History VideoGame / Zanac

Zanac is a shoot'em up made by Creator/{{Compile}}. It has produced 3 main games:

''Zanac'' is also one of the first shoot'em ups to feature dynamic AI. ''Zanac'' series gameplay focuses on defeating normal enemies rather than bosses.

The storyline, such as it is, involves the System, a construct left behind by long-dead precursors. The System was created to grant wisdom to those who opened its Icon properly, and destroy those who opened it improperly. Humanity's first attempt to open the Icon resulted in disaster, causing the System to assault human civilization. Facing extinction, humanity manages to open the Icon properly, but by this point, the System had grown beyond the Icon's control. However, the humans learned that the System was designed to fight massive enemy armadas, and may have difficulty coping with a lone attacker. With that, the AFX-6502-ZANAC fighter sets off on its desperate mission.

* DynamicDifficulty: One of the first in shoot'em ups. The NES/MSX games also has sprite limits to keep the difficulty level from getting too high. (and to keep away flickering/slowdown).

** Holding A, B and SELECT when starting a new game will make ZANAC ship to have different look.

* IdiotBall: Someone who opened the "Icon" improperly.

* SavingTheWorld: The system is the threat to humanity and it's up to Zanac to stop it.

* EveryTenThousandPoints: Extra lives are awarded after reaching certain scores.

* SentryGun: Basically any surface-mounted turret.

* SpySatellites: Sarts in the original which fly around.

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

In 2021, the game was ported to the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, itself based on the 2005 mobile phone port of the NES version.

* AsteroidThicket: "Arer" 5 in the original.

* BoringButPractical: Weapon 0. You start out with it, and it isn't fancy nor does it have high DPS, but most importantly it can shoot in any of the eight basic directions, making it ideal for hitting enemies to the side of or behind you.

%% * EasterEgg

* SmartBomb: Enemy Erasers and weapon 6 in the original which clear all the non-boss air targets. Fairies are even stronger since after they're used as such, they blow up the fortress as soon as you reach one.
* SpaceIsNoisy

* SuperPrototype: Your Zanac fighter.

* WarpZone: Smiling Icons in the original game spawn Enemy Erasers which then turn into these. A few of them take you backwards though.

* ChainReactionDestruction: Capital ships and final boss in the NES version.

** Very frequently, you'll encounter "enemies" that drop down onto the screen carrying a subweapon item.
** Another common enemy type is a "recon"-type ship that, when shot, reduces the game's DynamicDifficulty. If shot with a subweapon, it may drop a OneUp.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Weapon 4 in the original is a vibrating projectile weapon. Hence, it's called the Vibrator.

* TimeLimitBoss: Bosses are on time limits; fail to defeat the boss in time and you continue on, but [[DynamicDifficulty the game becomes more aggressive]]. The only exception is the FinalBoss, although a toggle in the ''Zanac x Zanac'' version allows you to enable one for it.

* StalkedByTheBell: Each boss (save for the FinalBoss) is on a timer. Fail to defeat the boss in time, and you continue the stage (or advance to the next in the case of an endboss)...and the DynamicDifficulty goes up. Only the FinalBoss has no time limit, but ''Zanac X Zanac'' allows the player to enable one for that boss.

* HandWave: Of ItsUpToYou. The backstory explains that the System is well-equipped to take on entire armies, but cannot cope with a lone enemy fighter.

The storyline, such as it is, involves the System, a construct left behind by long-dead precursors. The System was created to grant wisdom to those who opened its Icon properly, and destroy those who opened it improperly. Humanity's first attempt to open the Icon ended in disaster, causing the System to assault human civilization. Facing extinction, humanity manages to open the Icon properly, but by this point, the System had grown beyond the Icon's control. However, the humans learned that the System was designed to fight massive enemy armadas, and may have difficulty coping with a lone attacker. With that, the AFX-6502-ZANAC fighter sets off on its desperate mission.

* AIIsACrapshoot: The System was designed for killing those who opened the Icon improperly. It was supposed to stop when the Icon was opened properly, but didn't.

* LuckBasedMission: Whenever you see a group of 3 boxes, you can play "box roulette": Without firing at any of the boxes, ram into one of them. [[ViolationOfCommonSense There's a 1/3 chance it's a box with a powerup and you'll get upgraded to level 3 shots]], and a 2/3 chance of obviously dying instead. If you succeed at box roulette 3 times without firing any shots at boxes, you'll get an upgrade to level 4 shots, with the only other way of getting them being to shoot a certain type of smiley-face statue.