Zanac A.I. [Model L29V5906(PNF-ZAN)]

Zanac A.I. © 1986 Pony Canyon.

Zanac A.I. is a vertical shooter, conversion of a game originally released for the MSX in 1985.

Humanity is under attack from an otherworldly force - many millenniums ago, an alien race created a device called the System which is now threatening Earth. As a last resort against the unknown force, the AFX-6502 Zanac fighter is sent out to put a stop to the invasion. The weapon system is what makes the fighter such an unstoppable war machine - the initial primary laser gun can be upgraded in all kinds of ways. Although collecting yellow floating orbs (usually hidden inside blue bunkers) increases its fire-power, eight secondary weapons types are available for the picking (indicated by flashing number pods). They consist of All Range Weapon, Straight Crusher, Field Shutter, Circular, Vibrator, Rewinder, Plasma Flash and High Speed. The goal of the game is to destroy the main central base located at the end of the game, but countless other bosses (all anchored to the ground) are scattered around each level - they are all made out of several core-units that need to be destroyed to proceed. But the essence of the game lies in its unique automatic level of difficulty, hence the A.I. suffix next to the game's title. The strength and amount of enemies on screen change in function of the player's skill level - the better the player performs, the more difficult the game becomes.