Z Steel Soldiers

42%
Game Brain Score Based on 89 reviews
  • story
  • graphics
  • gameplay
Z Steel Soldiers Game Cover
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Z Steel Soldiers is a real-time strategy game featuring intense battles between futuristic robotic armies. Command the Zigs, a high-tech faction, or the Organic Infantry, a biologically enhanced force, across diverse environments. Utilize advanced weaponry, deploy strategic units, and conquer enemy bases to complete objectives and prove your tactical prowess.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

42%
Audience ScoreBased on 89 reviews
story6 positive mentions
stability5 negative mentions
  • The game retains the fun and fast-paced strategy gameplay of the original, allowing for quick decision-making and resource management.
  • The addition of a storyline and comic-style cutscenes adds a humorous and engaging narrative to the campaign.
  • The remaster features improved graphics and new units, including naval and air units, enhancing the overall experience.
  • The game suffers from frequent crashes and bugs, making it frustrating and sometimes unplayable.
  • The controls and user interface are clunky, lacking essential features like hotkeys and proper unit selection, which hampers gameplay.
  • Many players feel that the remaster does not live up to the original, with missing features like skirmish mode and multiplayer, and a visual style that detracts from the charm of the original.
  • story38 mentions

    The game's story is presented through comic-style cutscenes and audio briefings, offering a zany and darkly humorous sci-fi narrative that enhances the single-player campaign experience. While the storyline is engaging and filled with creative ideas, players have noted significant execution issues, including bugs and crashes that detract from the overall enjoyment. Despite these flaws, many find the campaign enjoyable and worth experiencing for its humor and character, even if some missions can be frustratingly difficult.

    • “The story is funny, but the game feels like it's from the 2001 era.”
    • “As for the story: it is very zany, comic book style, and darkly humorous.”
    • “It's a sci-fi storyline which is told between levels in cutscenes (and also via radio chatter while you're playing).”
    • “The game is not super far from the first Z game; for mere nostalgic crap or more story stuff, go for it.”
    • “As for the story: it is very zany, comic book style and darkly humorous.”
    • “You could skip all the story without really affecting the game, but it's worth watching if you get the humor.”
  • graphics33 mentions

    The graphics in the remastered version have received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the updated visuals and textures that align more closely with modern standards, while others lament the loss of the original's charm and simplicity. Many feel that the improvements, though visually appealing, do not necessarily enhance the overall experience, and some technical issues, such as graphics distortion and poor gamma correction, have been noted. Overall, while the remaster offers a more polished look, opinions vary widely on whether these changes are beneficial or detrimental to the game's aesthetic.

    • “It's a crime doubly so, because the original has a very pleasing style with simplistic 3D graphics, some added reflections and particle effects to spruce things up.”
    • “So, this new Steam version has improved graphics; the developer did good, it looks pretty.”
    • “The graphics have also been updated enough to make them look acceptable by today's standards.”
    • “I just can't stand the terrible job they did with visuals in the new version.”
    • “Unfortunately, unlike its predecessor, the modern version has no gamma correction and in many cases the graphics are too dark.”
    • “Compared to the original, graphics have been improved (original units looked like voodoo dolls of low-poly models; I could count polygons on those on my fingers), however there is a problem with bloom sometimes, plus bump mapping on some models looks a bit over the top.”
  • gameplay19 mentions

    The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising its fun and fast-paced RTS mechanics reminiscent of classic titles, while others criticize its outdated interface, clunky controls, and frequent crashes that hinder the overall experience. Despite its complexity and potential for deep tactical gameplay, many players find it frustrating due to unclear instructions and poor unit visibility. Overall, while the remastered version offers some improvements, it still struggles with significant gameplay issues that detract from its enjoyment.

    • “A light-hearted and fun game, obviously dated by today's standards, but the gameplay is still great.”
    • “All in all, graphics have improved, sound as well, gameplay is better, more units, more tactics, more mission parameters, it's just a level-up compared to Z.”
    • “If you like some fast RTS gameplay with taking over sectors, holding them, a relatively small amount of base building (compared to Command & Conquer, for example), and a little humor in the gameplay, this will be something for you.”
    • “With Z1 being ported over and over again, it has led to a broken AI of units, which renders it absolutely unplayable even on a basic gameplay level.”
    • “But dear god, the interface and the visibility murder this game and make it virtually unplayable as far as experiencing what the mechanics imply would be the point.”
    • “Simply put - it's a game that suggests a really deep and intricate mix of unit tactics RTS gameplay, but controlling your units is clunky, telling units apart from one another is difficult because it's all gray and bronze, and building units takes so many clicks and space on the screen that it's impossible to do it while you keep track of what's going on.”
  • music10 mentions

    The music in the game has received criticism for its noticeable looping, which detracts from the overall experience, as it often fails to change with game states. While the soundtrack retains elements from the original, players have reported issues with the music getting stuck in a loop, leading to a repetitive and less engaging auditory experience.

    • “Now this game has updated visuals which I like; it looks more modern, still has the same music and sounds, and plays like the original.”
    • “Even the 'mission successful' music is a nice touch.”
    • “For example, in the original, the music changed when a squad of men were under attack, but now the music is just stuck on repeat for me.”
    • “The music has very noticeable looping.”
    • “Currently, there is a problem with the music: it gets stuck in a loop and never ends.”
    • “In the original, the music changed when a squad of men was under attack, but now the music is just stuck on repeat for me.”
  • humor6 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized as a hilarious satire on regional war conflicts and media, complemented by a zany, comic book style narrative. Players appreciate the quirky "robot" humor reminiscent of the original game, with a blend of dark comedy that enhances the overall experience. While the gameplay is engaging, some feel it has a dated feel, reminiscent of early 2000s titles.

    • “And it's actually a hilarious satire on regional war conflicts and TV media around it.”
    • “The bitmap brothers bring us the sequel to 1996's real-time strategy 'Z,' jumping into 3D yet sticking with the same quirky sense of 'robot' humor and style of game that made the original game a success.”
    • “As for the story: it is very zany, comic book style and darkly humorous.”
  • stability5 mentions

    The game's stability is notably poor, with numerous bugs and glitches persisting since at least 2015, including issues with missions, freezing during gameplay, and targeting errors. Players frequently encounter problematic features, such as invincible bunkers and mission failures due to cursor malfunctions, which significantly detract from the overall experience.

    • “It is still buggy and nothing has been done since about 2015 or 2017, over 3 years ago.”
    • “Granted it freezes up as I am winning, which is pretty lame.”
    • “There are some bugs and glitches here and there, most frequent of them are invincible bunkers (pro tip - bring some pyros, their attacks ignore terrain at all) and targeting glitch, which makes your cursor think it's still on enemy building (it made me fail mission 12).”
  • optimization4 mentions

    The game's optimization has received criticism for its frustrating controls, which may be a result of design choices aimed at reducing button usage or processing demands. Additionally, the campaign's rating system and oversized icons suggest a lack of optimization for larger displays, potentially compromising the user experience.

    • “+ campaign now 'rates' you out of 3 stars (a la Angry Birds) for your performance.”
    • “I'm not sure if it was designed for the use of fewer buttons or processing performance, but the controls will make you rage at times.”
    • “Not optimized for large displays; the icons are huge, perhaps for touch device friendliness?”
    • “The campaign now 'rates' you out of 3 stars (a la Angry Birds) for your performance.”
  • replayability2 mentions

    Users indicate that the game's replayability is limited, with some suggesting that there are superior alternatives available that offer a more engaging experience. Overall, the consensus is that while it has some replay value, it falls short compared to other games in the genre.

    • “There are way better games with a similar concept that are playable.”
    • “Replayability: sort of”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

70% average critic score

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