My Played Video Games Review: Herzog Zwei for the Sega Genesis

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Herzog Zwei is a real-time strategy video game developed by Japanese game developers, Technosoft, and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive in 1989. It got released worldwide a year later.

I never got its gameplay when I first played it a long time ago. I never realized that I was playing a game that was so far ahead of its time. Now, many video game historians have claimed that this was the true ancestor of real-time strategy video games like Dune, Command and Conquer, Warcraft, and others that we still enjoy today.

The Story

In the reddish dawn, the enemy's troops hurry towards foxholes and tanks. Taking a defensive position, they check their battle gear. Then they stay down, awaiting your war cry to attack them.

On your order, your soldiers race to their tanks! Warplanes scream into the dawn, afterburners blazing. Tanks roll toward the advance bases. Their main purpose: attack! War! You and your enemy face off for world domination!

You are equally matched. You sweat as you order out heavy armor, reinforcements, and plan the attack! You engage in dogfights, ground skirmishes, and naval battles! At last, you advance to their headquarters. Now! Crush them - and be the Supreme Commander of the free world!

Sega Genesis box, manual and cartridge of the game (image source)

The Graphics and Sound

The graphics now are considered primitive. But during the early 1990s, they are very good. They are clean and colorful. The sprites, except the infantry and motorcycles, look good. The battlefields look a bit odd but are well-defined and easy on the eyes. The title menu is ugly though.

The sound quality is great. If you play the game long enough, you will be humming the game tunes aloud. The sound effects are very good. Everything else is spot on except the gunshot coming from your controlled mech. One of the best things about the sound is that you can hear the distant battles as a rumble.

Gameplay sample of Herzog Zwei on the Sega Genesis

The Gameplay

The gameplay may seem a little complicated at first but can be learned quickly with a little practice as you become accustomed to the controls and how things go. The objective is taking full control of all the minor bases and destroying the opponent. The game controls are:

Start = Pause

A Button = Pick up/drop off unit or transform from jet to mech (when not carrying a unit)

B Button = Fires weapon

C Button = Switches to in-Game Menu

In campaigns mostly, you begin with a headquarters base. Your mech can transform into a jet (to move/transport faster), and who controls the military forces you create, which include troops, vehicles, ships, and other military hardware. The real cool feature is that you can play a 2-player split-screen, which can be fun.

The control takes a while to get used to. In this game, you move according to how far your mech character can move or you will run out of fuel and be destroyed. Creating your military force is easy though, and your main mech character can pick them up and transport them wherever you want.

Replay value is good for 2 player mode. Playing with a buddy never gets old.

My Verdict

Herzog Zwei is a solid game but it has some rough edges. The game pioneered the real-time strategy genre and influenced many games. Although one player mode is lacking, but if you have a 2 player friend to play with, this game will surely be enjoyable.

Go and play this retro-gaming forgotten gem on the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive or play it on your favorite emulators.

Let's keep on gaming in the free world!