Z.O.N.A: Origin
- August 26, 2024
- AGaming+
Get on SteamMAIN FEATURES Next-generation graphics created using advanced VR technologies. A blend of action, horror, survival and RPG elements set against the grim backdrop of a post-apocalyptic world. An unparalleled atmosphere of solitude in a place where time seems to have stopped forever. Realistic handling of a variety of classic and modern weapons. Dangerous anomalies, valuable artifacts, a g…
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game has a great atmosphere and captures the essence of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series, making it engaging and immersive.
- The developer is very active, frequently releasing updates and patches, which shows dedication to improving the game.
- The gameplay mechanics, such as weapon maintenance and the semi-open world design, provide a fun and unique experience for fans of the genre.
- The game suffers from significant issues with lighting and visibility, making it difficult to navigate and interact with the environment.
- Enemy AI is poorly designed, often resulting in immersion-breaking encounters where enemies behave unrealistically.
- There are numerous quality-of-life issues, such as awkward item management and unclear mechanics, which can lead to frustration during gameplay.
- story22 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The story is praised for its alignment with the Stalker series, featuring factions and a compelling narrative, though some players feel the missions are too self-contained, reminiscent of classic platformers. While the graphics and gameplay mechanics are well-received, there are concerns about quest marker bugs that hinder progression. Overall, the game captures the essence of the Stalker franchise, appealing to fans despite some technical issues.
“The story seems more interesting and more in line with the Stalker series, where you have factions in play.”
“Really good on any PC or any good gaming portable, has an extremely nice storyline and weapon design.”
“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.”
“I think the developer might have looked at Into the Radius and decided to simulate the feeling of an open world, but these missions feel like self-contained missions. It feels more like if you were playing Mario and had to go back to the beginning after clearing the level.”
“In terms of using it for a substitution for night vision, it gets a hard pass, especially with Project X. It got annoying to keep having to take the thermals off to look at the map, then put them back on before continuing with the missions.”
“After completing the first quest I had, the quest marker got stuck on the little shack, and taking new quests never updated the quest marker.”
- gameplay14 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
Gameplay in this title is characterized by a slow pace, primarily involving walking and inventory management, which some players find tedious. While the environmental design and visual effects are praised, there are concerns about clunky weapon mechanics and a less intuitive saving system. Overall, the gameplay is seen as decent but could benefit from improvements in mechanics and pacing.
“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.”
“He is definitely a fan of the Stalker series, and you can tell he has a passion for this style of gameplay.”
“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 'Into the Radius', it's done through the UI, and in these types of games, you'll want to save all the time.”
“Might be that guns don't always disappear (I am sure they do), and I sometimes just lose them by doing a wrong manipulation, but you need to change this mechanic, making it more apparent to the player.”
- atmosphere12 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its stunning visual effects and excellent environmental design, effectively capturing the essence of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series. Reviewers highlight the tense and immersive experience created by the environments and the presence of new threats, making it a standout feature that enhances gameplay. Overall, the atmosphere is described as fantastic, with many recommending the game for its captivating and eerie ambiance.
“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.”
“This game has amazing atmosphere and the developer is worth supporting through early access.”
“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.”
“I like the atmosphere of the game.”
- graphics9 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 22 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are described as interesting and immersive, with some high-resolution textures that enhance the visual experience, particularly on high settings. However, there are inconsistencies in texture quality that can be jarring, especially in foliage-heavy areas. Overall, while the visuals are generally well-received and optimized, there is room for improvement, particularly in VR accommodations.
“Graphics, quests, and gameplay are truly on a great level.”
“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 will be a great-looking game one day.”
“The graphic is awesome and really optimized; gunplay is solid.”
“I found that the graphics are a bit uncomfortable; some textures are fairly high resolution, but others are like Minecraft, which was a bit nauseating and 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 kind of lacking, not very good VR accommodations, goofy gun logic, hope to see improvements in the future.”
“On my RTX 3080, on high graphical settings, I was getting 45-90 fps.”
- stability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while some users report it runs well with minimal bugs, others experience significant issues with inventory management and loading functions. The need for autosave features is highlighted due to the potential for accidental quits, and there are calls for improvements in the game's mechanics and visuals.
“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.”
“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.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Overall, the optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with players experiencing significant performance issues such as heavy stuttering and inconsistent frame rates, even on high-end hardware. While the graphics and gunplay are praised, the performance problems detract from the overall immersion and gameplay experience.
“This is the closest thing to Stalker games we have as Stalker fans. I played the tutorial and first missions. The graphics are awesome and really optimized, and the 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.”
“I am a fan of the vision of this game; unfortunately, the performance didn't allow for a smooth playthrough of the early missions.”
“Right from the start, even on a powerful gaming rig, you'll notice heavy stuttering and frame pacing, which absolutely kills the immersion.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect tedious, particularly due to the long distances required to return to key locations like dens or shops after making mistakes, which can disrupt the flow of gameplay.
“Where you spawn after returning, while not a bug or issue, it gets very tedious having to run so far back to the den/shop, especially if you select the wrong area and have to run all the way back to reselect the correct area.”
“The grinding in this game feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“I find myself spending more time grinding for resources than actually enjoying the gameplay.”
