Neo Geo and was initially only launched for the arcades by SNK on September 13, 1994. Its soundtrack was done by composer Manabu Namiki. A Neo Geo AES version was announced and completed but never released. A Neo Geo CD version was also announced and even showcased for playing to the attendees at SNK's booth during the Winter Consumer Electronics Show in 1995 but like the AES version, it was never released. The game has since received a re-release in 2017 on various digital distribution platforms such as the Nintendo eShop, PlayStation Network and Xbox Live as part of the ACA Neo Geo series by HAMSTER Corporation, its current rights owner. Reception In North America, RePlay reported Zed Blade was the fourteenth most-popular arcade game at the time. Zed Blade received mixed reception from critics since its initial release. Captain Squideo of GamePro praised the frenetic action, cooperative play, controls, weapons system, visuals and sound design. The four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly felt mixed in regards to the title, with some praising and others criticizing both the visuals and sound design, as well as its short length and low difficulty level. AllGame'''s Kyle Knight regarded the game for being unremarkable in terms of its weapons system, although he praised the graphics, music, gameplay and replay value. In a retrospective review, Dave Frear from Nintendo Life praised the colorful graphics and music but criticized the amount of slowdown when too many objects are present on-screen. Martin Gaksch of German magazine MAN!AC'' gave an overall mixed review of the game. Notes References External links Zed Blade at GameFAQs Zed Blade at Giant Bomb Zed Blade at Killer List of Videogames Zed Blade at MobyGames 1994 video games ACA Neo Geo games Arcade video games Cancelled Neo Geo CD games Cooperative video games Horizontally scrolling shooters Multiplayer and single-player video games Neo Geo games Nintendo Switch games NMK (company) games PlayStation Network games PlayStation 4 games SNK franchises SNK games Video games scored by Manabu Namiki Video games set in the future Windows games Xbox One games Video games developed in Japan Hamster Corporation games