ZPF is 25% OFF for Steam Cyberpunk Fest!
about 2 months ago
– Mon, Aug 03, 2026 at 12:28:08 PM
Hey everyone!
Quick pit stop with some exciting news for the community!
Steam’s Cyberpunk Fest is officially live, and we’re running a discount for the duration of the event. From now through August 10th at 10:00 AM PT, ZPFis 25% OFF on Steam.
If you’ve already been playing, you're set. But if you have friends, Discord servers, or shmup fans in your orbit who’ve been sitting on the fence, now’s the best time to throw a link their way and drag them into the bullet hell.
As always, your support keeps our engines running hot. If you want to help us make some noise during the event:
Spread the word: Got friends or Discord servers that love shmups? Throw a link their way while the discount is live!
Leave a Review: If you've been blasting through levels on Steam, dropping a quick review on our page helps visibility tremendously!
Thank you all for being the absolute best backers. Now get back out there, dodge those bullet patterns, and chase those high scores!
— The ZPF Team & Mega Cat Studios
ZPF is 20% Off for the Steam Summer Sale + Lethal Wedding Featured Artists Spotlight! 🚀
3 months ago
– Fri, Jun 26, 2026 at 01:57:38 PM
Hey guys!
Huge news to kick things off today: The Steam Summer Sale has officially arrived! If you've been waiting to grab an extra copy for a friend, or if you just want to spread the word, ZPF is20% OFF starting today until July 10.
Here is a little surprise fact for the ZPF crew. Gryzor, the mastermind and artist behind ZPF, actually teamed up with us for Lethal Wedding! He lent his incredible talents to help out with the character design, specifically cooking up some of the enemies you'll be running into throughout the full game.
We are heading into our final days on Kickstarter, and things are reaching a total fever pitch. To celebrate, today's update shines a spotlight on two of our incredible guest creators, featuring art reveals and interviews with both Gryzor and Simon Butler.
Here is a quick look at what just dropped:
Fresh Retro Terrors from Gryzor!
If you backed ZPF, one of our most successful Kickstarter campaigns to date, or played Super XYX, you already know Gryzor’s incredible range as a pixel artist. He has a unique talent for switching styles, going from the heavy, futuristic fantasy-horror of ZPF to the vibrant space skies of Super XYX. Now, he is bringing that creative energy to Lethal Wedding with a massive homage to a classic that heavily inspired us: Zombies Ate My Neighbors.
To show you what he put together for the game, we have a mix of final game art and gameplay, a scrapped concept from the cutting room floor, and a full interview. Let’s get right into it:
The Chainsaw Clown & Hedgemaze Level
Gryzor’s ZAMN-inspired Chainsaw Clown design
Gryzor completely designed and animated our terrifying new Chainsaw Clown, alongside a dedicated tribute stage called the Chainsaw Hedgemaze Mayhem level. Check out the video below to see the stage in action:
⚠️ Please Note: This footage is a super duper work in progress! Things are still being tweaked, tuned, and polished, but we couldn't wait to give you a sneak peek.
ALSO, did you catch those limbs flying across the screen? 👀 We've been paying close attention to your comments throughout the campaign, and we're absolutely here for maximum gibs!
Cut From the Guest List: The Clown Zombie
Gryzor didn't stop at the Hedgemaze. He also cooked up a brand-new crossover enemy called the Clown Zombie, which perfectly blends the campy horror vibes of ZAMN with the chaotic energy of Lethal Wedding.
Unfortunately, this specific enemy didn't make the final roster. Even though he won’t be chasing you down in the full game, we absolutely love how the artwork turned out and wanted to share this prototype stage design with you guys. Check it out below:
The scrapped Clown Zombie prototype concept by Gryzor
Behind the Art: Gryzor
We sat down with the man behind the madness to talk about his transition from ZPF to the campy horror world of Lethal Wedding:
When the Lethal Wedding team brought you on to design these custom elite enemies, what was your first reaction?
Gryzor: “I’m a big fan of Zombies Ate My Neighbors, so I was happy to help. Also they didn’t want an extreme quantity of new stuff or additional micromanaging or anything, so that was a relief coming off a big project.”
You’ve worked on everything from ZPF to Super XYX. What’s the creative shift like when you pivot from sci-fi and fantasy shmups to animating for a project like Lethal Wedding?
Gryzor: “It’s mostly about the difference between animating/drawing things that kind of actually exist versus fantasy things that can just look like and be whatever, they don’t have to adhere to reality, One reason walk cycles are so difficult (despite having done a good 5 or so at this point) is that it’s something you see all day every day, it’s very easy to tell when it looks wrong.”
In a fast-paced 2D shmup, if enemies look too different, the screen becomes unreadable chaos. What visual anchors did you use to ensure that the assets you made seamlessly matched the pre-existing art style established by the internal team?
Gryzor: “I was very impressed with the existing art, another reason I was glad to help. The first step for me is just taking an existing palette and going from there. Like, putting what I’m doing in a little sandbox in my editor with all the existing doodads to make sure it matches OK as I’m doing it.”
In a 2D shmup, animation frames tell the whole story. How did you approach the frame-by-frame animation of the Chainsaw Clown and the Zombie Clown?
Gryzor: “First, I was worried about having way more angles to do. That’s always an issue with a top down game, since your character will always be at some angle and requiring different perspectives. It’s really not that bad if you can get away with mirroring half the rotation angles on the x axis. You *wouldn’t* do that if you specifically need to maintain the asymmetrical details of a character; but you generally need to conserve memory and frames on the Genesis/MD, so not an issue here. The hardest part is just getting the initial look of the movement right, from there I can just make each frame match in all iterations and then make overall refinements..”
Every pixel artist has a favorite element to draw, whether it's fabric, metal, or gore. Between the Chainsaw Clown and the Zombie Clown, which sprite gave you the most creative satisfaction to paint from scratch?
Gryzor: “What was satisfying was giving it all a more sinister edge. The team clearly had a pretty solid handle on the humor side of things; but I feel for a certain type of enemy like the chainsaw clown, you need to dial up the terror a bit more. I also oddly enjoy drawing zombies too despite that never being my main horror niche. You can make them all kinds of crazy colors splatting neon bright goo everywhere and have them in the most absurd states of physical distress but it’s all par for the course,. I think it’s a crime creatively to make them boring”
We can't thank Gryzor enough for unleashing his horror style on our game. Watch your backs when that chainsaw clown hits your screen!
Behind the Art: Simon Butler
Our next collaborator is a true industry legend. Simon Butler has been working on in-spec games since the 1980s and has a mind-blowing track record of over 300 individual titles. His resume spans iconic studios like Ocean, Team 17, Vicarious Visions, Probe, Magnetic Fields, and Atari.
If you’ve ever played classic Worms, Street Fighter Alpha 3, Leisure Suit Larry, or SimCity, you’ve seen his work. To kick things off, check out a look at an updated tileset and in-game mockup Simon put together for the project:
Updated Strip Club tileset by Simon.
Strip Club mockup using the updated tileset by Simon
We had the absolute privilege of sitting down with Simon to talk about his history, his design philosophy, and his experience collaborating on this project. Here is our full interview:
Simon, with a resume spanning Ocean to Street Fighter Alpha 3, you've worked on "in-spec" games since the 80s. What about Lethal Wedding's style drew you to this project?
Simon: “I love old-school games. I would never go back and play any of the games that I encountered in the last forty years, but if new retro titles appear, then I am always interested.
Lethal Wedding ticked all the right boxes for me.
It evoked great memories of hours of Genesis and SNES gaming. It has the right look, the right colours. It just put a smile on my face.”
When you're building spaces that naturally need a lot of environmental clutter, how do you balance that grit with player readability so people don't lose track of the action?
Simon: “Having come through the 8-bit era, where tilesets were incredibly limited, you learn that less is more.
You also learn how to utilise what little memory you have to the utmost. There were never rules passed down, because there was nobody before my generation of pixel pushers. We were the ones who created the rules, who built the foundation that the industry stands on today.
The rules were simple. You haven’t got much, so you can do much, so do your best. Clarity is, was, and always will be king.”
Given your history with classic production pipelines, how has your toolset evolved for this game? Are you approaching these backgrounds with the same fundamental grid-and-tile philosophies that powered the classic arcade era?
Simon: “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks, and if I’m being totally honest, there aren’t that many new things you can do when pushing pixels.
Yes, you can use a stylus instead of a mouse, but I prefer not to. You can use layers when creating sprites and/or backgrounds. This is not for me.
The arena for pixel art has not changed that much from when I first started. We’ve got more colours, and we can have more frames of animation at bigger sizes, but that’s pretty much it.
I haven’t changed my art software for over 25 years and doubt I will before I hang up my mouse. Pixel art is an unchangeable medium, like sculpture, I suppose. Perhaps that’s why I love it so.”
To avoid that 'Frankenstein effect' of a patchwork art style, how do you discipline yourself to adapt your own signature line-work so the backgrounds and characters actually feel like they were drawn by the same hand?
Simon:“If I come late to a project, as I did here, I look at the graphics that already exist, and while I don’t attempt to copy them identically, I tweak my own style, if I have such a thing, to get as close to the original as possible.
To date, I think I’ve been pretty successful. I’ve never had a client say my work didn’t fit.”
When you're staring down a massive asset list, what's your actual day-to-day workflow? How do you know when a piece is good enough to check off so you can just move on to the next object?
Simon: “I draw things. When I’m happy with them, and that means they look like the item on the graphics list, I move on to the next object. If they meet with approval from the client, happy day!
As I said before, Pixel art, at least for me, is a very simple craft. I know what I can and cannot do, and I reckon I’m pretty good within those parameters.”
A massive thank you to Simon for taking the time to chat with us and for bringing decades of legendary old-school expertise to the team!
Final Push: The Fatman & Team Fat Deluxe CD is In Sight!
We are so close to unlocking our next major stretch goal: The Fatman and Team Fat Deluxe CD! If you love 16-bit sound design, chiptunes, or just want an amazing physical soundtrack to add to your collection, check out the gorgeous mockup we have lined up:
If you want to support Gryzor's latest work, help us secure those console ports, and get your hands on this physical CD, please pass the invitation along to a friend who lives for 16-bit run-and-gun action this weekend!
Crossover Update: Lethal Wedding is 250% Funded & Legendary Collaborations Unveiled!
3 months ago
– Thu, Jun 11, 2026 at 09:13:58 AM
Hey backers!
Quick crossover update for you all! We are currently running our campaign for Lethal Wedding, and we just unlocked a massive milestone that we knew the ZPF community would appreciate.
We just blew past 250% funding, and we’re bringing some absolute industry royalty along for the ride. LucasArts legend Bill Tiller (The Curse of Monkey Island) is handling special key art, and George "The Fatman" Sanger and Joe McDermott of Team Fat, the audio geniuses behind the iconic Zombies Ate My Neighbors soundtrack, are officially dropping brand-new tracks into the game.
Check out the full details below:
Update: Stretch Goals & Legendary Collaborations!
We have officially cruised past over 250% funded! To every single one of you who has backed, shared, and cheered us on: thank you. You’ve proven that the only thing stronger than a mother-in-law's unfiltered opinions is the retro community's love for 16-bit, couch co-op carnage.
But the wedding reception is just getting started. It’s time to talk about how we’re going to make this celebration even bigger and badder!
STRETCH GOALS
You've proven you can handle the criminal clown syndicate, so it’s time to raise the stakes. We’ve lined up some massive milestones featuring industry legends and modern console access:
$45,000 – Bill Tiller Special Key Art (Alternate Box Design & Poster)
Adventure game royalty and LucasArts legend Bill Tiller (The Curse of Monkey Island) is bringing his breathtaking, iconic art style to the world of Lethal Wedding! Clearing this mark unlocks a Kickstarter/BackerKit exclusive alternate box art design for any Complete-in-Box backers. This alternate box art will be completely optional, and you will be able to select it as your preferred choice directly in your BackerKit surveys.
Reaching this goal also unlocks a special physical poster, exclusive to backers who get a Limited Edition cartridge (either as part of an LE tier or as an LE cart add-on).
Please note: this poster is a special bonus item for LE owners and will not be available to purchase solo!
$50,000 – The Fatman and Team Fat Deluxe OST CD
George “The Fatman” Sanger and Joe McDermott of Team Fat are the legendary minds behind the iconic Zombies Ate My Neighbors soundtrack, and they are delivering a face-melting chiptune score for our game. Reaching this milestone unlocks a physical Deluxe OST CD add-on that includes the original Lethal Wedding soundtrack plus the brand-new tracks they created specifically for the game!
Hitting this mark also adds a digital Fat Adventures coloring book to the digital rewards bundle for everyone (YES, EVERYONE! 😉), across all digital and physical tiers.
$60,000 – Nintendo Switch Port
Want to take your bride-hard action on the fly? Let’s bring Joanna and Shelly's rescue mission directly to the Nintendo Switch!
$70,000 – Xbox Port
Bringing buckshot justice and full couch co-op to the Xbox ecosystem. Team Green, get your shotguns ready.
$80,000 – PlayStation Port
Completing the modern console trifecta! Unleash bridal fury on the PlayStation platform.
⚠️Important Note on Console Ports: All modern console porting development will be completed post-campaign. Please note that we will not be offering digital console keys as part of this Kickstarter Campaign.
Legendary Collaborations!
We have full behind-the-scenes video interviews with Bill Tiller, George Sanger, and Joe McDermott dropping over the next few days.
Until those are finished, we put together a quick teaser clip to show you how our production meetings are going, and honestly, things are already completely off the rails.
George (The Fatman) tries his absolute best to remember the name of our game. He fails and accidentally plugs a 1987 Mel Gibson movie instead. Joe follows that up by delivering some incredibly cryptic advice about avocado kitchen appliances. And Bill, well… let’s just say he has some incredibly intense, highly classified, or possibly just highly offensive thoughts about our killer clowns. Our legal team panicked and bleeped out his entire audio track.
Enjoy the chaos below:
What’s Next?
We are closing in fast on that first stretch goal with Bill Tiller. Let’s keep this momentum rolling! Share the campaign with your favorite co-op partners, your retro-collecting crews, and anyone who holds a healthy, rational fear of criminal clowns.
Double Bundle Drop: Bullet-Hell Chaos & Space Mining
4 months ago
– Thu, May 14, 2026 at 12:37:06 PM
Hey backers!
The launch of ZPF has been a total blast. Seeing you guys tear through the levels and share those high-score clips has been exactly what we hoped for.
But if your ears are still ringing from the FM synth and you’re craving more of that specific 16-bit chaos, we’ve got something special for you today.
Double the Gryzor, Double the Action
We’ve officially joined forces with the other side of the legendary "Gryzor" universe. It’s no surprise that ZPF and Super XYX share that same high-octane visual DNA when every frame of incredible pixel art across both titles was forged by Gryzor himself.
Super XYX is a masterclass in vertical shooting. It’s got that crisp, high-end look that feels like a lost Sega Saturn classic. Think intense bullet patterns, massive boss fights, and some of the most detailed pixel art in the genre. If you love the high-speed energy of ZPF, you’re going to feel right at home here.
We’re also branching out to link up with the team behind Void Miner, created by RyanJakob.
Void Miner brings a unique flavor to the table! This incremental roguelite throws you deep into an asteroid field where you'll be mining and upgrading your way through the vacuum of space.
It offers an addictive, high-speed loop that serves as the perfect orbital detour when you need a breather from the intense bullet-hell of ZPF while still satisfying that urge to blast debris into stardust.
Before we head back to the cockpit, we have one more thing to share. Our next project, Lethal Wedding, is officially coming to Kickstarter on June 2, 2026.
It’s a brand-new top-down RPG shooter for the Sega Genesis and Mega Drive, inspired by 16-bit classics like Zombies Ate My Neighbors. The story kicks off when criminal clowns kidnap a groom the day before his wedding. Now, the bride and her mother-in-law have to gear up to take down psychopathic circus performers, bazooka-toting bearded ladies, and the mob.
The pre-launch page is live right now. Head over and hit "Notify me on launch" to make sure you don't miss the start of the matri-mayhem.
Thanks for the support and for keeping the arcade spirit alive. We can't wait to see more of those run highlights.
Back to the cockpit!
— The ZPF Team & Mega Cat Studios 🚀🐾
BOOM! ZPF is Out Now + Steam Keys are Live!
5 months ago
– Thu, Apr 16, 2026 at 09:10:37 AM
Hey backers!
The moment we’ve all been waiting for is finally here. ZPF is officially out in the wild! You can now find the game on Steam, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox. It’s been a wild ride getting this 16-bit beast onto modern hardware, and honestly, we’re just hyped to finally get it into your hands. Watch the latest trailer below!
This project has been a massive labor of love, and whether you're playing on original hardware or a modern 4K screen, we hope it melts your brain in the best way possible.
Pick up ZPF on your platform of choice and help us climb those charts:
For those of you who have a Steam Key as part of your rewards, the wait is over. Everything is now live and ready to claim via BackerKit.
Here’s how to get yours:
Check your inbox: Keep an eye out for an email with your personalized survey link and instructions on how to access your digital bundle.
Go direct: If you don't want to wait for the email, just enter the project name here at the BackerKit backer portal. Once submitted, it should lead you to the BackerKit Survey link for ZPF. Once you enter your email on there, the button for your Digital Rewards will appear! Your key is sitting there waiting for you!
Quick Tip: If the email isn't showing up, take a peek at your Spam or Promotions folder. BackerKit emails can be sneaky like that.
If you have any trouble accessing your files or don’t see the email after it's been sent, please don't hesitate to reach out to [email protected], and he’ll get you sorted.
Whether you’re hunting for Steam achievements or taking the chaos on the go with your Switch, we want to see it. Tag us in your clips and high-score screenshots—we’ll be hanging out in the community hubs all week.
Thank you for making this dream a reality. Now, quit reading this and go blow some stuff up!
