Mazinger Z (video game)

Dr. Hell's robot army has destroyed Tokyo, and now only Kouji Kabuto, and the giant robot Mazinger Z, can stop them from taking over the entire world.[1]

Mazinger Z was a vertical shoot 'em up with three selectable characters : Mazinger Z, Great Mazinger and Grendizer.[2]

Animated cutscenes between levels tell the story of the game.[1] The Mazinger Z comes with a full armory of anti-robot weaponry, from super-powered karate moves to missiles, Breast Fire, and its signature Rocket Punch.[1] Special moves deplete a regenerating energy meter, while Rocket Punches can be performed at any time. However, Mazinger would be unable to punch until its arms return.[1] Each level contains several varieties of enemies, all of them from the show and unique to each level, that must be defeated to progress.[1] Some enemy robots would fire projectiles from a distance while others would rush in an attempt to grapple the Mazinger.[1] Sometimes, more than one enemy must be fought at once.[1]

At the end of each level is a fight with a stronger boss robot with more dangerous attacks.[1] The player is given six continues to complete the entire game before having to start over again.

The game was released on July 25, 1993.[3]

Next Generation reviewed the arcade version of the game, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that "For those Shogun Warrior fans, this game is fantastic, for everyone else, it's OK."[4] Famitsu gave it a score of 17 out of 40.[3]