Zero Divide

Overview

Zero Divide is a 3D sci-fi fighting game developed and published by ZOOM for the Sony PlayStation in Japan on August 25, 1995. It was later published in North America (by Time Warner Interactive) on September 9, 1995, and in Europe (by Ocean) on February 1996.

Set in a near-future cyberspace, players control one of eight AI programs (resembling fighting robots) as they fight each other under a contest from a mysterious group of hackers known as "XTAL".

The game is known for its limb damage system, as individual body parts can be targeted to shatter their exoskeleton. Offensive parts, like arms and legs, would be rendered nearly useless if they are crippled. Other features include grabbing the edge of the ring (to prevent ring-outs) and a hidden mini-game (a 2D space-shooter known as Tiny Phalanx, using assets from their 1991 game Phalanx).

The game was ported to the PC (Windows 95) and later received a sequel (released in Japan and Europe only). It also received an enhanced Japanese-exclusive port for the Sega Saturn (as Zero Divide: The Final Conflict) on November 20, 1997. The original game later received a digital re-release for PlayStation Network platforms (as a Shodai PS Archives title) on April 14, 2010.

Characters

The game includes eight playable characters at the start and two unlockable bosses (one of which can only be fought by clearing the game, on Normal difficulty or above, without continuing). The game also includes a hidden joke character based on the developer's mascot.

• Zero
• Tau
• Wild 3
• Io
• Eos
• Cygnus
• Draco
• Nereid
• Zulu (boss, unlockable by clearing the game with all eight starting characters)
• Xtal (secret boss, unlockable by clearing the game, on Normal difficulty or above, without continuing)
• Neco (hidden character, unlockable by first unlocking both bosses, then clearing the game with them)