Z

About

Z is a real time strategy game where you battle for control of maps by gathering resources, building bases, and deploying units. The Bitmap Brothers inject chaos into every match with quirky unit designs and absurd mission objectives. You’ll juggle base management and direct combat in fast paced matches that reward quick thinking. Single player campaigns span 20 levels across five planets while multiplayer lets you clash with friends in chaotic skirmishes. The game’s irreverent humor stands out from start to finish. Pre level cutscenes feature Commander Zod barking orders at robots Brad and Allan while mid game antics include title screen gags and explosive set pieces. Originally released in 1996, it ran on DOS and SNES but still feels surprisingly brisk. Casual players appreciate the low barrier to entry while veterans enjoy deep unit counters and map strategies. The finale sees Zod’s Supply Ship obliterated by a shaken rocket fuel can, a fittingly silly end to a strategy game that never takes itself seriously.

Storyline

The game opens with Commander Zod shooting the Bitmap Brothers Logo off the screen. Meanwhile, a Supply Ship is adrift in space. Its occupants, two robots named Brad and Allan, wake up to the radio buzzer. The two find two new messages from Commander Zod. The first shows Zod telling about his delivery, one hour overdue; the second shows him threatening to "kick their red butts" if he finds out about them slacking off. Allan and Brad just resume their mission. The two constantly steer the ship in a bunch of twists and turns (one sends them knocking the game's title into the opening credits, which are just visible in space), and finally arriving at their first destination. Their mission sends them across twenty levels on five planets, fighting enemy soldiers. Only when the five planets are conquered will the party begin. After the final level, Zod gets a promotion to Supreme Space Colonel. Zod and the other soldiers celebrate by drinking many cans of rocket fuel, and by the next morning, so many discarded cans litter the ground that Brad and Allan are sick. Zod gets into the Supply Ship with Brad and Allan and decides to show them how to fly the spacecraft. Zod uses the ship to pull acrobatic stunts in space, leaving Brad thrilled. When Allan pulls another can of rocket fuel from the box, he notices a "do not shake" warning on its side. He shakes it up and tosses it to Zod. When Zod opens the can, an explosion blows the ship apart. Brad and Allan are hurled off, and Zod's hat can be seen floating in deep space.