Zanac Trivia Quiz

Answer: FCI

FCI (Fujisankei Communications International) is a video game publishing company based in New York City. It is part of Fujisankei Communications Group based out of Japan. "Zanac" was developed by Japanese company Compile and was published in Japan by Pony Canyon Inc. in 1986 for the MSX and Famicom systems.

It was released by FCI in North America for the NES in 1987. "Zanac" is a top down space themed shoot 'em up in which the player takes control of a small white starfighter. Other notable titles from FCI include "SimEarth" for the SNES as well as the "Ultima" video game series (NES/SNES).

Answer: Twelve

There are a total of twelve Areas in "Zanac". Each stage auto-scrolls from top to bottom. As the level progresses, various enemies swarm in to attack the player. At various points in each stage, the player will encounter a large ground installation as the game's mini and end bosses.

In the early stages of "Zanac" you can either destroy these platforms or simply survive the battle during the time limit allotted. However, in the later stages you MUST destroy the platforms to be allowed to complete the stage, otherwise the stage will have to be repeated.

Answer: True

"Zanac" was a unique game for its time due to its adaptive artificial intelligence. The game will become harder for the player who simply "button mashes" as the aggressiveness of the enemies will adapt to match the aggressiveness of the player. This helps force the player to rely more on skill and strategy rather than just blindly shooting everything in sight.

Answer: blue

The primary weapon of the "Zanac" starfighter is a simple one shot laser. This laser can be upgraded by collecting white pellets that can be found inside blue boxes that will drift by the ship. They will often come in bunches and the player has to shoot the boxes to reveal the power-up.

The player can also take a gamble and crash into the blue boxes. If they are successful the laser will be instantly upgraded to level 5. If the player guesses wrong they will die. The max level for the laser will be obtained after collecting 18 white pellets.

Answer: blue energy orb that can fire in all directions

There are eight special weapons in "Zanac". Special weapons can be obtained by shooting boxes with a number next to them. These weapons can also appear in blind boxes and can randomly drop down onto the screen. When you begin the game, the ship will be equipped with weapon #0, which is a blue energy orb that can fire in all directions. Weapon #1 is a red energy orb that only fires straight ahead. Weapon #3 produces yellow energy orbs that surround your ship. Weapon #5 is a white energy orb that fires a certain distance and comes back to the ship. Weapon #5 will become a more powerful laser after collecting 3 icons.

Answer: equipping the fusion cannon

There are several items that will eliminate all airborne enemies from the screen at one time. One of these is special weapon #6, which shoots out a white blob. Once the blob touches an obstruction (enemy, box or projectile) it will explode and wipe out all enemies on the current screen. If you continuously shoot certain ground statues an energy ball will be released which will clear the screen when the ship touches it.

The last item is a fairy found in an "X" box on the ground, which may be tough to spot due to the game's speed. Touching the fairy will clear the screen as well as destroy the next ground installation you come across.

Answer: #2

When the player collects special item #2 the ship will be temporarily protected from enemies by a shield. When the shield is struck it will weaken and eventually wear off. You can increase the size and duration of the shield by collecting additional special weapon #2 icons that appear. All special weapons in "Zanac" can be upgraded by collecting more than one of its icons. Each special weapon also has a fixed ammo amount and will default back to #0 when it is depleted. Special weapon #4 is an energy disc that continuously oscillates back and forth in front of the ship. Special weapon #7 is an orange rapid-fire orb that can shoot forward of the ship and can shoot at a slight angle as well.

There is no special weapon #8.

Answer: orange

Area 1 of "Zanac" will place the player on an orange moon-like planet covered in craters. The planet also consists of large black chasms and yellow/gold metal support beams in between. There are three ground installations (bosses) that must the player must either destroy or survive the time limit.

The first is a small installation with a single gun turret. The second is a larger installation that has four blind special weapon boxes on it. The final installation is a large square ground fortress with eight gun turrets to destroy.

Answer: Yes

There is a cheat code in "Zanac" that will allow you to choose which Area to start from. To do this the player must press the NES reset button 13 times and press the start button. There are also warp balls in the game itself. To get one you need to shoot a ground statue that looks like a smiley face.

It will release an energy ball that will become a warp ball after a few seconds. This warp ball though is random and could warp you back to an earlier stage.

Answer: blue faces

Almost immediately after starting Area 1 in "Zanac" a blue spacecraft will swoop down and pause a second or two before flying away. These blue spaceships will continuously appear during the game every so often. If you manage to shoot it, a blue face may appear. Collecting the blue face will grant you an extra life (you begin with three lives). If you shoot the blue face a few times it will become a red face. Collecting the red face will upgrade the fire rate of your primary laser, in addition to granting an extra life.