Z-Exemplar

[h1] A bit like ZX Spectrum game. Collect Z and conquer planets. Get to the core to finish the level and explore space map as it unfolds. Plenty of stages to complete and upgradable weapons to improve your ship. Gameplay is ok, hold fire button to choose one of available power ups like shield, drone or rockets but first collect some Z to do that. A bit simplistic and overall more for shmup enthusiasts. Sounds are 8-bit like and so are the visuals. [/h1]

Best horizontal shoot 'em up for the ZX Spectrum 😎

Its a smashing little pick-up-and-play vertical shmup in the style of the ZX Spectrum. I'm old enough to have played an awful lot of shoot 'em ups on the speccy such as Nemesis, Flying Shark, Xevious and R-Type (which ranged from Nemesis - awful to R-Type - incredible) back in the days when I had hair, but none are as colourful, varied, or as forgiving as this. But then, this is a lot larger than 48KB. It's a love letter to my youth. Great stuff. And thank you.

While game perfectly captures ZX Spectrum nostalgia (R-Type but other games are referenced in graphics and color schemes too), its' novelty quickly wears off, and the game turns into repetitive grind. Contr-intuitively, most hostile planets, that require lots of replays, have less coins, so they are less rewarding. This slows progress to a halt. Also, despite there are many different planets, planets of the same type are different combinations of same patterns, and new enemies or level elements are introduced rarely. So, while game provides several hours of Spectrum-ish fun (color clash is almost 100% perfect), I don't recommend it if you have habit of actually winning the games and don't want to grind.

This game is amazing. The bite-size levels and in-depth upgrade system make this title much more approachable to newcomers than other shoot-em-up titles, making it a good place to introduce someone to the genre. The open-ended structure is also a welcome addition. If a level is too difficult, you can just try another one nearby and come back later. The Z-Mail adds some fun flavor text without being heavy-handed with story, which I appreciate. Despite the clear inspiration from shmup giants like Gradius and R-Type, this game offers plenty of original ideas to set itself apart. If you're new to this genre, then I'd recommend this as a good jumping-off point, before plunging your way into arcade bullet purgatory.

“...a must for Retrogamers”