Z.O.N.A: Origin

About

In Z.O.N.A: Origin, players explore a post-apocalyptic world in the aftermath of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant disaster in 2022. The game combines action, horror, survival, and RPG elements, featuring next-gen graphics and realistic weapon handling. Survive against dangerous anomalies, mutants, and gangs, while searching for valuable artifacts and uncovering the Zone's mysteries.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

85%

Audience ScoreBased on 160 reviews

story14 positive mentions

optimization4 negative mentions

The game features a visually captivating open world that enhances the post-apocalyptic atmosphere and includes engaging NPC quest givers.
Z.O.N.A Origin shows significant improvements over its predecessor, Project X, with a more immersive world and a solid balance of action, horror, and exploration.
The developer is very active in the community, frequently releasing updates and listening to player feedback, which shows a commitment to improving the game.

The game suffers from various technical issues, including shaky aiming mechanics, visual quality problems, and a frustrating inventory management system.
Enemy AI is often criticized for being crude and unresponsive, which detracts from the overall immersion and challenge of the game.
There are persistent issues with the game's mechanics, such as the 'baby hands' problem and a confusing loot system that leads to repetitive item drops.

story
60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
72%
5%
The story has been generally well-received, with many players finding it engaging and reminiscent of the Stalker series, featuring factions and a mix of action, horror, and exploration. However, some users noted issues with mission clarity and quest markers not updating, which can disrupt the narrative flow. Overall, while the plot shows promise and depth, technical bugs have impacted the experience for some players.
- “The plot seems to be interesting too.”
- “Even though I'm still somewhat new to the game, the storyline has also been solid enough.”
- “Story: I can't pronounce myself all that well, but respecting the Stalker franchise tradition: the game will not hold your hand a lot.”
- “Start listening to a dumb story after 5 minutes.”
- “Also, there was an issue in the starting area where you are given your objectives but not told how to start the mission.”
- “After completing the first quest I had, the quest marker got stuck there on the little shack and taking new quests never updated the quest marker.”
gameplay
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
58%
8%
Gameplay reviews highlight a mix of strengths and weaknesses. Players appreciate the immersive environments, balanced enemies, and engaging exploration, though they note issues like repetitive loot, clunky weapon mechanics, and a lack of running or jogging options. The developer's responsiveness to feedback and frequent updates are seen as positive signs for future improvements, despite the current rough edges and tutorial challenges.
- “This developer actually seems to listen to the players, which is hard to come by. Playing this game, you won't get the feel or quality of some AAA or even AA rated games, and it is a little rough around the edges, but nothing that I'm sure won't be fixed in the near future. If you're like me and are sick of the ITR 1&2's horrible optimization, then this game will fully fit what you are looking for with really nice environments, balanced enemies, and exploring that does not drag or seem to get boring. Overall, good gameplay.”
- “As someone who is a pretty big fan of Stalker, this game is pretty neat. I really like all the VFX; they look very nice, and the atmosphere and environments are very pretty. Excellent environmental design, and the gameplay was okay to say the least. I really like the ITR style backpack as well.”
- “Graphics, quests, and gameplay are truly on a great level.”
- “I don't know if this is just a game mechanic, but it isn't fun finding the same loot in every building I search.”
- “There is no running, no jogging; most of your gameplay time will be walking through the dark and figuring out how to shove more things into your backpack.”
- “I also dislike the PDA saving mechanic; in other games, it's done through the UI, and in these types of games, you'll want to save all the time.”
atmosphere
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
76%
15%
9%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and visually captivating open world, effectively capturing the essence of a post-apocalyptic setting reminiscent of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series. Reviewers highlight the excellent environmental design, vibrant effects, and a sense of tension that enhances the overall experience, making it a standout feature of the game. Overall, the atmosphere is described as fantastic, colorful, and engaging, contributing significantly to the player's enjoyment.
- “The game successfully creates an immersive world, enhancing the player's experience.”
- “If there is one thing that the game excels at already, it's capturing the atmosphere that made S.T.A.L.K.E.R.”
- “The environments, effects, and general atmosphere are top notch.”
- “But now with a new strange creature, and hostile stalkers in raids, plus the atmosphere and built-up environment, a little risk and threat has come back in.”
- “Atmosphere is way scarier than Into the Radius, which I absolutely love.”
- “The open world is visually captivating and fits the post-apocalyptic atmosphere very well.”
graphics
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
41%
14%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the optimization and performance on high settings, while others note significant visual quality inconsistencies, particularly with texture resolution. Although the visuals can be immersive and appealing, issues such as low-quality textures in certain environments detract from the overall experience. Overall, while the game shows potential for impressive graphics, there is a clear need for further improvements to achieve consistency and enhance visual enjoyment.
- “For me personally, this game runs way better than I expected while seeming to be more or less on par graphically. I have an RTX 4060 8GB and an i5 11600KF, so not a top-of-the-range PC, but this game so far has been running with no stutters on the highest settings possible, which is actually really surprising. So props to the dev for the really good optimization.”
- “I must say these graphics are better than almost anything I've seen in VR, including the new Into the Radius 2. This is looking like it could be a great-looking game one day.”
- “This is the closest thing to Stalker games we have as Stalker fans. I played the tutorial and first missions, and the graphics are awesome and really optimized. Gunplay is solid, and some mechanics taken from Into the Radius, like cleaning weapons, are a great addition.”
- “I found that the graphics are also a bit uncomfortable; some textures are fairly high res but then others are like Minecraft, which to me was a bit nauseating/unpleasant, mainly in levels with lots of foliage like the radio tower level and the swamps.”
- “Tldr; game runs well, not very buggy, visuals are kinda lacking, not very good VR accommodations, goofy gun logic, hope to see improvements in the future.”
- “I must say these graphics are better than almost anything I've seen in VR, including the new Into the Radius 2; this is looking like it could be a great-looking game one day.”
optimization
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
50%
33%
Overall, the optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players experiencing significant stuttering and frame pacing issues even on high-end hardware like the RTX 4090 and 4070. While the graphics and gunplay are praised, the inconsistent performance detracts from immersion and affects gameplay, particularly in early missions.
- “This is the closest thing to Stalker games we have as Stalker fans... played the tutorial and first missions... graphics are awesome and really optimized, gunplay is solid... some mechanics taken from Into the Radius, like cleaning weapons, are a great addition.”
- “Performance could definitely be a bit better; I was averaging 60-77 fps on high and ultra settings on a 4070. That's not great because the framerate makes the gun physics (since there's quite a bit of weight to the AK) unpredictable.”
- “Right from the start, even on a powerful gaming rig, you'll notice heavy stuttering/frame pacing which absolutely kills the immersion.”
- “I am a fan of the vision of this game; unfortunately, the performance didn't allow for a smooth playthrough of the early missions.”
- “Performance could definitely be a bit better. I was averaging 60-77 fps on high and ultra settings on a 4070. That's not great, because the framerate makes the gun physics (since there's quite a bit of weight to the AK) unpredictable.”
stability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is a mixed bag; while some users report it runs well with minimal bugs, others experience significant issues, particularly with inventory management and loading functions. Many players suggest the need for an autosave feature due to the game's jankiness and occasional glitches. Overall, it shows promise but requires further refinement as it remains in early access.
- “I know it's early access still, but it is pretty janky with grabbing stuff out of your bag and it's a bit buggy.”
- “Needs autosave on because of how buggy it is; I accidentally quit the game without saving while the PDA is on my waist.”
- “And if you think reloading would help, you'll be correct, but good luck with that because trying to click the load button is extremely buggy and like the backpack, it only works by chance.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
Players find the grinding aspect tedious, particularly due to the long distances they must travel to return to key locations like the den or shop after making incorrect selections. This repetitive backtracking detracts from the overall experience.
- “It gets very tedious having to run so far back to the den/shop after returning, especially if you select the wrong area and have to run all the way back to reselect the correct one.”
- “The long distances you have to cover after returning to your spawn point can be frustrating, making the grinding experience feel unnecessarily tedious.”
- “Having to repeatedly run back to the den or shop after making a wrong selection really drags down the overall enjoyment of the game.”