| Here's another game that was destined for stardom. Only to be
sabatoged by the Lynx's demise. Zarlor Mercenary is the finest
example of a vertical shooter *ever* released on a portable
system. The graphics, sound, and gameplay go beyond anything seen
before, or since. ZM begins with virtually no story, taking you
right to select screen. Which is fine, considering ZM is based
heavily on action. And there's *lots* of action. Anyway, you have
four characters to choose from, each with their own unique
weapons. After that, it's into the fire. ZM 's enemies look and
move just like any other shooter. And frankly, they could have
gotten real boring, real quick. But the shear number of enemies,
and the variety keep things fresh. In fact, every level in ZM has
at least two or three enemies unique to the level. Not counting
the bosses waiting at the end. ZM has everything that console
shooters have, tons of weapons, tons of enemies, and huge bosses.
And when you realize all this is coming from a Lynx, you've got
something.
GRAPHICS: Tremendous stuff. Overall the best of any Lynx game.
The constant vertical-scrolling comes off flawlessly. Nothing is
blurred or distorted. The enemies are distinct, and their
projectiles are easy to see. The bosses typically take up half the
screen, and the use of scaling is perfectly done. This looks like
an above-average 16-bit game. *****
SOUND: The sound in ZM is not it's strongest point. But it's
still better than I expected. No background music, except for the
opening theme. At least that's you think at first. But there's
actually some background tunes in most levels. It's just distorted
by all the sound effects coming from enemy ships as well as your
own. Making ZM's sound a little cluttered. ***
CONTROL: Solid in every aspect. Your ship control is tight and
*very* responsive. You can stop on a dime. But even with that
nifty control, you often get "snuffed out" by sheer
number of on-screen enemies. There times when dodging is just
impossible, which makes you want to blame the controls. When, in
fact, it's the programmers fault. ***1/2
OPTIONS: Not many outside of weaponry. The biggest choice you
make is your initial choice of character. Each has a weapon unique
to them, include a laser, and homing missiles. At the end of each
level you enter a "shop" where you can buy the usual
power-ups, like speed boosters and bombs. ***
REPLAY: This would have been a four or five star, but ZM is a
*little* on the tough side. The fist two levels are easy enough.
But everything after that is a nightmare. Almost to the point of
turning you off. But ZM is such a great game, and so fun to play,
it's only a matter of time before your playing again. ***1/2
Well...Zarlor Mercenary is a great game. That's really the gist
of it. If you like shooters, this game is *definately* for you.
And if your a Lynx owner, this game is worth it just because it
shows off the Lynx's muscle. Zarlor Mercenary is must play for
all.
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