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

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40 Years old Nintendo Famicom disk Pony Canyon, Inc. [Japan]
Zanac A.I. [Model L29V5906(PNF-ZAN)] screenshot

Zanac A.I. © 1986 Pony Canyon.

Zanac A.I. is a fast-paced vertical shoot ’em up and a console adaptation of the original Zanac, first released for the MSX in 1985.

Humanity faces extinction at the hands of an ancient alien super-weapon known simply as the System. Created millennia ago by an unknown race, the System has awakened and begun its assault on Earth. As a last desperate measure, humanity deploys the advanced AFX-6502 Zanac fighter to strike back.

Your ship’s power lies in its highly adaptable weapons system. The primary laser can be strengthened by collecting yellow power orbs, often hidden within blue bunkers. In addition, eight distinct secondary weapons—activated by grabbing flashing numbered pods—allow for a wide range of offensive strategies: All Range Weapon, Straight Crusher, Field Shutter, Circular, Vibrator, Rewinder, Plasma Flash, and High Speed.

Your mission is to battle through enemy-infested zones and ultimately destroy the System’s central core. Along the way, you’ll encounter numerous ground-anchored bosses, each built from multiple core units that must be dismantled to advance.

What truly sets Zanac A.I. apart is its dynamic difficulty system—the A.I. in the title. Enemy strength, behavior, and numbers shift in real time based on your performance. The more skilled and aggressive your play, the more intense and challenging the onslaught becomes, creating a uniquely adaptive and endlessly replayable shooter experience.

2,900 JPY
Goodies for Zanac A.I. [Model L29V5906(PNF-ZAN)]
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TECHNICAL

GAME ID: L29V5906(PNF-ZAN)

TRIVIA

Zanac A.I. was released on November 26, 1986 (Wednesday) in Japan at a retail price of 2,900 JPY.

Export releases:
[US] Zanac A.I. [Model NES-ZA-USA]

TIPS AND TRICKS
Secret message:
Beat the game, then at the credits screen, when the fairy stops to print out a main message, press A + B on both controllers at the same time. A message "SEE YOU AGAIN IN GUARDIC." will appears at the bottom of the screen.

Game Over Easter egg:
Before the "GAME OVER" message is displayed, hold Select on controller 1 to change default game over music jingle to the different one.

Different ship:
At the title menu, hold at least one A on any controller and at least one B on any controller at the same time, then press Start.

Sound test:
Hold at least one A on any controller and at least one B on any controller at the same time, then press Reset.

Level select:
Press Reset 13 times, at the title screen press Start to go in to the title menu. Press Left or Right to choose level then choose "CONTINUE" option and press Start. To start from levels 11 and 12 either in the stage select mode or when continue after the game over, hold Up on any controller before press Start.

Continue:
On the title screen, hold Select and press Start.

Debug mode:
Press Reset 9 times, and at the title screen type "COMPILE" and press Enter on the family keyboard. A sound will confirm correct code entry. From now, you can use debug functions while game is paused. First of all, the different ship graphics will be enabled by default. Press Select on controller 1 for selecting a weapon. On the keyboard press Clr to get 255 lives, Ins to warp to next area or Del to warp to previous area.
STAFF
đŸ‘„
PORTS
CONSOLES

flag Sony PlayStation (Nov. 29, 2001) Zanac X Zanac [Model SLPS-03354]

COMPUTERS

flag MSX 2 (1986) Zanac EX
SOURCES
🔗
Game's screenshot.