Fortified Zone

Fortified Zone
Genre(s): Run & Gun Platform(s): Game Boy Release Date: JP: February 26, 1991 NA: September 1991 Developer(s): Jaleco Publisher(s): Jaleco Successor: Ikari no Yōsai 2

Fortified Zone, known in Japan as 'Ikari no Yōsai (怒りの要塞, Ikari no Yōsai, "The Fortress of Fury") is a 1991 video game developed and published by Jaleco for the Game Boy. It was first released in Japan on February 26, 1991 and later released in North America in September 1991. It was later added to the Nintendo 3DS's Virtual Console on July 7, 2011.

Plot

Fortified Zone's plot follows two Mercenaries named Masato Kanzaki and Mizuki Makimura as they infiltrate a literal fortified zone, where they must take on mercenaries, soldiers, robots and monsters before destroying the central complex at the fortified zone's heart.

Good Qualities

1. The soundtrack is pretty good for a Game Boy game released in 1991; it also fits the game theme.
2. The two characters have their own abilities and weaknesses. Masato (the male mercenary) uses all the special weapons but cannot jump, and Mizuki (the female mercenary) can jump but cannot use the special weapons.
3. The graphics look pretty good, even for a late 1991 game on Game Boy, with detailed sprite for the time on Game Boy, and look better than some of the games on Game Boy at the time.
   • They also make you feel like you're in an infiltration game, like the game tells you in the plot (on the box art).
4. The controls are tight, especially with Misuki, as she is faster than Masato; otherwise,  you can't go in eight directions, which is a pretty big problem (see BQ #1).
5. The game is pretty challenging, like most games made by Jaleco (with some exceptions, of course), but it's also fun sometimes.
6. The gameplay is fun and can make you want to replay the game (though that depends on the player).
7. Both the intro and ending are great. We won't spoil the ending and go beat the game yourself!
8. It spawned two great sequels on both Game Boy and Super Nintendo; unfortunately, the sequel on Game Boy is Japan-only.

Bad Qualities

1. While good, the controls have an issue, which is the fact that you can't move in eight directions, as said in GQ#4. This can also make the game a bit frustrating.
2. The game is pretty short, with only four levels to go through.
3. Masato is a bit slow, which can cause cheap deaths and frustrate the player who died because of that.
4. You have to press select to select a character or exit the stage. The problem is that it's confusing to choose them, and you have to press select again to quit the menu.
5. The ending cutscenes, while good, have stiff animation, even for a Game Boy game released in 1991.

Reception

The game received mixed to positive reviews from critics, Nintendo Life gave it a 7/10, calling it a nice run-and-gun game.

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