HyperZone
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| HyperZone | |
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| Developer(s) | HAL Laboratory, Inc. |
| Publisher(s) | HAL Laboratory, Inc. |
| Platform(s) | SFC/SNES |
| Release date | JP August 31, 1991 NA September 1991 |
| Genre(s) | Rail shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | not rated |
HyperZone is a shooter game developed by HAL Laboratory, Inc. for the Super NES. It was one of the first to be released for the console, and is notably one of the few "rail shooter" type games available. Like many of the system's earlier releases, HyperZone made liberal use of the Super Nintendo's outwardly impressive (at the time) mode 7 capability.
[edit] Gameplay
HyperZone plays like a cross between a racing game and shooter. The object of the game is to navigate each level while shooting enemies and earning points, until finally an encounter with a boss ends each level. After enough points are acquired, the player earns an extend and his/her ship is upgraded in the next stage (a total of six times.)
As a racing game, the resemblance is visual. The mode 7 "tracks" bear a resemblance to the well-known progenitor of mode 7 racing, F-Zero. As a rail shooter, in the same vein as Star Fox, the player's ship is constantly pushed forward through each level. While it is possible to slow down, doing so eventually causes damage to the player's ship.
HyperZone contains 8 levels altogether. After the initial game is finished, it restarts from the beginning with the player continuing in the same ship and keeping score; the game loops infinitely.
[edit] Regional differences
- Between the Japanese and American releases, levels 1 and 3 underwent a graphics swap. The level layout and enemy positioning (aside from each boss encounter) is still the same; only the graphics set and background music are different. It is unknown why this was done, as level 1 and 3 end up having bosses that do not fit into their respective color schemes.
- The Japanese version is called "Hyper Zone," and as such all logotypes in and out of game are different.
[edit] References
- Super NES Games (PDF). Nintendo of America. Retrieved on 2006-07-28.
- HAL Laboratory. HyperZone. HAL Laboratory Inc., 1991.
