Uploaded February 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Zanac is one of the most well-known shmups in the NES library, but it can be a bit intimidating to newcomers unaware of its mechanics. In this video, I discuss my favorite approaches to playing this game based on my personal experiences, which includes my playthrough that I posted recently. This video will cover the special weapons as well as some of the secrets that you need to know about. This video should be useful for anyone who wants to learn how to beat Zanac.
One additional note about Special Weapon #3: when I said ground enemies, I was referring to blocks and fortress pieces. It can take out some ground turrets, but it tends to not go through things that aren't other ships.
00:00 Intro
00:43 Favorite Weapons
04:29 Take What The Game Gives You!
07:18 You Don't Need A Maxed Out Main Shot
08:55 Learning Enemy Patterns Over Strict Routes
12:47 The Reality Of Rank
Sources/Further Reading:
StrategyWiki page for the game: strategywiki.org/wiki/Zanac
GameFAQs guide to Zanac: gamefaqs.gamespot.com/nes/578335-zanac/faqs/27551
Hardcore Gaming 101 article: hardcoregaming101.net/zanac
Zanac is one of the most well-known shmups in the NES library, but it can be a bit intimidating to newcomers unaware of its mechanics. In this video, I discuss my favorite approaches to playing this game based on my personal experiences, which includes my playthrough that I posted recently. This video will cover the special weapons as well as some of the secrets that you need to know about. This video should be useful for anyone who wants to learn how to beat Zanac.
One additional note about Special Weapon #3: when I said ground enemies, I was referring to blocks and fortress pieces. It can take out some ground turrets, but it tends to not go through things that aren't other ships.
00:00 Intro
00:43 Favorite Weapons
04:29 Take What The Game Gives You!
07:18 You Don't Need A Maxed Out Main Shot
08:55 Learning Enemy Patterns Over Strict Routes
12:47 The Reality Of Rank
Sources/Further Reading:
StrategyWiki page for the game: strategywiki.org/wiki/Zanac
GameFAQs guide to Zanac: gamefaqs.gamespot.com/nes/578335-zanac/faqs/27551
Hardcore Gaming 101 article: hardcoregaming101.net/zanac
![Alex Kidd In Miracle World [Sega Master System] - No Miss 1CC Playthrough (No Cheats)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ry_r3hNQAW8/mqdefault.jpg "Alex Kidd In Miracle World [Sega Master System] - No Miss 1CC Playthrough (No Cheats)
00:17. Stage 1 (Mt. Eternal)
02:53. Stage 2 (First Motorcycle Section/Mt. Eternal Pt. 2)
04:08. Stage 3 (Lake Fathom)
05:47. Stage 4 (Island of St. Nurari)
06:58. Stage 5 (First Peticopter Section/St. Nurari Pt. 2)
07:30. Stage 6 (Village of Namui)
09:34. Stage 7 (Mt. Kave)
11:56. Stage 8 (The Blakwoods aka Blackwood Forest)
13:17. Stage 9 (Speedboat Section/Bingoo Lowland Pt.1)
13:53. Stage 10 (Bingoo Lowland Pt.2)
16:04. Stage 11 (Radaxian Castle)
20:20. Stage 12 (Radaxian City)
21:51. Stage 13 (Last Peticopter Section)
22:33. Stage 14 (Nibana Kingdom Castle, very short with no action)
22:50. Stage 15 (Nibana Kingdom, last Motorcycle section)
24:37. Stage 16 (Jankens Castle)
30:38. Stage 17 (Lake Deep aka Cragg Lake)
If you were to talk to anyone that owned a Master System back in the 80s and early 90s, one game that would be mentioned in that conversation would probably be Alex Kidd In Miracle World, if its not the first game that comes to mind. Alex Kidd In Miracle World was Segas answer to the original Super Mario Bros back in the 80s. This game proved to Master System owners that Sega could produce a platformer that could compete in terms of presentation and gameplay with Nintendo. By the early 90s, it would be built into the Master System II, a later model of the system that was sold at more of a budget price.
This game earned its excellent reputation amongst Master System owners for a few reasons. One, it looked outstanding for a console platformer circa 1986. Its a colorful, vibrant game with plenty of great environments that still holds up to this day, with simple but memorable tunes to compliment the graphics. Two, it has more storyline than something like Super Mario Bros. You interact with NPCs that fill you in on whats going on, which is a nice touch for this time period. The last stage is solving a puzzle with some clues you get in Stage 14 from the king of the Nibana Kingdom, if you bring him the letter found in Radaxian Castle.
The most important thing that made this game a classic was the gameplay. The level design has variety in spades, whether it be the first stage where youre coming down a mountain, the different vehicle sections, or the two Castle stages which feel like dangerous dungeons. You also get Items to use during your adventure, many of which are extremely helpful whether it be the Power Bracelet which shoots projectiles, the Powder that makes you invulnerable for a short period of time, or the Psychic Cane that allows you temporarily fly. I made use of the items to make certain sections a lot easier. Mario couldnt store items to use later in the original Super Mario Bros.
There are a couple of flaws with the game. The biggest flaw has to be the rock paper scissors matches. They only involve basic memorization of the initial patterns and no real skill beyond that. Once you know the right answers, you win every time. It just gets in the way of the boss battles, which also feel like an afterthought compared to the stages themselves which are extremely well designed overall. Second, the movement here is a bit too sensitive. Its very easy to mess up a jump or move too much and get yourself killed running into something. Its far from unplayable and thankfully, Alex Kidd has no inertia. However, there is definitely a learning curve to the platforming here. Also, Alex Kidds punches do not extend far without the Power Bracelet.
As far as my run goes, I didnt rush it. I just took my time and used items at very specific points. I tried to go for a lot of the extends, but I did mess up getting the extend on the alternative path in Stage 3 which is my biggest regret of the whole run. The interesting thing is that some of the extends depend on which question mark blocks you hit and in which order. Youll notice this in Stages 7 and 8 for example where I get Death but then I get the 1UP on the next one I destroy.
I had to practice certain parts like the two Castle stages, Blakwoods, and Stage 15 in order to get consistent on those sections. The last Castle has some interesting traps that can easily steal your lives if you do not know whats going to happen. I actually botched my route in Stage 15 a bit as I crashed the motorcycle a bit earlier than I wanted to, but I used the Psychic Cane like I did in Blakwoods to avoid some risky platforming.
Its a shame Sega didnt do better with the Alex Kidd series after this.
Played on RetroArch with the SMS GX Plus core using the ScaleHQ shader. No cheats were used. This was not a speedrun as my focus was on survival.
#sega #mastersystem #alexkiddinmiracleworld #alexkidd #platformer #retrogaming #retro #retrogames")
![Fire Arrow X [PC] - 5 Minute Mode No Miss ALL Clear 4,614,700 pts (Fire Arrow Plus)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/slNqYp-HbU4/mqdefault.jpg "Fire Arrow X [PC] - 5 Minute Mode No Miss ALL Clear 4,614,700 pts (Fire Arrow Plus)
After about 15 hours of total playtime between both versions of Fire Arrow included in Fire Arrow Plus, Ive finally done a No Miss clear of the 5 Minute Mode of Fire Arrow X. Amazing caravan shmup.
Played on Linux via Proton GE 7.14")
![Robotron 2084 [Atari Lynx] - 1,264,350 pts (to Wave 52)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/snsFizuyNCQ/mqdefault.jpg "Robotron 2084 [Atari Lynx] - 1,264,350 pts (to Wave 52)
Robotron 2084 got a lot of ports back in the day, but one of the most surprising ports is the Atari Lynx version of the game. Released in 1991, it managed to get around the lack of dual joysticks by allowing the player to change the direction of the shot with the B and A buttons while your character autofires by default. Not only that, but it manages to cram a very fast paced game onto the small Lynx screen, and does so without slowdown despite plenty of sprites on screen.
Ive had this game in my Lynx collection for over a decade and it has always been a favorite of mine. I decided to come back to this one via emulation to see how far I could push my high score, and I managed to score over a million points for the first time on this run.
I may create a discussion video breaking down this version of the game in the future, especially if people are interested in it.
00:00 Intro
00:14 Waves 1-5
01:39 Waves 6-10
03:38 Waves 11-15
05:35 Waves 16-20
08:09 Waves 21-25
10:32 Waves 26-30
12:46 Waves 31-35
15:15 Waves 36-40
17:23 Waves 41-45
19:29 Waves 46-50
21:57 Waves 51 and 52
Played in RetroArch using the Handy core. My shader preset is a custom combination of the PSP color and Fakelottes shaders.")
![Pirate Ship Higemaru [Arcade] - 1CC Playthrough 712,400 pts](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ux5ond525RM/mqdefault.jpg "Pirate Ship Higemaru [Arcade] - 1CC Playthrough 712,400 pts
Pirate Ship Higemaru is an action-puzzle arcade game created by Capcom and released in 1984 in Japan only. This was Capcoms third video game after Vulgus and SonSon as well as their first game that wasnt a shmup or shmup adjacent.
This game would be best described as an action-puzzle game inspired by Pengo with a pirate theme. Each stage, called a Deck, is a single grid-like screen where you use barrels (in Pengo it was ice blocks) or some non-destructible items like coins or stuffed bags to slide/roll toward enemies in order to take them out. On most stages, you have to take out all of the chubby little bearded pirates known as the Higemaru. There are also optional pirate captains to take out known as the Bows that regenerate continously until you kill all the Higemarus and the stages ends. On Decks 4, 8, 12, and 16, there are Hi-Point decks that only spawn the Bows and you have to kill all of them in order to move on. There are flashing barrels that you can pick up that have items that are worth a small amount of extra points. Another way to score extra points is to take out more than one stunned Higemaru in a row with a single barrel or non-destructible object. You get a slight bonus for this as demonstrated right before Deck 1 in the introduction.
There are some differences between this and Pengo in terms of gameplay. One, this are secret items underneath the non-destructibles that can be acquired by big scoring bonuses or an occasional 1-UP if you dont grab anything else prior on the stage. This applies to Stages 3, 6, 9, 10, 12, 14 and 15 on the first loop. This adds an extra scoring component along with the items from the flashing barrels. This game also lacks bonuses from clearing stages quickly as well as anything like the diamond block mechanic. Plus, the barrels work a bit differently than the ice blocks in Pengo. You can pick them up and move around until youre ready to use them. Also, your barrels goes slightly up in the air whenever you roll it left or right, meaning that it can kill enemies slightly above your position. Taking advantage of this is key to success in the later stages.
As far as difficulty goes, this game starts out fairly chill until the second half of the first loop. By Round 10, the enemies become significantly faster and smarter and the challenge ramps up until it peaks at the end of Loop 1 on Deck 16. Also, despite the stage layouts staying the same and the secret items staying in the same places, there is RNG in terms of where enemies spawn on a given stage, so you cannot memorize this game completely. Despite all of that, this is not a super challenging arcade game. After the first loop is done after Deck 16, the game repeats Decks 9-16 infinitely until the player runs out of lives. There is no difficulty increase after the first loop either.
As far as other versions of the game go, there is a virtually perfect port of this game on Capcom Generation 3 for Playstation and Sega Saturn that includes a remixed soundtrack that sounds better than the original music. You can also play this nowadays on Capcom Arcade Stadium for cheap. It has also been included in the past on mini-consoles like the AtGames Legends Flashback and the Retro-Bit Super Retro-Cade.
Played on MAME .287 via the MAME Current RetroArch core and recorded in OBS Studio. Also, I left my mic plugged in by accident (it was actually on the floor away from my PC). You can hear my voice in the background at the end of the first loop because I was pretty excited about beating Deck 16. Oh well lol.
00:00 Intro
00:17 Deck 1
01:06 Deck 2
01:58 Deck 3
02:59 Deck 4
03:52 Deck 5
05:10 Deck 6
06:13 Deck 7
07:20 Deck 8
08:16 Deck 9
09:43 Deck 10
11:14 Deck 11
12:54 Deck 12
13:44 Deck 13
14:42 Deck 14
16:19 Deck 15
17:48 Deck 16
18:49 Loop 2")
![Mickeys Speedway USA [Game Boy Color] - A Forgotten Handheld Racer](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vS4OYDDn1cM/mqdefault.jpg "Mickeys Speedway USA [Game Boy Color] - A Forgotten Handheld Racer
In this video, I discuss the Game Boy Color version of Mickeys Speedway USA, why this game was an outstanding handheld racer when it came out, and why it was forgotten in the long run. All footage was recorded in Sameboy using color correction and the monochrome LCD shader.
#gameboycolor #rareware #mickeymouse #disney #disneygames #disneygame #nintendo #gbc #racinggames
00:00 Intro
00:10 Start of Review, Graphics and Music
02:40 Gameplay
05:16 Why This Game Was Forgotten")
![The New Tetris [N64] - Ultra Mode Run 2:36](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vhS9KgBqSG0/mqdefault.jpg "The New Tetris [N64] - Ultra Mode Run 2:36
The New Tetris is one of my favorite Tetris games and definitely a highlight of the N64 library. I recorded this to show off the 4x4 square block mechanic to @LukesAwakening64, who does a lot of N64 first impression videos and live-streams. I recommend his channel if you like N64:
https://www.youtube.com/@LukesAwakening
This isnt a perfect run by any means, but this is my fastest run of Ultra Mode. I do regret some of the later moves I made but it didnt make much of an impact on the final result. The goal is only to get to 150 lines cleared, which was made easier with the silver and gold squares. If you make a 4x4 square blocks with the same exact type of piece, you get a gold square that makes any line that has a row of it worth 10 lines instead of one when cleared. If a variety of different pieces are used to make that 4x4 square block, you get a silver square thats worth 5 points per line that has a row of it included. If theres a row of both a silver and a gold square like in this clip, its 15 points per line so the bonus stacks with more than one square block.
Also, the DUSK video is still in the plans, but it has been a very busy month for me. I havent been playing video games as much as Id like either, but this was really easy to put together. I should start getting more free time next week, but its going to take more editing than usual to get that video to a finished state.
Played in RetroArch with the Fakelottes shader.")
![San Francisco Rush The Rock [Gamecube/Arcade] - Embarcadero 1st Place (Midway Arcade Treasures 3)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wL8pkYCD70s/mqdefault.jpg "San Francisco Rush The Rock [Gamecube/Arcade] - Embarcadero 1st Place (Midway Arcade Treasures 3)
San Francisco Rush The Rock Alcatraz Edition got a port to 6th generation consoles via Midway Arcade Treasures 3. Unfortunately, a lot of the games included had emulation issues, and this game has issues on this compilation as well.
To start with the good, it runs most of the time at 60 FPS with only some minor dips near the beginning of races. This is noticeably better than the original game though that may disappoint those wanting perfect emulation. It looks pretty nice when using upscaling in Dolphin. It does have all the levels from Rush The Rock obviously, so it is based on the arcade version and not the console versions.
The main problem here is the physics getting tweaked. The cars are now too touchy, especially on jumps. This even applies to the Beginner car. Also, its pretty much impossible to keep your car on a straight line for some reason. You car always wants to veer to one side or the other and trying to correct can cause you to start losing traction, and it’s super obvious. It almost makes you wonder if your controller got stick drift from this game. Just compare this to the original running in MAME and you’ll see the differences right away.
Embarcadero shows off the problem with jumps pretty well, and this was my best run at that course. The ending is quite humorous, as the last car suicides right as I’m about to pass him. I avoided most of the shortcuts here because honestly, they’re not helpful.
Played in the Dolphin Emulator using a Razer Wolverine V2.")
