OPA OPA
Opa Opa comes from the Fantasy Zone series, another Arcade classic.
SEGA Arcade Mascot: 1985-200x
Opa Opa first appeard in a little cult arcade game called Fantasy Zone, released in 1985.
The game was ported on several systems officially such as the (most well known and liked) Master System, the MSX, the PC Engine...
And even some pirate ports like the pretty bad Nintendo port by Tengen.
The game was basically a shoot 'em up, but with a friendlier and more colorful aspect compared to other such type of games at the time (R-Type, etc..).
A cute 'em up as fans call those type of game.
It was pretty original in one aspect, the level wasn't scrolling as usually with vertical or horizontal shooters. In fact the player was allowed to explore a little zone from left to right from top to bottom, collecting coins to buy power-ups and killing a certain number of enemies.
Then, the boss of the level appears, defeat the guy (who usually would occupy most of the screen) and move on to the next stage!
Here's a little video for you:
The game became a little cult fan favorite.
So naturally Fantasy Zone had sequels and even spin-off games!
The Master System port (1986) was followed by a another Master System sequel (Fantasy Zone II: The Tears of Opa-Opa - 1987) and then by a Megadrive sequel (Super Fantasy Zone - 1992).
2 Spinoff titles were made.
Fantasy Zone: The Maze in 1987 (also simply called Opa Opa) a puzzle game not very far from Pengo/Bomberman.
And a simplistic arcade gimmick-y game called Galactic Protector (1988) which was made to use and sell a new controller.
There also was a Game Gear original game called Fantasy Zone Gear: The Adventures of Opa-Opa Jr in 1986.
Hudson tried to make a Fantasy Zone/Space Harrier crossover. Space Fantasy Zone. But they weren't able to get SEGA's right, so it was unreleased (even if a Gold release almost finished is easy to find on the web, I "have" the unreleased game and made a material copy for the PC Engine, did the cover art for the CD case, etc..)
Nevertheless, Opa Opa stayed Sega's arcade mascot until at least the years 2000s.
Always associated with Sega's image on the arcade scene for a very long time but finally began to disappear during the Dreamcast and post-Dreamcast era...
The last we've seen of him after the arcade perfect port on the Sega Saturn was a PS2 3D remake under the Sega Ages brand.
And finally, Opa's last "real" appearance on a console was the PS2 Fantasy Zone Complete Collection (2008 - only available in Jap).
A compilation containing all the previous games under many versions such as the Arcade, the Master System, etc..
Fantasy Zone 2, which was a Master System exclusive, even got an "arcade port" in this collection, a beautiful looking remake!
You'll see it only once, here's the complete series (not counting Fantasy Zone 1 various non-Sega ports)
Opa Opa stayed a cute and cult Sega mascot, even alongside other future mascots.
Because of that he scored many cameos outside the Fantasy Zone saga.
Such as the anime Zillion (co-produced by Sega), in Phantasy Star Online/Universe/and Portable games, Sonic Riders, Planet Harrier, Shenmue... to his last recent appearance as a playable (!!) character in Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing!
Opa Opa. A zone, some fantasy and a dream to be the greatest mascot ever.
This epic little guy had to share some screentime, most of the 80s, with a newbie who wanted to become the definitive Sega mascot...
To Be Continued...
