Review: ZPF (Switch) - A Unique-Feeling Mega Drive Shooter With Some Switch Issues
ZPF, a Mega Drive-style shoot-’em-up developed by Perry Sessions, Mikael Tillander, and Jamie Vance, has arrived on Nintendo Switch. The three-person independent team previously collaborated on Cavity Destroyer, a Contra-inspired NES demo made for Vance’s brother’s dental practice, before repurposing Sessions’ existing artwork to create ZPF as a new shooter project.
The game was first teased on Christmas Day 2020, with a playable demo released in 2023. Styled as a “Future Metal Fantasy,” ZPF draws visual and thematic inspiration from 1993’s Lords of Thunder for the PC Engine, blending shoot-’em-up action with fantastical landscapes and cyberpunk aesthetics.
Nintendo Life’s review examines the Switch version of the game but notes some technical issues specific to the Nintendo platform. The release represents an example of indie developers creating original content inspired by classic gaming hardware and eras, particularly the Mega Drive and PC Engine generations.