Underplayed Gems

Herzog Zwei (1989)

Herzog Zwei cover
Developer
Technosoft
Publisher
Technosoft, Sega of America
Platforms
Sega Mega Drive/Genesis
Genres
Real Time Strategy (RTS), Strategy
Rating
4.0 of 5, 10 player ratings

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How it feels

A pioneering real-time strategy game where you pilot a transforming mech while commanding troops across a futuristic battlefield.

fast-pacedstrategicsci-fiarcade-styleintensemech combatreal-time

About

Herzog Zwei is a Sega Genesis-exclusive game by Technosoft, published in 1989 (released in North America and Europe in early 1990). It is an early real-time strategy game, predating the genre-popularizing Dune II. Herzog Zwei combines the arcade-style play of Technosoft's own Thunder Force series with a simple, easy-to-grasp level of strategy. In Herzog Zwei, the player directly pilots a flying, transforming mech, a multi-role robot suited for utility and combat. Through the mech, the player purchases surface combat units, airlifts them across the battlefield, and issues them orders. These command activities can only be performed through the mech. Vehicles follow their assigned orders (which are fairly basic: patrol, garrison, capture base) until they either run out of fuel or are destroyed. Tactical re-deployment (mission reassignment, vehicle repair) involves a great deal of micromanagement, due to the required involvement of the mech.

Screenshots

Herzog Zwei screenshot 1Herzog Zwei screenshot 2

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More by Technosoft

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.