Zupapa is a game I don't really hear much about, it might be because it's a late release for the console. It's quite interesting because this was released almost about the time SNK went into being bankrupt. It seems to have been delayed for many years as it was first shown off in 1994. But regardless now anyone can give it a try and that's good because it's a pretty damn good game.
This is a single screen action game in the same vein as The Fairyland Story and Snow Bros. You can jump and punch but you can also collect four zooks in a stage to throw them at enemies. Throwing them at enemies not only stuns them but the more you throw at an enemy makes the blast radius when defeated larger. Hitting a combo of enemies can give you more bonus points. The strategy is to set it all up when enemies are all bundled up together.
This game has 9 worlds but a thing I love about this game is it goes at a brisk pace. It's not like the fairyland story where it's all about strategy and puzzle solving in some ways and it's not even like Bubble Bobble where it's got all the secrets and tricks. Zupapa is very good just because your character has good controls, he can even get powerups like speed up and throwing all zooks at once. Just be careful as one hit means you're out though obviously it doesn't mean too much unless you're at an actual arcade where this costs you money to continue.
The stages themselves are more just about the environment and music as they don't really change the gameplay at all and while some of it is weird, again you go at such a fast pace that I'm thankful they didn't put any slow gimmicks. Though this game has one of those hurry up mechanics so don't be too slow. There's also a bonus stage you can do to hit a bell with the zooks. Hit it to the top and you get a 1-up!
The game's bosses aren't too bad though a couple of them especially the final boss can feel tedious and money hungry. If you can hit them into blast radiuses from beating enemies then that can do a good amount of damage. They do at least have a lot of weird charm to them.
The game looks pretty nice though you could argue it's not that good for 2001. Considering this was being made since 1994, I'll give it a pass. A lot of the sprites are fun to see animate and the whole game just has that old arcade charm I like. The music on the other hand is very...odd to say in the kindest way. There's a lot of sound samples used that seem to be stock ones. It's also just very hyper, seriously give it a listen sometime. Also everytime you grab a Zook you hear it say THANK YOU!! which is probably in the same tier as Blazing Star's BONUS!! for being addicting to hear while probably annoying many.
Zupapa is a joy to play and one I could see myself coming back to. You can even play it with a friend, what's not to love? While I wouldn't give it a 9/10, there's still a lot to love about it. Give it a try if you haven't played it. One of the better Neo Geo games out there. Though the end credits say Zupapa Episode 1. Was there meant to be a sequel?! Now I'm just sad.
This is a single screen action game in the same vein as The Fairyland Story and Snow Bros. You can jump and punch but you can also collect four zooks in a stage to throw them at enemies. Throwing them at enemies not only stuns them but the more you throw at an enemy makes the blast radius when defeated larger. Hitting a combo of enemies can give you more bonus points. The strategy is to set it all up when enemies are all bundled up together.
This game has 9 worlds but a thing I love about this game is it goes at a brisk pace. It's not like the fairyland story where it's all about strategy and puzzle solving in some ways and it's not even like Bubble Bobble where it's got all the secrets and tricks. Zupapa is very good just because your character has good controls, he can even get powerups like speed up and throwing all zooks at once. Just be careful as one hit means you're out though obviously it doesn't mean too much unless you're at an actual arcade where this costs you money to continue.
The stages themselves are more just about the environment and music as they don't really change the gameplay at all and while some of it is weird, again you go at such a fast pace that I'm thankful they didn't put any slow gimmicks. Though this game has one of those hurry up mechanics so don't be too slow. There's also a bonus stage you can do to hit a bell with the zooks. Hit it to the top and you get a 1-up!
The game's bosses aren't too bad though a couple of them especially the final boss can feel tedious and money hungry. If you can hit them into blast radiuses from beating enemies then that can do a good amount of damage. They do at least have a lot of weird charm to them.
The game looks pretty nice though you could argue it's not that good for 2001. Considering this was being made since 1994, I'll give it a pass. A lot of the sprites are fun to see animate and the whole game just has that old arcade charm I like. The music on the other hand is very...odd to say in the kindest way. There's a lot of sound samples used that seem to be stock ones. It's also just very hyper, seriously give it a listen sometime. Also everytime you grab a Zook you hear it say THANK YOU!! which is probably in the same tier as Blazing Star's BONUS!! for being addicting to hear while probably annoying many.
Zupapa is a joy to play and one I could see myself coming back to. You can even play it with a friend, what's not to love? While I wouldn't give it a 9/10, there's still a lot to love about it. Give it a try if you haven't played it. One of the better Neo Geo games out there. Though the end credits say Zupapa Episode 1. Was there meant to be a sequel?! Now I'm just sad.