Z.E.N.E.K.O. Is A "High End" Run-And-Gun That Aims To Stand "Shoulder To Shoulder With Metal Slug"

A team of two indie developers called MS3 Research is working on a new run-and-gun shooter which promises to give the legendary Metal Slug some competition – as well as push the Sega Genesis / Mega Drive to its absolute limits.

Z.E.N.E.K.O. has been in development for "at least three" years according to the team, and was initially intended to be solely for the Neo Geo system. However, one of the developers, known as 'masteries', became "obsessed with investigating how we could make the Mega Drive/Genesis display the same main stages and sprites as the Neo Geo version."

The developer adds:

"To achieve this, we had to create graphics creation and conversion tools from scratch, as well as a game engine (MS3-GE) that would manage the Mega Drive's resources very efficiently and allow us to maximize the machine's computing power and RAM (on the Mega Drive/Genesis, the Z80's 8 KB of RAM are also being used for graphics; but the Z80 itself isn't being used, only its RAM is being utilized). In addition, the game cartridge features a sound processor that delivers up to 12 CD-quality stereo digital audio voices."

The sound chip allows the game to produce some amazing audio, and the cartridge will even include its own headphone jack.

The developers have also confirmed that, due to the nature of the bespoke hardware included on the cartridge, Z.E.N.E.K.O. will only be playable on original hardware, and it won't be possible to play it under emulation. "It's a large ROM cartridge, 192 Megabits, and here it's truly utilized, unlike with other titles," masteries adds.

"The sound processor is a custom design; its firmware has been programmed and tested using three different microcontrollers. In fact, there are three versions of the cartridge, whose components are interchangeable between versions. This is intended to prevent potential component shortages. Of course, this solution, as a precaution, has also increased development time; we prefer to have solutions to potential problems ready-made rather than having to improvise."

The plan seems to be to release the game on Sega's 16-bit console before bringing it to the Neo Geo as an "enhanced" version.

A Kickstarter campaign is expected to launch soon, but in the meantime, let us know your thoughts on this new physical release.