Z Steel Soldiers

About

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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

+11

46%

Audience ScoreBased on 124 reviews

story6 positive mentions

stability6 negative mentions

The game retains the nostalgic charm of the original, providing a fun and light-hearted RTS experience.
The updated graphics and new units add a fresh layer to the gameplay, making it visually appealing.
The campaign mode includes a humorous storyline with comic-style cutscenes, enhancing the overall experience.

The game suffers from frequent crashes, making it frustrating and often unplayable.
The controls are clunky and lack essential features like hotkeys, making unit management difficult.
Many players feel that the remake is a disservice to the original, with poor AI and a confusing interface.

story
45 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
76%
11%
The game's story is presented through comic-style cutscenes and audio briefings, offering a zany and darkly humorous sci-fi narrative that many players find enjoyable, despite its execution being marred by frequent bugs and crashes. While the campaign missions are engaging and varied, some players note that the difficulty spikes unexpectedly and that mission objectives can be poorly described, leading to frustration. Overall, the story adds value to the single-player experience, but technical issues detract from its potential enjoyment.
- “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 reasons or more story content, go for it.”
- “You could skip all the story without really affecting the game, but it's worth watching if you get the humor.”
- “It's horrible, feels console-ish, and does not present some vital information, like balance of income and expenses, timer in timed missions, unit count, and upgrade levels.”
graphics
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
70%
11%
The graphics in the remastered version have received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the updated visuals and modern feel, while others lament the loss of the original's charm and simplicity. Many noted improvements in textures and overall aesthetics, but also pointed out issues like graphical glitches, dark visuals, and a lack of gamma correction. Overall, while the remaster offers a more polished look, opinions vary on whether it surpasses the nostalgic appeal of the original game's graphics.
- “The graphics are nicely updated compared to the original, and I just generally enjoyed playing the game.”
- “So, this new Steam version has improved graphics; the developer did good, it looks pretty.”
- “Now this game has updated visuals which I like, looks more modern, still has the same music/sounds and plays like the original.”
- “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.”
- “Though the graphics and animation sometimes look rather glitchy.”
gameplay
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
71%
11%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players experiencing frequent crashes that disrupt the experience, making it nearly unplayable. While some appreciate the nostalgic elements and the core mechanics reminiscent of classic RTS games, others criticize the clunky controls, unclear instructions, and dated interface that hinder the overall enjoyment. Despite these issues, some players find the gameplay enjoyable and engaging, particularly for those who appreciate fast-paced RTS mechanics with a light-hearted tone.
- “A light-hearted and fun game, obviously dated by today's standards, but the gameplay is still great.”
- “Z Steel Soldiers is a commendable effort to bring the classic Z gameplay into the modern era and it mostly succeeds.”
- “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.”
- “Crashes every 30 minutes of gameplay, crashes when you click save, crashes when you click next level.”
- “Simply put - it's a game that suggests a really deep and intricate mix-unit-tactics RTS gameplay, but controlling your units is clunky, telling units apart from one another is difficult because it's all gray/bronze, 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 - and you'd need to be because the game is actually fairly complex.”
- “All in all, it's essentially a really poorly designed C&C-esque game that is barely functional with it missing a lot of options and gameplay mechanics.”
music
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The music in the game has been criticized 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 report that it gets 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 were under attack, but now the music is just stuck on repeat for me.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized as a hilarious satire on regional war conflicts and media, complemented by a zany, comic book art style that enhances its darkly comedic narrative. Players appreciate the quirky "robot" humor reminiscent of the original game, making it an entertaining experience despite its dated mechanics. Overall, the humor adds a unique charm to the gameplay, appealing to those who enjoy a lighthearted take on strategy games.
- “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.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is notably poor, with numerous users reporting persistent bugs and glitches, particularly in missions, some of which have remained unresolved for several years. Common issues include freezing during gameplay and targeting errors that hinder mission success. Overall, the lack of updates since 2015 or 2017 has left many players frustrated with the game's performance.
- “It is still buggy and nothing has been done since about 2015 or 2017, over 3 years ago.”
- “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).”
- “Granted it freezes up as I am winning, which is pretty lame.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
20%
60%
The game's optimization has received criticism for its frustrating controls and poor performance, particularly on larger displays where oversized icons detract from the experience. Many players express a desire for a more polished version of the original rather than the current choppy remake.
- “+ Campaign now 'rates' you out of 3 stars (a la Angry Birds) for your performance.”
- “I would have preferred if they released the original version optimized for recent PCs instead of such a choppy remake.”
- “The controls will make you rage at times; I'm not sure if it was designed for fewer buttons or processing performance.”
- “Not optimized for large displays; the icons are huge, perhaps for touch device friendliness?”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
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 the game has some replay value, it falls short compared to other options in the genre.
- “There are way better games with a similar concept that are playable.”
- “Replayability: sort of”