Fantasy Zone II was the sequel to the cute-'em-up game Fantasy Zone created by Sega. It was released in 1987 on the Master System and later ported to the MSX and surprisingly, the NES.
An arcade version for the System 16 was also planned alongside the MSX and NES ports, however that was ultimately cancelled.
Title screen of the leaked rom
Plot[]
Taken from the manual of the Sega 3D Classics 3DS port:
"Previously, in the Space Year 6216, a courageous hero called Opa-Opa had fought valianty to defeat the invading Menon forces and restore peace to the Fantasy Zone. 10 years have passed since then, and the Fantasy Zone has increased its territory severalfold. However, a crisis is once again unfolding.
In deep contemplation, Opa-Opa recalls the events of the final battle from 10 years ago, wondering who was the mastermind behind the Menon forces' leader, with his foremost thoughts being about the whereabouts of his father, who had disappeared after the truth became known that he was the enemy's leader. History is now repeating itself as the planets of the Fantasy Zone once again find themselves under attack by the mastermind of the Nenon planet forces, who is secretly constructing a huge fortress in the middle of the Fantasy Zone. Opa-Opa promptly takes off for the Fantasy Zone to put an end to the Nenon's ambitious plans, just as he did 10 years ago."
Reasons for cancellation[]
- Not only was the game in development around the end of the System 16's lifespan, the hardware limitations and time constraints have prevented the game from surfacing even on a System 16B revision. For example:
- Dark and Bright sides of levels. While Fantasy Zone only had the bright side, Fantasy Zone II incorporated two separate versions of a single level, with the bright side being easier and the dark side being more difficult. This was replaced in the SMS and other versions by "sections" of levels.
- Link Loop Land, an endless version of Fantasy Zone which would introduce Opa Opa's brother, Upa Upa and the link gauge.
Results[]
- The arcade version was cancelled.
- The concept of Upa Upa would be shelved but re-introduced in the Sega 3D remake of the first Fantasy Zone
- It only resurfaced in 2015 under the name of "Fantasy Zone II W", though that was a widescreen remake of the game on the Nintendo 3DS and not a ROM.
- A leaked ROM of the game is made available on the internet and can only be played through FinalBurn Neo. It was based on a System 16 with upgraded specs and is likely a prototype build, since it does not contain Link Loop Land.