<s>
is	O
a	O
1989	B-Application
side-scrolling	O
shooter	O
arcade	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Toaplan	O
and	O
originally	O
published	O
in	O
Japan	O
by	O
Namco	O
and	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
by	O
Williams	O
Electronics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Headed	O
by	O
development	O
chief	O
Toshiaki	O
Ōta	O
,	O
Zero	B-Application
Wing	I-Application
was	O
created	O
by	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
same	O
team	O
that	O
previously	O
worked	O
on	O
several	O
projects	O
at	O
Toaplan	O
,	O
initially	O
starting	O
as	O
a	O
project	O
not	O
intended	O
for	O
commercial	O
release	O
but	O
to	O
train	O
new	O
recruits	O
before	O
being	O
ultimately	O
released	O
to	O
the	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Zero	B-Application
Wing	I-Application
enjoyed	O
a	O
degree	O
of	O
success	O
in	O
arcades	O
and	O
its	O
home	O
conversions	O
were	O
met	O
with	O
mostly	O
positive	O
reception	O
from	O
critics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
European	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Mega	I-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
version	O
later	O
gained	O
renewed	O
popularity	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
"	O
All	O
your	O
base	O
are	O
belong	O
to	O
us	O
"	O
internet	O
meme	O
,	O
which	O
plays	O
off	O
the	O
badly	O
translated	O
introductory	O
cutscene	O
in	O
Engrish	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
rights	O
to	O
the	O
title	O
are	O
owned	O
by	O
Tatsujin	B-Application
,	O
a	O
Japanese	O
company	O
formed	O
by	O
Masahiro	O
Yuge	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
version	O
was	O
later	O
released	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
by	O
independent	O
publisher	O
Retro-Bit	O
in	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Zero	B-Application
Wing	I-Application
is	O
a	O
science	O
fiction-themed	O
side-scrolling	O
shooter	O
similar	O
to	O
Hellfire	B-Application
,	O
where	O
players	O
assume	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
Trent	O
taking	O
control	O
of	O
the	O
ZIG	O
space	O
fighter	O
craft	O
through	O
eight	O
increasingly	O
difficult	O
levels	O
,	O
each	O
with	O
a	O
boss	O
at	O
the	O
end	O
that	O
must	O
be	O
fought	O
before	O
progressing	O
any	O
further	O
,	O
in	O
a	O
last-ditch	O
effort	O
to	O
overthrow	O
the	O
alien	O
cyborg	O
CATS	O
as	O
the	O
main	O
objective	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Getting	O
hit	O
by	O
enemy	O
fire	O
or	O
colliding	O
against	O
solid	O
stage	O
obstacles	O
will	O
result	O
in	O
losing	O
a	O
life	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
a	O
penalty	O
of	O
decreasing	O
the	O
ship	O
's	O
firepower	O
and	O
speed	O
to	O
his	O
original	O
state	O
and	O
once	O
all	O
lives	O
are	O
lost	O
,	O
the	O
game	B-Application
is	I-Application
over	I-Application
unless	O
the	O
players	O
insert	O
more	O
credits	O
into	O
the	O
arcade	O
machine	O
to	O
continue	O
playing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
backstory	O
of	O
Zero	B-Application
Wing	I-Application
varies	O
between	O
each	O
version	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
plot	O
within	O
the	O
game	O
itself	O
remains	O
consistent	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Zero	B-Application
Wing	I-Application
was	O
created	O
by	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
same	O
team	O
that	O
previously	O
worked	O
on	O
several	O
projects	O
at	O
Toaplan	O
,	O
with	O
members	O
of	O
the	O
development	O
staff	O
recounting	O
its	O
history	O
through	O
various	O
Japanese	O
publications	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Uemura	O
stated	O
that	O
Zero	B-Application
Wing	I-Application
originally	O
started	O
as	O
a	O
project	O
not	O
intended	O
for	O
commercial	O
launch	O
to	O
train	O
new	O
recruits	O
at	O
Toaplan	O
,	O
handling	O
training	O
for	O
new	O
hires	O
while	O
using	O
his	O
work	O
and	O
engine	O
from	O
Hellfire	B-Application
before	O
ultimately	O
deciding	O
with	O
releasing	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
the	O
market	O
,	O
which	O
made	O
it	O
a	O
more	O
practical	O
learning	O
experience	O
for	O
the	O
new	O
developers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
Uemura	O
felt	O
that	O
both	O
stage	O
design	O
and	O
characters	O
were	O
"	O
cobbled	O
together	O
"	O
,	O
leading	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
world	O
being	O
"	O
kind	O
of	O
a	O
mess	O
"	O
and	O
he	O
also	O
stated	O
the	O
project	O
turned	O
into	O
a	O
"	O
battle	O
royale	O
"	O
,	O
as	O
staff	O
from	O
both	O
Hellfire	B-Application
and	O
Truxton	B-Application
were	O
mixed	O
with	O
the	O
new	O
recruits	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
being	O
a	O
training	O
project	O
,	O
Uemura	O
stated	O
the	O
team	O
had	O
freedom	O
to	O
"	O
just	O
fool	O
around	O
"	O
and	O
several	O
features	O
were	O
integrated	O
into	O
the	O
title	O
such	O
as	O
warps	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
taken	O
from	O
Slap	B-Application
Fight	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Mega	I-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
version	O
of	O
Zero	B-Application
Wing	I-Application
was	O
created	O
by	O
the	O
same	O
staff	O
from	O
the	O
original	O
arcade	O
release	O
,	O
with	O
Uemura	O
overseeing	O
development	O
in-house	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
Uemura	O
and	O
Tataka	O
have	O
stated	O
that	O
working	O
with	O
the	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
proved	O
to	O
be	O
difficult	O
due	O
to	O
several	O
restrictions	O
imposed	O
by	O
the	O
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
both	O
Uemura	O
and	O
Yuge	O
,	O
the	O
poor	O
English	O
translation	O
in	O
the	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
version	O
was	O
handled	O
by	O
a	O
then-member	O
of	O
Toaplan	O
in	O
charge	O
of	O
export	O
and	O
overseas	O
business	O
,	O
whose	O
English	O
was	O
"	O
really	O
terrible	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
port	O
features	O
arranged	O
music	O
by	O
Noriyuki	O
Iwadare	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Zero	B-Application
Wing	I-Application
was	O
first	O
released	O
in	O
arcades	O
on	O
July	O
1	O
,	O
1989	B-Application
by	O
Namco	O
in	O
Japan	O
,	O
and	O
then	O
by	O
Williams	O
Electronics	O
for	O
North	O
America	O
in	O
April	O
1990	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1989	B-Application
,	O
an	O
album	O
containing	O
music	O
from	O
the	O
title	O
was	O
co-published	O
exclusively	O
in	O
Japan	O
by	O
Scitron	O
and	O
Pony	O
Canyon	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Zero	B-Application
Wing	I-Application
was	O
first	O
ported	O
to	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Mega	I-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
by	O
Toaplan	O
and	O
was	O
first	O
published	O
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
31	O
May	O
1991	O
and	O
later	O
in	O
Europe	O
by	O
Sega	O
on	O
July	O
1991	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Japanese	O
release	O
is	O
able	O
to	O
play	O
fine	O
on	O
American	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
consoles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
expand	O
the	O
plot	O
,	O
the	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
version	O
added	O
an	O
introductory	O
sequence	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
port	O
was	O
later	O
released	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
by	O
independent	O
publisher	O
Retro-Bit	O
in	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Zero	B-Application
Wing	I-Application
was	O
planned	O
to	O
be	O
included	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Toaplan	O
Arcade	O
1	O
compilation	O
for	O
Evercade	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
June	O
30	O
,	O
2022	O
,	O
Zero	B-Application
Wing	I-Application
was	O
re-released	O
on	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
Online	I-Application
+	I-Application
Expansion	I-Application
Pack	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
August	O
18	O
,	O
2022	O
,	O
Bitwave	O
Games	O
and	O
Toaplan	O
jointly	O
announced	O
that	O
Zero	B-Application
Wing	I-Application
would	O
be	O
releasing	O
onto	O
Steam	B-Application
as	O
a	O
standalone	O
title	O
in	O
2022	O
,	O
and	O
will	O
also	O
be	O
available	O
in	O
a	O
game	O
bundle	O
along	O
with	O
Twin	B-Application
Cobra	I-Application
,	O
Truxton	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Out	B-Application
Zone	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Steam	B-Application
release	O
will	O
include	O
a	O
"	O
range	O
of	O
quality-of-life	O
enhancements	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
stunning	O
pixel-perfect	O
graphics	O
,	O
rewind	O
,	O
achievements	O
,	O
online	O
leaderboards	O
,	O
sidebar	O
indicators	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
brand	O
new	O
Very	O
Easy	O
mode	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
a	O
delay	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
Steam	B-Application
and	O
GOG.com	O
on	O
February	O
14	O
,	O
2023	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reception	O
Review	O
scores	O
Publication	O
Scores	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Mega	I-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
PC	O
Engine	O
CD-ROM²	O
Beep	O
!	O
</s>
<s>
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
32/40	O
Computer	O
and	O
Video	O
Games	O
93%	O
Famitsu	O
28/40	O
21/40	O
Games-X	O
92%	O
Gekkan	O
PC	O
Engine	O
78/100	O
Génération	O
4	O
81%	O
Hippon	O
Super	O
!	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Japan	O
,	O
Game	O
Machine	O
listed	O
Zero	B-Application
Wing	I-Application
on	O
their	O
15	O
November	O
1989	B-Application
issue	O
as	O
being	O
the	O
fourth	O
most-successful	O
table	O
arcade	O
unit	O
of	O
the	O
month	O
,	O
outperforming	O
titles	O
such	O
as	O
Jitsuryoku	O
!!	O
</s>
<s>
Pro	O
Yakyū	O
and	O
U.N.	B-Application
Squadron	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
praised	O
"	O
the	O
great	O
intro	O
sequence	O
"	O
,	O
"	O
super-smooth	O
gameplay	O
,	O
beautifully	O
defined	O
graphics	O
,	O
rocking	O
sound	O
track	O
,	O
amazing	O
explosions	O
and	O
incredible	O
end-of-level	O
bosses	O
"	O
,	O
concluding	O
that	O
it	O
is	O
"	O
the	O
game	O
which	O
breaths	O
(	O
sic	O
)	O
new	O
life	O
into	O
shoot	O
'	O
em	O
ups	O
on	O
the	O
Megadrive	B-Operating_System
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
praised	O
the	O
"	O
ace	O
"	O
opening	O
sequence	O
,	O
"	O
detailed	O
"	O
graphics	O
,	O
"	O
real	O
good	O
"	O
music	O
,	O
and	O
skill-based	O
gameplay	O
,	O
concluding	O
that	O
it	O
is	O
one	O
of	O
"	O
the	O
best	O
Megadrive	B-Operating_System
blasts	O
in	O
ages.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
praised	O
the	O
"	O
animated	O
intro	O
"	O
sequence	O
,	O
"	O
smart	O
"	O
graphics	O
,	O
"	O
up-beat	O
Jap	O
tune	O
"	O
music	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
accessible	O
but	O
"	O
highly	O
involved	O
"	O
gameplay	O
,	O
concluding	O
that	O
it	O
is	O
"	O
almost	O
as	O
good	O
as	O
Hellfire	B-Application
"	O
but	O
"	O
not	O
quite.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Complex	O
ranked	O
Zero	B-Application
Wing	I-Application
98th	O
on	O
their	O
"	O
The	O
100	O
Best	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
Games.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Zero	B-Application
Wing	I-Application
was	O
the	O
last	O
side-scrolling	O
shoot	O
'	O
em	O
up	O
title	O
to	O
be	O
developed	O
by	O
Toaplan	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
company	O
did	O
not	O
know	O
how	O
to	O
make	O
a	O
side-scrolling	O
shooter	O
interesting	O
,	O
despite	O
positive	O
reception	O
from	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1999	O
,	O
the	O
introduction	O
cutscene	O
for	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Mega	I-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
version	O
of	O
Zero	B-Application
Wing	I-Application
was	O
re-discovered	O
,	O
culminating	O
in	O
the	O
wildly	O
popular	O
"	O
All	O
your	O
base	O
are	O
belong	O
to	O
us	O
"	O
Internet	O
meme	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
more	O
recent	O
years	O
,	O
the	O
rights	O
to	O
Zero	B-Application
Wing	I-Application
and	O
many	O
other	O
IPs	O
from	O
Toaplan	O
are	O
now	O
owned	O
by	O
Tatsujin	B-Application
,	O
a	O
company	O
named	O
after	O
Truxtons	B-Application
Japanese	O
title	O
that	O
was	O
founded	O
in	O
2017	O
by	O
former	O
Toaplan	O
employee	O
Masahiro	O
Yuge	O
,	O
who	O
are	O
now	O
affiliated	O
with	O
arcade	O
manufacturer	O
exA-Arcadia	O
.	O
</s>
