FatalZone

About

"FatalZone" is a single-player shooter game with stunning mechanics and exceptional visuals. Players exterminate hordes of zombies in a post-apocalyptic world, collecting resources for one of the last survivor camps, with auto-shooter, roguelike, and RPG elements. Progression involves risking runs to level up and unlock new skills and characters, with a focus on building the most effective character for deadly missions.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

76%

Audience ScoreBased on 761 reviews

gameplay56 positive mentions

grinding47 negative mentions

Very fun game with an interesting take on the genre, combining auto-shooter and RPG elements.
Addictive gameplay that encourages experimentation with different skills and character builds.
Nice graphics and a solid progression system that keeps players engaged.

Repetitive gameplay with a grindy progression system that can become tedious over time.
Performance issues, particularly with frame drops during longer runs or when many enemies are on screen.
Lack of weapon variety and balance, with some weapons feeling significantly weaker than others.

gameplay
151 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
59%
4%
The gameplay in "Fatalzone" is characterized by its engaging and addictive mechanics, blending elements of roguelike and RPG genres with strategic character builds and resource management. Players appreciate the depth added by unlocking new skills and characters, as well as the tension from the risk-reward extraction mechanics. However, some reviews note that the gameplay can become repetitive and lacks variety in endgame content, with occasional performance issues detracting from the overall experience.
- “Unlocking new skills and characters adds layers of depth to the gameplay, ensuring that there’s always something to work toward.”
- “The gameplay is addictive from the first minutes.”
- “With its roguelike elements and intense combat scenarios, 'fatalzone' offers an engaging and strategically demanding gameplay experience.”
- “After that, you become overpowered, and the gameplay devolves into either standing still while sipping tea or chasing side objectives that barely reward you enough to bother.”
- “The gameplay does get repetitive pretty quickly as there aren't really any interesting variations in the experience every time you play it.”
- “Everything is shallow as a puddle when it comes to mechanics and their systems.”
graphics
73 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
44%
4%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the detailed environments and stylized character art that enhance the gritty, post-apocalyptic atmosphere, while others criticize the visuals as low-quality and reminiscent of mobile games. Many players appreciate the unique art style, describing it as comic-like and visually appealing, though some feel it lacks depth and polish. Overall, the graphics are generally considered good, contributing positively to the gameplay experience, despite some concerns about optimization and performance.
- “Gritty post-apocalyptic visuals with a mix of detailed environments and stylized character art, enhancing the survival atmosphere.”
- “The graphics are stunning and the attention to detail in every aspect of the game is impressive.”
- “It's simply magnificent, an interesting idea, very beautiful and stylish graphics, cool music that doesn’t hurt your ears and you don’t want to turn it off in the first minute of the game.”
- “Graphically, Fatalzone looks cheap, like a low-effort mobile game.”
- “From the trailers, I expected a comic-style aesthetic, but the final product feels like a knockoff of that promise.”
- “It’s hard to shake the feeling that this was designed for the mobile market, given its lackluster visuals and shallow mechanics.”
grinding
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
98%
The reviews consistently highlight that the game is excessively grindy, often leading to tedious and unbalanced gameplay experiences. Players express frustration with the lack of rewarding progression, as grinding for upgrades and resources becomes monotonous and can feel unrewarding, especially when character loss resets progress. While some enjoy the mindless nature of grinding, many feel it detracts from the overall enjoyment and balance of the game.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The grind is tedious and unrewarding, which is arguably the biggest failure a game in the vampire survivors genre can commit.”
- “Unfortunately doesn't have much of an endgame other than grinding with limited growth once everything is unlocked.”
- “Solid 12-20 hours of gameplay before it's just grinding for grind's sake.”
story
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
75%
8%
The game's story is set in a post-apocalyptic world where players manage a camp and send mercenaries on missions, with the narrative evolving through resource management and decision-making. While some players find the plot engaging and dynamic, others criticize it for being underdeveloped and lacking depth, with many quality-of-life features missing that hinder tracking progress and mission objectives. Overall, the story has potential but feels incomplete, leaving players eager for future updates and more narrative content.
- “The game’s story unfolds through your decisions on resource management, mercenary deployment, and base upgrades, with the looming threat of death and mutation constantly influencing the narrative.”
- “The evolving nature of your mercenaries and the constant need for adaptation keep the story engaging and dynamic.”
- “The plot of the game is super cool; I rarely play games like this because I didn’t really like this genre, but I was hooked, perhaps because my tastes have changed.”
- “The game seems far more involved and complex than it is; there isn't really base-building, character advancement is minimal, and the story is bare-bones.”
- “I assume these elements are there for future power-ups and mission objectives, but it just feels cheap and unfinished.”
- “The plot of the game didn't pump me up.”
optimization
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
69%
22%
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues, including crashes, stuttering, and drastic frame rate drops, especially during longer sessions or when using certain weapon upgrades. While some users noted improvements following recent updates, others still find the optimization lacking, making the game unplayable for extended runs. Overall, the consensus suggests that while the game is enjoyable, it requires further optimization to enhance the gameplay experience.
- “Hallelujah, the optimization changes were a massive improvement to the game's performance.”
- “In general, speaking about the game, the graphics are on par, optimization is a little slow, but I’m sure this is temporary. The controls are clear and convenient, and the game is quite easy to understand.”
- “Edit 15/01/24: recent updates have massively improved performance, and the same builds that would drop below 10 fps now had me stuck at 144 fps (max refresh of my monitor) throughout the runs that I played.”
- “The game is so unoptimized that it starts stuttering and the countdown timer slows down to almost half speed.”
- “I need to change my opinion on this because it's extremely unoptimized. I play it on a Ryzen 5600 and an RTX 3080, and I get 4 fps after 20 minutes of play... unplayable after you get some upgrades, unfortunately.”
- “Extremely bad optimization and visual fatigue; I had to look away the last 5 minutes of my match because my screen was nothing but particles and 5 fps.”
music
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
35%
15%
Overall, the music in the game is generally well-received, with many players praising it as top-notch, atmospheric, and fitting for the gameplay. However, some users noted a lack of variety in the soundtrack, leading to it becoming forgettable or dull over time. Despite this, the music contributes positively to the overall experience, enhancing the game's visual and auditory appeal.
- “The music is top-notch.”
- “The sound effects and music are atmospheric, adding to the overall experience.”
- “It’s simply magnificent, an interesting idea, very beautiful and stylish graphics, cool music that doesn’t hurt your ears and you don’t want to turn it off in the first minute of the game.”
- “There is nothing to say, the music and graphics are the most ordinary.”
- “Audio and music are fairly forgettable, same with the graphics.”
- “My only criticism is in the variety of music - or rather, the lack of it.”
stability
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
77%
The game's stability is a significant concern, with many users reporting frequent bugs, crashes, and freezing issues, particularly at critical moments like completing levels or during character progression. While some players have experienced smooth gameplay without problems, the overall consensus leans towards the game feeling unfinished and in need of urgent patches to address its numerous glitches.
- “The game runs smoothly on my Nitro 5 from Acer, with no lag or freezes; movements are as intended.”
- “Still a work in progress, but it's been completely bug-free for me.”
- “No bugs, no glitches, no issues.”
- “However, it's still buggy - to the point where you can have a personal best run, reach the end and extract, only to find that the 'exit' button just doesn't work anymore.”
- “I can't recommend this game until they fix the bug that freezes on the end screen as you finish a level that you've spent 30 minutes on.”
- “I've had multiple runs bricked when the game randomly glitches upon leveling up.”
replayability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while it offers multiple character classes, procedural maps, and higher difficulty levels that encourage replay, many players feel a lack of endgame content and satisfaction after completing the main objectives. Some aspects, such as limited weapon builds and resource gathering, can hinder the desire to replay, leading to a perception of low replay value despite the initial variety.
- “Approximately 20-30 hours, with additional replayability through higher difficulty levels and character customization.”
- “Moderate to high; offers multiple character classes, procedural maps, and difficulty levels that encourage replayability.”
- “Procedurally generated maps and varied difficulty levels ensure replayability.”
- “However, after finishing the last map with the last difficulty, it feels empty; there is no end game and a lack of replayability. It's just that, finished.”
- “But many aspects of the game leave me feeling unsatisfied and, ultimately, really affect the replayability.”
- “You don't get any upgrades anymore when going on to different maps and difficulties, which makes the replay value extremely low.”
atmosphere
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The game's atmosphere is characterized by gritty post-apocalyptic visuals and detailed environments that create an immersive survival experience. High-quality graphics and sound design enhance the sense of realism, while dynamic gameplay and atmospheric music contribute to a captivating and suspenseful ambiance. Overall, players find the atmosphere to be a standout feature that keeps them engaged throughout their playthrough.
- “Gritty post-apocalyptic visuals with a mix of detailed environments and stylized character art, enhancing the survival atmosphere.”
- “The gameplay is absolutely exhilarating, and the post-apocalyptic atmosphere is truly stunning.”
- “The sound effects and music are atmospheric, adding to the overall experience.”
- “The graphics of the game are striking in their detail and atmosphere, and the dynamic gameplay keeps you in suspense throughout the entire playthrough.”
- “High quality graphics and sound create the atmosphere of real combat.”
- “Gritty post-apocalyptic visuals with a mix of detailed environments and stylized character art enhance the survival atmosphere.”
character development
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
60%
Character development in the game is engaging and immersive, with players investing significant time into their characters, who can face permanent death, adding weight to their progression. The system allows for diverse builds and is complemented by addictive gameplay mechanics, enhancing the overall experience. The gritty visuals and stylized designs further enrich the character development aspect, making it a standout feature.
- “Character development, the possibility of different builds, catchy and addictive game mechanics that make you want to do 'one more raid'.”
- “And those characters can die, which means you invest hours into character development and can lose them occasionally (which you don't want, because that means more grind).”
- “The game is similar to Vampire Survivors, with an interesting implementation of the character development system and cool graphics.”
- “And those characters can die, which means you invest hours into character development only to lose them occasionally, leading to more grind.”
- “Character development lacks depth, making it hard to feel a connection with the characters.”
- “The character progression system feels unbalanced and frustrating, often leaving players feeling underwhelmed.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by a playful mockery of player failures, creating a sense of irony that encourages repetitive gameplay despite its frustrations. Additionally, players find humor in design quirks, such as the ineffective evolution of skills, which adds a layer of comedic frustration to the experience.
- “If you die, it feels like the game is laughing at you for not being a coward, which makes you want to do short, boring runs over and over to grind back to where you were in the 'meta' that you lost.”
- “Funny game”
- “One of the hilarious things I've always hated is that Vampire Survivor's King Bible needed a passive that gives you + duration of skills, then when you evolve it to Unholy Vespers, it just orbits around you permanently, making your + duration of skills passive worthless. This game copied that same design mistake.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game is generally viewed positively due to the absence of intrusive microtransactions; however, players express frustration over the prevalence of advertisements and promotional content, which detracts from the overall experience.
- “And besides that, all the rest of the news are advertisements; check this bundle, check that bundle, vote for us for Steam Awards.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the emotional impact of losing a well-developed character due to greed and overconfidence to be heartbreaking, adding a meaningful layer to the gameplay. This mechanic enhances the game's challenge and depth, making the experience more engaging and resonant.
- “It's heartbreaking losing a character you've leveled up due to greed and overconfidence, but it's a fantastic addition that puts a genuine spin on the genre as the game gets progressively tougher after each challenge.”
- “The emotional weight of the story really pulls you in, making every decision feel significant and impactful.”
- “I found myself genuinely caring for the characters, and their struggles resonated with me on a personal level.”