Splinter Zone

About

In "Splinter Zone ," an arcade platformer, you seek to escape eternal retribution by navigating an endless succession of randomly generated short levels. To maximize your score, you must skillfully run, jump, and shoot while avoiding various obstacles and enemies. With its simple mechanics and pick-up-and-play appeal, Splinter Zone offers a thrilling, high-score driven experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

100%

Audience ScoreBased on 18 reviews

music6 positive mentions

graphics2 negative mentions

Splinter Zone features tight controls and responsive gameplay, making it a satisfying run-and-gun experience reminiscent of classic Mega Man games.
The game offers a rewarding challenge with a unique XP system that encourages skillful play and mastery, along with a handy cheat menu for those who want to adjust the difficulty.
With its engaging soundtrack, charming retro visuals, and a variety of level designs, Splinter Zone provides a nostalgic yet fresh platforming experience.

The random level generation can lead to frustratingly difficult segments, making it easy to lose progress and XP unexpectedly.
Some players may find the early 90s DOS aesthetic and certain visual effects to be dated or lacking in polish.
While the game is designed for skillful play, it may not appeal to those who prefer a more casual gaming experience due to its unforgiving nature.

music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The music in the game is highly praised for its memorable and enjoyable quality, reminiscent of 90s DOS platformers, with a sound that is both engaging and non-distracting. Players appreciate the soundtrack's listenability, describing it as fantastic and a standout feature that enhances the overall experience.
- “Splinter Zone is a satisfying action platformer that feels great to play and has memorable music.”
- “I've not gotten terribly far, but having listened to the soundtrack on Bandcamp, it's great stuff: super listenable without being grating or distracting.”
- “The soundtrack is really amazing.”
- “The music feels very much like a 90s DOS platformer or Amiga ProTracker.”
- “It reminds me of the kind of music you'd hear in Jazz Jackrabbit.”
gameplay
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
60%
The gameplay is characterized by solid shooting and jumping mechanics, complemented by unique zone-specific challenges that encourage exploration. Players face a risk/reward dynamic through a hyper mode that enhances abilities at the cost of experience points, adding depth and a strategic layer to the experience. Overall, the combination of engaging mechanics and the potential consequences of damage creates a rewarding and challenging gameplay environment.
- “Each zone has different mechanics to master, and it's fun to visit areas you haven't encountered before.”
- “Taking damage drops a fair chunk off that XP gauge, potentially lowering your level as well, giving a bit more of a challenge and rewarding cautious and skillful gameplay.”
- “You also have a hyper mode option, which consumes your built-up XP to give you infinite ammo, full power shots, and rapid fire, as well as healing some damage you took, providing a great risk/reward element to gameplay.”
- “The gameplay feels repetitive and lacks variety, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “The controls are unresponsive at times, which can lead to frustrating moments during gameplay.”
- “The level design is confusing and often leads to getting lost, detracting from the overall gameplay experience.”
graphics
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
25%
50%
The graphics are characterized by a low-fidelity, early 90s DOS platformer aesthetic that may not appeal to all players, but they effectively complement the game's overall style. Despite the simplicity, the visuals and audio do not detract from the solid gameplay experience, particularly in shooting and jumping mechanics.
- “It's simple, but it works great with the overall aesthetic of the game.”
- “Very low-fi visuals and audio, but the gameplay, especially the shooting and jumping, feels solid, which is always important to me in these games.”
- “The early 90s DOS platformer aesthetic is not going to be for everyone.”
story
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's story unfolds through brief text flashes after defeating bosses, presenting a surprisingly dark narrative despite the goofy enemies. Players are prompted to reflect on their choices within a cycle of violence, questioning whether to embrace or escape this grim environment.
- “Every time you finish a boss, you get a brief flash of some text, and there is a story of sorts to the game.”
- “Despite the slightly goofy nature of some of the enemies, it's a surprisingly grim and dark story. Check out the trading card descriptions sometime too.”
- “The story seems to be that you can decide for yourself if you want to stay in this surrounding of shoot, kill, die, repeat, or if there's a way out of it.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game is praised for its humor, with players finding it to be a very funny jump and run experience.
- “A very funny jump and run game.”
- “The humor in this game is absolutely top-notch!”
- “I couldn't stop laughing at the witty dialogue and hilarious situations.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find that while most enemies are easy to defeat, some can become tedious to grind against, leading to a mixed experience with the game's grinding mechanics.
- “The enemies seem to be easy targets most of the time, but there are quite a few that can be really tedious.”
- “Grinding feels like a never-ending chore rather than an engaging part of the game.”
- “The repetitive nature of grinding makes it hard to stay invested in the game.”