So vast is Jaleco’s back catalogue that dozens of games contained within it are rarely mentioned nowadays, not even gaining the occasional screenshot post on social media along with the obligatory prompt asking if anyone remembers them. Heck, even covering news of this mecha shoot’em up remake required extra research, with the 1984 arcade original escaping my grasp.
Yet playing FZ: Formation Z for the first time did result in déjà vu. This full 3D remake comes from Granzilla, creators of the excellent (if brutal) R-Type Final 2, and it reuses that remake’s blueprint. Quite possibly some assets too, although don’t quote me on that. It has a near-identical front end, including a clear-cut UI, and a similar list of features and options. These include the ability to customise both your mech and pilot, as well as view war records tallying high scores and progress, along with a gradually unlocking gallery full of artwork.
The visuals are of a similar quality too, powered by Unreal Engine. It sports flashy explosions, backdrops that span far into the distance, lavish cut-scenes that use detailed in-game models, and many modern effects such as reflective surfaces. The pacing is similarly methodical to R-Type Final as well, although the five stages here are far longer, lasting around five minutes each. You’re granted two lives and a one-hit death system is in play, with checkpoints spread around a minute apart. On your first play, only a few continues are provided – and you’re probably going to struggle to even finish the first stage. Over time though, more continues are added, to the point that, given time and experience, you’ll see the ending eventually. Knuckling down with a coffee, I was able to reach the credits roll in just under three hours, albeit on easy mode – and there was still more to see, with two extra mechs to unlock.
Three paragraphs in and I haven’t even mentioned FZ: Formation Z’s gimmick. Remaining fresh and curiously enticing, it lets you switch between a mech and a jet. Think along the lines of the Master System’s TransBot. The mech stomps along the ground and has a wide-spanning melee attack, along with a rapidly firing basic shot and a slower charged shot that penetrates shields. The jet is faster – increasing the risk of colliding with enemies – and can unleash a missile barrage that targets multiple enemies at once, which will even destroy bosses quickly. These more powerful attacks drain energy, which you need to recharge by gathering pods. In jet form, the energy gauge slowly decreases too, forcing you to plummet if it depletes entirely.
What’s neat about FZ: Formation Z is that stages are designed to be replayed, switching from mech to jet to take to the skies and deal with airborne adversaries, or to trundle along the ground to take out surface troops. The screen scrolls both horizontally and vertically, with the top of the screen requiring a 5–10 second climb to reach. By experimenting, you may find routes safer than others, along with stashes of tokens – used to unlock new factory items. The final stage is appropriately challenging, as the ground is reduced to mere floating platforms, requiring heavy use of the jet. This isn’t the exception, as all five stages have areas of increased difficulty, be it a meteor shower, a group of tornadoes that emerge from the distance, or a pesky lock-on laser beam that you only have a few seconds to avoid.
While the bosses are a bit samey, all positioned to the far right of the screen, each stage does have a unique challenge at the end in the form of a mini-game. The first is a simple docking sequence, while later a brief platforming section features. All of these have time limits and can boost your best score significantly if completed quickly. A couple can be failed too, prompting a restart until you finally succeed. All of this serves to add more variety to something that wasn’t lacking to begin with, seeing you navigate crumbling bridges, head into secret (optional) underground bases, and weave through tight structures. On top of all this, there is an extra bonus challenge that plays out during the ending credits scene.
I’d be lying though if I said FZ: Formation Z didn’t make me curse a few times. A couple of the trickier sections from early on, such as the meteor shower, eventually became second nature. This is as much as you’d expect from a shooter with one-hit deaths. This cannot be said for some of the challenges in the final stage, however, which border on unfair. A 1CC is going to be a herculean effort for anyone looking to achieve a perfect run. It does have the decency to provide a few tools to assist, such as the ability to replay previously completed stages. You may find the two unlockable mechs – which require a significant outlay – of great assistance towards that goal too, with one packing more firepower.
FZ: Formation Z is a surprisingly polished production that lasts far longer than your typical shooter, although this is in part due to its difficulty spikes. These are at least consistent, with each of the five stages featuring a section that’ll test your mettle. It’s still something that can be overcome with practice, and given time, it’ll eventually cough up enough continues so all who take on its challenges can eventually see the glorious ending screen. 1984’s Formation Z may not be the first shooter that springs to mind when considering those in need of a modern remake, but I’m glad City Connection took the time to dig around and unearth this gem. It’s the shooter remake we never knew we needed.
Granzilla’s FZ: Formation Z is out now on PS5, Xbox Series, Switch 2 and PC. Published by City Connection.