Game:

Battle Unit Zeoth (1990)

Duration: 15:01

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One of the shortest and easiest games for the original Game Boy that is somewhat uncommon and goes for obscene amounts of money (like a fair chunk of original GB/GBC games these days). I kid you not when I say I fired this game up after having it for a while expecting to make a mere sample and accidentally beat it instead. This is only labeled as a sample as the game does have the inclusion of "loops" like some older games, but I couldn't discern any differences whatsoever and can only note that beating the final boss nets one million points. From right after the title screen to right after the ending company logo pops up, the game lasted me exactly twelve minutes... less if you exclude the opening scene and ending. Even so, there are at least a half dozen other GB games that can be cleared in less than ten minutes excluding intro / ending (check out the "SHORTEST GameBoy Games Playlist"), though those games are considerably more difficult than this one, so take this as you will.

"Battle Unit Zeoth" is also a Jaleco title like our other recently-published GB title, "Banishing Racer", and was released in 1990 (1991 Internationally). Piloting the titular "Zeoth" mecha, you will traverse FIVE short stages: three horizontal forced-scrolling levels and two "A-MAZE-ing" mazes as the game puts them. The maze levels are even shorter than the scrolling levels and literally have one or two deviating paths and barely qualify as mazes. At the end of each level is a boss encounter in waiting; to the game's credit, each boss is huge and sports nice details and multiple means of attacking. They can put up a bit of a fight if you're not sporting your most powerful weapon upgrades, but most of them have easily exploitable blind spots and are easier than the actual levels. After the fifth level, the game will loop.

Zeoth starts with a vulcan gun and can upgrade to a beam or laser weapon: the beam can pierce and has a wide firing range while the laser will waver a bit to catch more agile enemies. Each weapon starts at level one and can be powered up to level three. Both guns are OP when maxed (I prefer the beam, but the laser works too) and you can also restore your shield units, though you have one life and unlimited continues. Zeoth also controls well and the crux of the gameplay lies in using your "jetpack" to move around at will by holding or tapping the button to control flight and shoot in four directions, as well as speed towards the ground. Zeoth is slower when moving on the ground so you will quickly take advantage of moving while in the air, and this element is so important that the game was tentatively called "Jetpack" when the game was being published by Jaleco U.S.A. (that, and they thought the original name would deter people from buying it... thank god they didn't actually call it Jetpack).

There's nothing wrong with how the game looks or sounds and it's serviceable overall for one of the early GB titles, but it's too short and too easy for its own good. This is a video of the game in action, going through one loop and a repeat of stage one. Enjoy.

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