Jeremy Parish

Segaiden Episode 58: Fantasy Zone - The Maze & Parlour Games (Patreon)

Published:

2024-06-19 12:23:10

Imported:

2024-06

Tags:

Compile Parlour Games fantasy zone master system sega segaiden

Content

The Master System coverage will continue until morale improves.

Aw, just kiddin'. There's nothing so ominous about this episode, which tackles a genuine delight of a game in Fantasy Zone: The Maze. I had never played this one before and assumed it was going to be pretty unremarkable, but it turns out to be a smartly designed throwback action game that has some pretty deep ties to Sega history while also doing a damn good job of being, y'know, Fantasy Zone.

This episode really made me feel good about having spent all that time and money putting together SG-1000 Works, too. Both games this episode have direct connections to SG-1000 releases, and I wouldn't have cottoned to those links if I hadn't fumbled my way through Sega's early 8-bit efforts.

Files

’Opa springs eternal: Fantasy Zone: The Maze & Parlour Games | Segaiden 058

I know what you're thinking. "Jeremy, it would have made a lot more thematic sense for you to combine Maze Hunter 3-D and Fantasy Zone: The Maze into a single episode." Sure, but then I'd have ended up with an episode consisting of Rescue Mission and Parlour Games, and I'd lose thousands of subscribers overnight from sheer collective disgust. No, better to pair the good games with the bad and balance things out. Eh, that's not fair. Parlour Games isn't bad at all—it's a Compile game, how could it be? But it does feel a lot more uneven than Fantasy Zone: The Maze, a great home port of a great arcade game that combines two Sega legacy franchises into one thoughtfully crafted and thoroughly contemporary take on the maze-chase dot-gobbling format, which was feeling pretty creaky by 1988. I don't know that I've ever seen anyone sing the praises of Fantasy Zone: The Maze, and that's a damn shame—it's the kind of game that deserves to be immortalized through song and legend. Or at least through retrospectives. Which I guess is what I've done here. Be the change you want to see in the world, friends. Production notes: Why watch when you can read? All 420 full-color pages of SG-1000 Works: Segaiden Vol. I are now in print at Limited Run Games (https://limitedrungames.com/collections/books). You can also grab the massive hardcover print editions of NES Works, Super NES Works, and Virtual Boy works as well. Look for NES Works Gaiden Vol. I and Master System Works Vol. I in 2024-25. Video Works is funded via Patreon (http://www.patreon.com/gamespite) — support the show and get access to every episode up to two weeks in advance of its YouTube debut! Plus, exclusive podcasts, eBooks, and more! Master System footage captured from U.S. carts running through a cart adapter on Japanese Master System hardware and MiSTer (thanks to MiSTerAddOns). Video upscaled to 4K with RetroTink 4K. RGB cables courtesy of StoneAgeGamer.com and Allie Bellrose.