Promotional Flyer for the Game
Zeiram Zone is a Beat 'em Up action game for the PlayStation, based on the 1991 sci-fi film Zeiram.
A prequel set before the movie's events, players assume the role of Iria the Bounty Hunter, then just a trainee and new recruit, who's investigating the mysterious Tedan Tippedai corporation when she comes across an ancient alien superweapon known as the Zeiram.
Zeiram Zone contains examples of:
- Attack Drone: Hovering drones with laser beacons on their fronts are a recurring enemy in the factory stage, though they're really weak and goes down in just a few hits.
- Big Creepy-Crawlies: Giant insect enemies infests the ruins, which Iria have to pummel to bits with her fists.
- Giant Enemy Crab: Three humongous crab monsters appears in the ruins as bosses, which Iria must confront and defeat one at a time, at different stages. In-between, there are smaller crab enemies which still counts under this trope since they're individually the size of a human being.
- Greater-Scope Villain: Hadoma is pulling the strings behind most of the events of the game, but the true menace is still the all-powerful, unstoppable alien criminal called Zeiram, which Hadoma is attempting to control for his own purposes.
- Laser Sword: One of Iria's special attacks have her drawing a fine laser blade and slicing the opponent right in front of her. It does pretty serious damage, but only lasts for a few seconds before it turns off, and Iria have to rely mostly on punches and kicks.
- Mecha-Mooks: The enemies in most of the game's first half are all robots, including mechas resembling giant origami creatures in the second stage. Some mechas appear in the ruins stage as well.
- Post-Final Boss: The game ends with Iria finally confronting the powerful alien creature and intergalactic criminal known as Zeiram. After a lengthy boss battle, Iria finally defeats Zeiram, and it seems like the game's story could be wrapped... only for another quick level with Iria fighting a digital doppelganger of herself in the next level. And then the game ends.
- Power Fist; The first actual boss of the game (excluding Hadoma) is a powerful robot combatant with giant clubs for hands, which he will use to pound Iria and shoot them out, Rocket Punch-style. He reappears in the final level, and his fists are now upgraded into spiked clubs.
- Recurring Boss
- Hadoma needs to be fought twice in the game, showing up as the first boss and later fought for real halfway through. And even then he shows up at the end to release Zeiram, but he gets eliminated then.
- The staff-wielding robot boss needs to be battled thrice.
- The first boss returns in an upgraded form to fight Iria, right before she battles Zeiram.
- Sinister Scythe: Zeiram wields a huge, black scythe in his boss battle. He's shockingly fast using it to slice and dice, too, and can throw his scythe as a projectile only to bring it back to his hand afterwards.
- SkeleBot 9000: Robots whose bodies consist of a metal frame with minimal components attached are recurring enemies for the first half of the game.
- We Will Meet Again: The first stage leads Iria to a short battle against Hadoma, enforcer and henchman of the Tedan Tippedai corporation, who has multiple lifebars stacked upon each other. As soon as Hadoma's first lifebar is drained, he leaves a message that Iria's in for a bigger surprise before name-dropping this trope and leaving until a much later boss fight.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: One of Zeiram's first act after being released by Hadoma, is to choke Hadoma to death and fling him aside before challening Iria.
