Splinter Zone

About

Splinter Zone is a single player arcade platformer game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by MOKKA and was released on June 1, 2017. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

"Splinter Zone" is a challenging auto-runner game set in the futuristic city of Mokkograd. You play as a skilled hacker, outrunning various obstacles and enemies while collecting data fragments. With its fast-paced gameplay and procedurally generated levels, "Splinter Zone" offers high replayability and a thrilling experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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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 variety of levels with unique mechanics and a rewarding progression system that encourages skill mastery and exploration of hidden secrets.
With a fantastic soundtrack and impressive sound effects, including satisfying explosions, the game creates an engaging atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.

The random level generation can lead to frustrating segments that may feel overly punishing, especially for players unfamiliar with the mechanics.
Some visual and audio elements, such as certain particle effects and explosion sounds, may not appeal to everyone and can detract from the overall presentation.
The retro aesthetic and difficulty may not resonate with all players, potentially making it feel dated or overly challenging for those not accustomed to hardcore platformers.

music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The music in the game is highly praised for its nostalgic 90s platformer vibe, reminiscent of titles like Jazz Jackrabbit, and is described as memorable, enjoyable, and non-distracting. Players appreciate the soundtrack's quality, noting it enhances the overall experience without being grating. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature that complements the gameplay effectively.
- “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, as taking damage impacts experience points and leveling, while a hyper mode offers powerful advantages at the cost of accumulated XP, promoting cautious and skillful play.
- “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 a heal of some damage you took, giving 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 unnecessary backtracking, detracting from the overall 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 boss encounters, presenting a surprisingly dark narrative amidst its 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 very funny, particularly in the context of its jump and run mechanics.
- “A very funny jump and run game.”
- “The humor in this game had me laughing out loud!”
- “The witty dialogue and hilarious situations make every level a joy to play.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find that while many 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 motivated and enjoy the game.”