Mazin Saga

"Mazin Saga" is a video game for the Sega Mega Drive it was also released under the name MazinWars. It is a beat em'up/versus fighting game based on Mazinger Z by Go Nagai. As Mazinger Z, the player must fight mutants and robots. Levels are split into 4 sections the first three see a human sized Mazinger-Z in a side scrolling beat em up and the fourth sees Mazinger-Z as a giant robot to battle the boss of that level in a one on one fighting game style battle. The game was known for its insane difficulty and over powered bosses. Even if the player manages to finish the game the Earth is left in ruins and the human race must flee to Mars where the Bio Beast army attacks again. This story arc plays out during the game's ending and might have been intended for a never released sequel.

The video game is based on a manga created by Go Nagai. Set in a different universe from the original Mazinger story, the story begins in the year 1999 AD, when God Kaiser Hell began an all-out invasion to control Earth using powerful giants known as 'Bio Beasts'. Mazinger Z in Mazin Saga is actually a suit of armor rather than a robot. This armor has the ability to transform into a giant version of itself, allowing Mazinger Z to battle the Bio Beasts.

Mazinger Z's design in Mazin Saga is a departure from the rest of the Mazingers. Here, Mazinger Z is given an all-blue color rather than black in white like the others. Colored orbs are mounted on Mazinger Z's crown and torso. In many instances, Mazinger Z dons a red cape and it's only weapon in combat is a sword, similar to God Mazinger.

The characters from the original Mazinger Z series reprise their roles in Mazin Saga, albeit slightly different from their anime/manga counterparts. Dr. Hell appears in Mazin Saga as God Kaiser Hell. Koji Kabuto still plays the protagonist, but has as darker, more serious persona than featured in the anime and manga versions of Mazinger Z (which is understandably so, given the setting and mood of Mazin Saga being close to another of Go Nagai's works, Devilman). Even Garada K7, one of the earliest enemies Mazinger Z fought in the original series, reappears as a Bio Beast.