To preface this, I've been on a shmup kick lately. Touhou, Twinkle Star Sprites on the Neo Geo, Mushihimesama, Pop'n TwinBee. Eclectic, mostly cute 'em ups, but no shortage of mechanical depth.

As part of my shmup conquest, S-11 seemed like an "easy" pick, so ZAS was the alternative I ultimately went with. Turns out that was the right call, ZAS offers the right amount of difficulty with some pretty interesting mechanical depth that sets it apart. On paper, it seems simple: one button fires, the other button switches between a concentrated shot and a spread shot. For the first stage, it seems like an either/or situation, one is clearly better than the other, et cetera.

A boss or two later? It starts setting in. Bullet patterns start facilitating the wider "spread" shot to create new angles, you're shooting around barricades to deal with problems you otherwise wouldn't be able to, you're neutralizing threats efficiently to foster your ongoing movement.

It's a Game Boy shmup, we're not dealing with Cave levels of danmaku. But for what it is? For a game that serves to cleanse my palate between bouts of Tetris and Traumatarium Penitent? This is an excellent shmup.

I picked up **Chikyū Kaihō Gun ZAS** for the ModRetro Chromatic and it has been a really nice surprise. It feels like one of those classic handheld shooters that grabs you right away: fast, simple to understand, but still challenging enough to keep you focused. The action is smooth, the shooting feels responsive, and the game has that old-school arcade feeling that works perfectly on a portable console.

What really stands out is how good it looks on the **Chromatic’s screen**. The pixel art has a lot of charm, the enemies and effects are easy to see, and the colors pop nicely without losing that retro style. It’s the kind of game that feels made for short sessions, but you can easily end up playing longer than planned. If you enjoy classic shoot ’em ups and want something that shows off the console’s screen and controls, **ZAS** is a great choice.