Project Zora

About

Project Zora is a single player puzzle game. It was developed by Dark-1 Games and was released on October 28, 2020. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Project Zora was the forth part of the Skopje ARG we were working on. This introductory point-and-click adventure was originally published on our website. Good luck and Welcome to Skopje! Skopje on SteamJoin us on discord

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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77%

Audience ScoreBased on 112 reviews

story11 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

The game offers a unique exploration experience with no hand-holding, encouraging players to discover the world and its secrets on their own.
The art style and atmosphere are visually appealing, capturing the essence of Skopje and providing a nostalgic experience for players familiar with the city.
The gameplay loop becomes rewarding as players learn to strategize their runs, making each session feel satisfying and engaging.

The game suffers from significant performance issues and bugs, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences, especially in multiplayer.
The lack of clear objectives and guidance can leave players feeling lost, making it difficult to progress without external resources or guides.
The survival mechanics can feel tedious, with resource management becoming a chore rather than an engaging part of the gameplay.

story
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
60%
9%
The game's story is described as compelling and intricately tied to its unique environments, encouraging exploration without the guidance of markers or strict missions. While many players appreciate the freedom to uncover lore and engage with the narrative at their own pace, some feel that the lack of direction can lead to confusion and a sense of aimlessness. Overall, the story is seen as rich and engaging, but its delivery may not resonate with all players, particularly those who prefer more structured gameplay.
- “Each zone has a unique visual style that reflects its story and main boss.”
- “Lore is sprinkled everywhere around the map in the form of signals and recordings, so you will have to go and find it to know the story.”
- “The game overall feels very good but it lacks a lot of optimization, it constantly drops fps and does not run smoothly, the rest is very good - game design, game story on point.”
- “The game isn’t what I expected; I thought there would be a storyline included, but from what I played, it’s just a repetitive cycle of collecting, looting, and destroying towers.”
- “I felt forced to play the story, and in an open world game, forcing the player to play your story is not the way to go.”
- “Like there was a story, but it didn't make me care about it enough to have a reason to play.”
gameplay
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
53%
12%
The gameplay is characterized by a slow-burn exploration experience that rewards patience and creativity, though it suffers from repetitive combat and a flawed gameplay loop. While some players appreciate the depth and mechanics, others find the initial hours tedious and poorly optimized, leading to frustration with the grind and lack of enemy variety. Overall, the game offers a unique blend of survival and trial-and-error gameplay, but its execution may not resonate with everyone.
- “If you like to explore and not be hand-fed every little thing, this game is amazing. Plenty of content, good controls, and smooth mechanics/game feel.”
- “If you do like that gameplay, you're in for so much fun as you discover what stays changed and what doesn't!”
- “It's the kind of game where running out of ammo or losing your vehicle allows for emergent gameplay that opens up ingenuity and creativity in survival and progression.”
- “The gameplay loop can be misleading at first.”
- “The gameplay loop is shallow: you shoot the same annoying enemies over and over, take unavoidable damage, then spend half your time healing, eating, or sleeping just to stay alive.”
- “Gameplay-wise, the biggest problem I faced was that the grind to get levels wasn't as fun and early you don't get a lot of enemy variety so you're just stuck doing towers or clearing small areas.”
optimization
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
70%
18%
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting severe performance issues, including frequent frame drops, stutters, and glitches. While some users express hope for future improvements, the current state is described as poorly optimized, affecting overall gameplay experience despite positive feedback on other aspects like design and story.
- “The game overall feels very good, but it lacks a lot of optimization; it constantly drops FPS and does not run smoothly. The rest is very good - game design and game story are on point.”
- “Only problem is the optimization; everything else is cool as f***.”
- “The optimization can be better, since sometimes I get frame drops and stutters, but it's still very playable.”
- “Pretty poor performance optimization (it's Unity), no DLSS, just FSR, lots of pop-in even with the draw distance maxed out, lots of items floating in places, janky buildings with gaps between the wall and door, stuff getting stuck in the ground that you can't pick up.”
- “I will agree with everyone else that left their review, the game is very, very, very poorly optimized.”
graphics
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
25%
19%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their eye-catching art style, particularly the retro-alternate-reality-sci-fi vibe and cel-shaded visuals, which many players find stunning and immersive. However, several users noted technical issues, such as frame rate hitches and minor bugs, that detract from the overall experience. Despite these flaws, the unique aesthetic and attention to detail in the environment are consistently highlighted as strong points.
- “Nonetheless, the game nails the 'retro-alternate-reality-sci-fi' vibe with the visuals, the weirdly reminiscent atmosphere, and the little details everywhere around the map.”
- “The visuals and sounds are really stunning.”
- “For me, finally, the slightly hitchy framerates, possibly combined with the visuals, gave me a bit of eyestrain.”
- “I also really like the art style, but there are some obvious issues with the current build.”
- “The art style is eye-candy in my opinion.”
stability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
86%
The game exhibits several stability issues, including bugs, glitches, and performance problems, which some players find distracting. However, many users appreciate the overall gameplay experience and express confidence in the developers' ability to address these issues in future updates. Despite the stability concerns, the game runs well on platforms like the Steam Deck.
- “The game feels great and runs smoothly on the Steam Deck.”
- “I haven't experienced any crashes or major bugs, which is impressive.”
- “The stability of the game allows for an immersive experience without interruptions.”
- “Update: after finishing the game, I can safely say that the game is seriously buggy.”
- “So yes, performance is the biggest issue here, and the second biggest issue are the glitches and terrain bugs.”
- “The game at the moment does have a few glitches and bugs, but it's not something that the devs wouldn’t be able to fix.”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The music in the game is praised for its emotional impact and vibe, particularly during combat and boss encounters, though some players feel it can be overly melancholic at times. There are requests for more music variety and options for user-provided custom content, as the soundtrack primarily plays when health is low. Overall, the sound design enhances the gaming experience, but players desire a broader selection.
- “The soundtrack and sound design is an absolute vibe.”
- “The music would often change depending on what you were doing and had some bangers for the bosses.”
- “Sometimes the melancholic audio design hits me too hard, so I end up playing other music on the side.”
- “I only wish there was more music.”
- “Music only plays when you’re low on health in combat.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
17%
33%
The game excels in creating a captivating "retro-alternate-reality-sci-fi" atmosphere, enhanced by detailed visuals and a melancholic soundtrack reminiscent of titles like Metro 2033. Players appreciate the immersive environment, which invites exploration and social interaction, making the overall experience feel rich and engaging.
- “Can't wait to join up a random multiplayer lobby to see how other people are progressing, and enjoy the atmosphere as I drink my black tea!”
- “Nonetheless, the game nails the 'retro-alternate-reality-sci-fi' vibe with the visuals, the weirdly reminiscent atmosphere, and the little details everywhere around the map.”
- “+ the melancholic guitar while exploring Skopje is pure art and it reminds me of the atmosphere of Metro 2033.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by the absurdity of driving a bus, particularly the comedic moments that arise from running over enemies, which is entertaining despite the minimal damage inflicted. However, players are humorously warned to be cautious of curbs, as they inflict significantly more damage than the enemies themselves.
- “Driving the bus is fun and hilarious, especially when running over an enemy. It doesn’t take a whole lot of damage from running enemies over, but hitting a curb takes 23 damage, so watch out for those.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a sense of disappointment and heartbreak regarding the game's development, feeling that the long wait since its announcement in 2020 has not resulted in the expected quality or fulfillment.
- “They announced this game in 2020, so seeing it in this state after 5 years of development is kind of heartbreaking.”