Shmup fans can rejoice, as the end of August brings along NMK's 1994 title Zed Blade (better know in Japan as Operation Ragnarok) to the Switch eShop. In this frenetic horizontal shmup you have the choice of three craft with different speeds along with customizable weaponry. After your choices have been made it is time to make a trip around our solar system, turning everything that moves on the screen into scrap metal.
But Zed Blade not only offers frenetic visual action but also great sound. The game is best remembered for the remarkable '90s electronic dance music that goes along with the action, which is 100% assured to bother every single person around your vicinity who isn't player 2.
Another of Hamster's phenomenal Arcade Archives months comes to an end with quite a bang. We know some of our readers were eagerly waiting for this one, but we must at the same time ask Hamster to stop all this teasing and release Pulstar already.
On a curious note, this is not the the only time shmup action got paired with '90s rave electronica. In the previous year Athena's Super Famicom BioMetal found itself shipped to America and Europe sporting a whole new soundtrack provided by dance act 2 Unlimited, because someone at Activision believed that was the key element for the game to succeed in the West!
Ah, the '90s... none of us were right in the head back then.
Comments 21
Hamster is the gift that keeps on giving.
If the switch had been out when I was a kid I would have lost my mind. ...and likely failed out of school.
Right on I would've gotten the game this week but Nintendo like to release less games around major releases...pity. I have to wait the horror
Hamster bringing in the goods! Not the other kind of hamster that bring in the goods on the floor.
I love the shooting games HAMSTER is bringing to the Switch. Count me in for this game.
Sweet
People love giving weird names to things don't they? Zed Blade? LMFAO
I'll be picking it up next week, Pulstar as been on the Xbox One for awhile now. So I'm hoping that will it the Switch soon as well.
Visually looks a bit messy but that soundtrack !! Very 2 unlimited ! Kind of curious !
The switch is slowly becoming my personal arcade machine.
The sound artist needed a lesson from the UK rave scene.
I love shooters I really do. But the last two ACA shooters I bought were stupid hard due to their quarter-eating arcade nature I suppose. Unless its a fighting game, I'm kinda done with ACAs for a while.
@audiobrainiac I highly recommend Aero Fighters 2. It's possible to stay alive for a good bit on that one. Powerups are generous too.
@OorWullie This. Plus it's just awesome.
I strongly recommend to follow the suggestion to watch the linked video of the japanese version of BioMetal first and then look for a video of the western version.
Uncle Beard and a 3-way? Defo the 90s!
Oh Hamster what would us Switch retro fans do without you?? Day 1 for this one as well!
So dang excited to get this! Those stage 2 beats! One of my favorite side scroll shooters
Also, I really hope Sengoku 3 is somewhere in the cards
Sigh, Hamster, what are you doing to me!?! Day one because I am a fan of the genre...but I'm interested in how this rates.
Personally I've always thought Zedblade is a bit horrid. I'd avoid this one.
@chiptoon Ye, this is defo one of the more divisive games on the NEO GEO. I personally don't think it's much cop. Everything is too big and the music is annoying lol bu I will still look forward to it's review and will still buy it for my portable NEO GEO collection
I think people who only want a few shmups should get Strikers 1945, Blazing Star and Aero Fighters 2 first, but i'll definitely pick this up when it comes out next week.
I hope Hamster will also bring Ironclad to the Switch soon, that game is pretty awesome with a really good soundrack and a Starfox 64-like branching path system.
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