Anomaly Zone

About

Anomaly Zone is an open world MMORPG and a post-apocalyptic shooter. Be a scientist, a soldier, a hunter or an engineer. Explore anomalous territories, search for artifacts, fight mutants and other players. Participate in mass PvP and PvE battles. The Zone is waiting!

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

45%

Audience ScoreBased on 137 reviews

music3 positive mentions

graphics6 negative mentions

The game has a strong post-apocalyptic atmosphere and offers a variety of quests that can be engaging for players who enjoy grinding.
Some players appreciate the community aspect and the potential for teamwork in clan-based gameplay.
Despite its flaws, a few players find enjoyment in the game and believe it has potential for improvement.

The game is plagued by numerous bugs, crashes, and poor optimization, making it frustrating to play.
There is a significant presence of cheaters in PvP, and the game has been criticized for its pay-to-win mechanics.
Many players find the controls confusing and the graphics outdated, leading to a lack of immersion and enjoyment.

story
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
81%
10%
The story aspect of the game is criticized for its lack of clarity and depth, with many players expressing confusion over quest objectives and NPC interactions. While some appreciate the atmospheric elements reminiscent of the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series, the overall narrative experience is deemed weak, with repetitive quests and poor quest management detracting from engagement. Additionally, technical issues and bugs further hinder the storytelling experience, leaving players frustrated and disconnected from the game's narrative potential.
- “This story takes place in the Star Wars universe shortly after the establishment of a tenuous peace between the re-emergent Sith Empire and the Galactic Republic.”
- “Each of the eight classes has a three-act storyline that progresses as the character levels up.”
- “The quests are many and there is always more to do.”
- “Been playing since 2013, basically the story goes that this game and 'Stay Out' are the same game with the same paint using the same project after the dev team split, which essentially killed the player base for both games.”
- “Story and atmosphere: what story?”
- “The quest system is unclear, mostly unclear where the NPC is or where you have to kill something.”
graphics
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
53%
32%
The graphics of the game are widely criticized as outdated and mediocre, often likened to visuals from the early 2000s, which detracts from the overall experience for many players. While some appreciate the retro charm and atmospheric design, the poor optimization, flat lighting, and lack of detail hinder gameplay and visibility. Overall, the visuals are seen as a significant drawback, contributing to the game's failure to attract a broader audience.
- “But hey, retro graphics can have their charm, right?”
- “Graphics still look pretty good for how old it is, and the map is well designed.”
- “Visuals: despite less-than-perfect graphics, the game looks pretty atmospheric.”
- “This has some fairly mediocre/dated looking graphics that will understandably be a turn off for a lot of gamers, and it's a big contributor to the failure of the game to attract gamers despite having no up-front cost.”
- “The textures look like someone smeared Vaseline over a 15-year-old graphics engine, and the lighting is so flat it makes Excel spreadsheets look dynamic by comparison.”
- “Graphics are outdated from 2002 in 2019.”
gameplay
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
30%
40%
The gameplay has been criticized for being tedious and repetitive, with many players expressing frustration over bugs, a lack of updates, and a pay-to-win model that hampers competitive play. While some appreciate the extensive customization and class diversity, the overall experience is marred by persistent issues and a sense of stagnation, leading many to recommend avoiding the game. Despite some enjoyable moments and community interactions, the gameplay ultimately fails to meet expectations.
- “Different classes favor different styles of gameplay, and the game features extensive customization options, fully voiced dialogue, companion characters, and dialogue options similar to Cybertime Games' other role-playing games.”
- “- balanced PvE gameplay.”
- “It's not bad, in fact it won't affect your gameplay that badly, but just keep it in mind.”
- “Gameplay: a lesson in tedium.”
- “Stay away from this game; it is a dead horse, and the devs kill it with their ignorance, ego, and lack of vision for the future. This game had so much potential, but now it is an empty wasteland full of bugs, broken gameplay, zero updates, and pay-to-win mechanics. If you don't sink money into guns and gear, you won't be able to compete with high-level players. Even though I have 721 hours logged (which is still an insane amount of time), I actually have over 3000 hours because I put in the effort to grind, improve at PvP, and learn as much as I could. I did meet some nice players and don't regret the time spent, but I would never recommend this game to my friends. So yeah, stay away from this horrible game.”
- “It's very boring gameplay, doing the same thing over and over.”
atmosphere
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
38%
38%
The game's atmosphere is generally praised for its fitting graphics and sound, including notable Russian and Western music that enhances the experience. While some players find the atmosphere immersive, others feel that certain gameplay elements can disrupt this immersion. Overall, the bleak and apocalyptic setting contributes positively to the game's atmospheric appeal, despite some graphical shortcomings.
- “The way the game works makes killing others a very unnecessary thing in my opinion; you can prosper without killing others, allowing you to at least keep the atmosphere of the online environment somewhat clean.”
- “Visuals: despite less-than-perfect graphics, the game looks pretty atmospheric.”
- “Story and atmosphere: what story?”
- “What atmosphere?”
- “I did all of this because I liked shooting mutants, and the bleak and apocalyptic atmosphere.”
monetization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The monetization aspect of the game has been widely criticized as a blatant cash grab, with users expressing frustration over its exploitative nature and lack of genuine value. Many reviewers feel that the monetization strategies detract from the overall experience, labeling it an "insult to injury."
- “Monetization: insult to injury.”
- “Complete cash grab.”
- “But all that's left of that is this nasty cash grab.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with users reporting poor performance and stuttering issues across various PCs. Many feel that the optimization is lacking and detracts from the overall experience, making it a frustrating aspect of the game.
- “Performance, or lack thereof.”
- “Optimization is also questionable.”
- “Not worth it due to the poor optimization.”
grinding
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be heavily reliant on repetitive tasks, often requiring significant time investment to progress, particularly in farming money or experience. Many express frustration with the lack of efficiency in grinding, citing issues like constant crashes and a cluttered map that complicates navigation. Additionally, the game's free-to-play model often leads to a pay-to-progress experience, further emphasizing the grind.
- “As with many Russian games, it heavily relies on grinding, and like many free-to-play titles, it is pay-to-progress.”
- “I spent thousands of hours grinding to get my stamina up just so I could run long distances and not have to stop every two seconds because I was out of breath.”
- “Because it's too repetitive, too grindy, can't go AFK, and the game crashes constantly.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with numerous reports of severe bugs and glitches that render it nearly unplayable, such as issues with looting, weapon equipping, and enemy spawn rates. Players have described the experience as frustrating and chaotic, often leading to a lack of direction and functionality. Despite these problems, some users still find enjoyment in the game, indicating potential that remains unfulfilled due to its unstable state.
- “Buggy as hell, way too rough to even be out yet. This game is god awful; it's buggy to the point of being unplayable. For example, being unable to loot or equip weapons leaves you stranded without backup if you're out of ammo, which guarantees death. In some areas, enemy spawns are so high that it doesn't matter what armor or weapon you have because you'll get swarmed. This game has so much potential, but the bugs make it unplayable. I don't recommend it at all; go get the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R.”
- “The game is full of bugs, glitches, audio doesn't work, the screen is tearing, I can't talk to characters, it gives me missions but doesn't tell me where to go, no directions, nothing.”
- “The game has a lot of issues and many bugs and glitches. Sometimes it is a huge mess, and I got banned from the official group for telling the developers how ridiculous they are, but I wouldn't have played it for 5000+ hours if I didn't enjoy it.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
67%
The music in the game is generally praised for its fitting atmosphere, with users appreciating the inclusion of both Russian and Western styles. However, some players note issues with sound placement, as in-game sounds can feel disjointed, and the music often starts abruptly and can become overwhelmingly loud, particularly near shops.
- “The atmosphere and sound design are fitting and well done, with nice Russian and Western music enhancing the experience.”
- “The sound effects, like footsteps and reloading, create an immersive experience, while the music builds up to an overwhelming crescendo.”
- “The music near various shops adds to the ambiance, although it can stop a bit too abruptly.”
- “The sounds of footsteps, reloading, and other effects seem to come from beside you, and the music is only audible when it starts overwhelmingly loud.”
- “The music near various shops stops too abruptly.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is derived from its clunky and unresponsive combat, which players find amusingly poor. Additionally, the similarity in quests, questlines, and maps to another game adds a layer of comedic absurdity.
- “I find it funny that this game and Stay Out have the exact same quests, questline, and maps.”