Project ZX 1.5 is a free action release developed by Langford Productions. It is a compilation of games made for the classic 8-bit home computer system, ZX Spectrum. It draws inspiration from over 120 titles that were released from the 80s all the way to today.

Just like Space Invaders (for ZX Spectrum) or RANBLE, Project ZX 1.5 is basically a shoot 'em up game. What makes it stand out is that it takes design and gameplay cues from popular titles for the classic system, making it a sort of homage to its predecessors.

A massive tribute

Project ZX 1.5 tells the story of the creator of the ZX Spectrum, Sir Clive Sinclair. The genius wanted it to be used for educational purposes but is used to play games. Hidden within his research archives is the Sinclair CS Autobot, made to seek out those who emulate modern hardware. However, it has turned rogue and has reprogrammed all games with the Sinclair Web-O-Vac.

You play as Jetboot Joe, a hero who saved the world of Sinclair Spectrum from utter destruction. Armed with your trusty spaceship, you will shrink down to an 8-bit scale to infiltrate the computer of the evil autobot and stop it from causing further damage. Thus, begins your journey through over 100 game worlds to stop the evil sprites that have been created by the evil autobot.

You will be facing various unique enemies from worlds straight out of the games for the ZX Spectrum. Locate the reprogrammed sprites, defeat them, and bring order and things back to normal and how they were before.There’s a staggering amount of levels you'll go through but the gameplay itself is quite short. Each stage only takes a few seconds to finish. Hopefully, more will be added in the future.

A journey through a hundred worlds

If you're a fan of ZX Spectrum games, Project ZX 1.5 is pretty much a must-play for its premise alone. It goes on a massive undertaking of incorporating more than a hundred games into a fun, yet still cohesive experience. The gameplay is not particularly long but the fact that it managed to include this many titles is impressive in itself.