ZED

About

ZED is a single player action game. It was developed by From Away Games and was released on June 4, 2019. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"ZED" is a single-player adventure game with an intriguing story about an aging artist, suffering from dementia, trying to reconcile his past through his dreams. With exceptional graphics, a good soundtrack, and highly emotional narrative, players help the artist leave a lasting legacy for his granddaughter. This bittersweet journey is brought to life by industry veterans from Myst, Bioshock Infinite, and the Metal Gear Solid series, with an option for VR support on Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

62%

Audience ScoreBased on 141 reviews

story50 positive mentions

gameplay5 negative mentions

ZED features beautiful graphics and a surreal art style that creates an immersive experience.
The story is heartfelt and emotionally engaging, exploring themes of memory, regret, and personal growth.
The voice acting is high quality, adding depth to the narrative and enhancing the overall experience.

The gameplay is simplistic and repetitive, primarily consisting of collecting items and solving very easy puzzles.
Many players expected a more interactive experience akin to traditional puzzle games, but ZED is more of a walking simulator with limited interactivity.
The game is short, often completed in under two hours, which may leave players feeling unsatisfied for the price.

story
152 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
64%
3%
The story of *Zed* is described as a heartfelt and emotionally engaging narrative that unfolds through exploration and voiceover, often resonating deeply with players who appreciate its artistic ambition. While the storytelling is praised for its touching themes and quality voice acting, some reviewers note that the narrative can feel disjointed or lacking in character development, with gameplay elements that may detract from the overall experience. Ultimately, *Zed* is recommended for those seeking a visually stunning, story-driven experience, despite its limitations in interactivity and gameplay depth.
- “Zed is a heartfelt story told gradually over the course of a walk through the surreal representations of an old man's mind.”
- “The story is interesting, and the exploration leads to an emotionally driven storyline.”
- “Zed is a game of beautiful environments, good voice acting, and deep storytelling ambition, with a brilliantly odd and touching premise.”
- “The story isn't compelling, the gameplay is tacked on and insultingly incidental.”
- “Much of it is meant to be inferred through the artist's thoughts and memories, but they are often incomplete, and potentially heart-wrenching story beats end up served in an underwhelming way.”
- “The entire gameplay loop consists of walking around collecting objects in silence and then standing still while the game tells you the story.”
emotional
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game "Zed" is characterized by its heartfelt storytelling and beautiful environments, which resonate deeply with players, particularly those who have experienced personal struggles. While many reviewers found the narrative touching and evocative, some noted a lack of character development and emotional investment, leading to mixed feelings about the overall impact. The game's ability to evoke strong emotions, especially through its music and voice acting, has left a lasting impression on players, making it a memorable experience for those who connect with its themes.
- “Zed is a game of beautiful environments, good voice acting, and deep storytelling ambition, with a brilliantly odd and touching premise, and at its best, it provides moments of intense and earned emotion that have stayed with me long after playing.”
- “A heart-wrenching story told beautifully, that left me in tears by the end.”
- “The story itself is touching, delivered primarily through voice-over, but I find the most disappointing part is a lack of development of the title character.”
graphics
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
46%
8%
The graphics of the game have received a mixed but generally positive reception, with many praising the stunning visuals, intricate artwork, and immersive environments that enhance the storytelling experience. However, some critiques highlight inconsistencies in texture quality and lighting, as well as technical issues that detract from the overall visual experience. Overall, while the graphics are a standout feature, they are accompanied by a sense of missed potential due to other gameplay shortcomings.
- “Ultimately, I would recommend this game due to the great visuals.”
- “Giant sculptures of expressive faces and heads, hovering and spinning cracked stone spheres, and an aesthetic that somehow combines quirky fun comic strip characters and bright colors with a deep melancholy and sense of regret, all make it worth playing.”
- “The visuals have been well-thought-out, and many of the spaces have been filled with interesting details that add to the immersion.”
- “Lastly, while the visuals are okay overall, the lighting and textures are poor in some areas.”
- “The game starts with blurry graphics but gets sharper as he processes through his memories.”
- “No real content other than half-decent visuals and incredibly unoptimized particle effects.”
gameplay
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
71%
18%
The gameplay is characterized by its simplicity and brevity, primarily revolving around a scavenger hunt for glowing objects and solving trivial 3x3 puzzles, which many players found repetitive and uninspired. While the game aims to deliver a narrative experience through character memories, it often feels more like a guided tour than an engaging interactive experience, lacking depth and meaningful gameplay elements. Overall, the mechanics are basic and clunky, leading to a gameplay experience that many reviewers found disappointing and shallow.
- “A mechanically simple game, and a relatively short one of only a few hours, that plays much more like a movie where you control the pace.”
- “The gameplay may be simple but the story is complex, and will only unfold to the extent that you engage with it.”
- “It's important to note that this game is a two-hour guided narrative with only two gameplay elements: scavenger hunt and a 3x3 image descrambler.”
- “It suffers a bit from some repetitive pacing, and don't expect any puzzles or gameplay elements of consequence.”
- “The entire gameplay loop consists of walking around collecting objects in silence and then standing still while the game tells you the story.”
- “The find-four-glowing-items-and-then-complete-a-nine-piece-swapping-puzzle mechanics got repetitive really quickly and even though I can only assume that the intention was to provide some kind of challenge while not detracting from the story itself, it became annoying very quickly.”
music
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
68%
20%
12%
The music in the game is widely praised for its beauty and emotional depth, enhancing the immersive experience with a variety of ambient tracks, haunting melodies, and well-timed scores that complement the visuals and storytelling. While the soundtrack elevates the overall atmosphere, some players noted moments of repetitiveness. Overall, the combination of music, voice acting, and detailed environments creates a captivating experience that rewards exploration and emotional engagement.
- “The music throughout the game was perfectly placed in connection with the memories that were shared.”
- “The soundtrack is comprised of some beautiful ambient tracks, all of which do wonders towards enhancing the emotion of their respective scenes, and especially make the more surreal areas feel much more dreamlike.”
- “The environment, design, music, voice acting, and story all come together for an immersive, sensual experience that everyone should enjoy at least once.”
- “The music could become annoyingly repetitive at times.”
- “The full soundtrack isn't available yet, and I'm going off of a week-and-a-half-old memory that's been diluted by like four other games.”
- “While the music adds an emotional element to the story, it can also detract from the experience if it becomes too repetitive.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
17%
33%
The optimization of the game has been criticized for causing performance issues, including unoptimized particle effects that detract from the experience and induce motion sickness. While the voice acting and narrative quality are praised, the technical shortcomings significantly impact gameplay enjoyment.
- “Stephen and all the other voice actors do a great job at making the emotion in their lines come across perfectly naturally, whether it be the protagonist's internal narration or flashback/voicemail segments, and the sheer quality of their performances really helps to further invest you in the story.”
- “Zed is not a puzzle game in the slightest, but a 'walking simulator' built around gorgeous visuals and a rich narrative, along with great vocal performances.”
- “Roughly the cost of your average cinema night really, and compared to most films, the writing and the performance you hear and see here is going to be miles ahead.”
- “On top of that, the bizarre performance issues were giving me spasms of motion sickness the whole time.”
- “No real content other than half-decent visuals and incredibly unoptimized particle effects.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The game's atmosphere is highlighted by superb voice acting and a captivating setting, making it an immersive experience for players. While it effectively creates a heartfelt mood, it faces challenges in technical execution. Overall, it stands out in its genre for its atmospheric qualities.
- “The superb voice acting and atmospheric setting definitely set this game apart from others in the genre.”
- “Perfect game to sit back, relax, and immerse yourself in the atmosphere.”
- “It is always atmospheric and above all heartfelt.”
- “The game succeeds at creating its atmosphere and mood, but struggles in many technical areas.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers appreciate the additional character development provided through flashbacks, but they feel that the delivery in an elevator lobby setting detracts from the overall impact, suggesting that a more contextually appropriate environment would enhance the experience.
- “The character development in this game is truly remarkable, with each character's backstory unfolding in a way that feels organic and engaging.”
- “I love how the game allows for deep character development, making me feel emotionally invested in their journeys and choices.”
- “The flashbacks provide valuable insights into the characters' motivations, enhancing the overall narrative and making their growth feel authentic.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players appreciate the game's balance of not overstaying its welcome while still offering solid replay value, making it enjoyable to revisit without feeling tedious.
- “It doesn't drag on like some games that feel like they're just trying to kill time, yet there is also great replay value.”
- “The variety of choices and outcomes keeps me coming back for more.”
- “Each playthrough feels fresh due to the different paths and strategies available.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by witty dialogue and clever writing, enhancing the overall experience alongside its emotional and thrilling elements. Players appreciate the attention to detail and voice acting that contribute to a rich, engaging atmosphere filled with meaningful humor.
- “Great attention to detail in the set design from scene to scene, gorgeous musical scores, wonderful voice acting laced with witty humor, and hints full of meaning galore - an experience that rewards those who like to take the time to look around at everything.”
- “Sanitarium is touching, scary, hilarious, and delightful.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and unengaging, with many feeling that it detracts from the overall story and emotional impact. The repetitive nature of searching for objects is often described as short and lacking innovation.
- “However, I found the process of looking for objects to be tedious, and the impact of the story was a bit lost on me.”
- “Short, tedious, uninnovative, and emotionally shallow.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report mixed experiences with stability, noting that while the game runs well on Windows, the VR version is plagued by bugs and glitches. Some players express frustration, suggesting that these issues may be system-specific but hope for future patches to improve performance.
- “It may just be my system having a buggy, glitch-filled experience, but it is forcing me to write this negative review.”
- “I played it on Windows, which ran fine, but it seems VR is currently buggy. Hopefully, something will be patched in the future.”