staff for the Venezuelan Club Nintendo magazine, in a review of Super Fantasy Zone, compared its visual style to the Kirby series, suggesting it did not require much skill to play, making it more accessible.