Zelter
- October 22, 2020
- G1 Playground
- 6h median play time
Get on Steam"Zelter is a single-player Horror Open World game with phenomenal gameplay and wonderful visuals. Players scavenge and build to survive against an expanding zombie plague in a cut-off city, rescuing survivors and crafting weapons from stone spears to firearms. While the game is very grinding and buggy, Challenge Mode offers a chance to prove one's worth as a zombie slayer."
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game has a cute pixel art style and engaging atmosphere.
- The core gameplay loop of crafting, gathering, and combat is enjoyable and has potential.
- The developers are responsive to community feedback and are committed to improving the game.
- The game feels abandoned with little to no updates since its early access launch, leading to frustration among players.
- Crafting times are excessively long, making resource management tedious and unbalanced.
- NPCs are poorly implemented, often requiring constant attention and not functioning as intended.
- gameplay116 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this early access title has received mixed feedback, with players appreciating its core mechanics like crafting and zombie combat, but criticizing its lack of depth and polish. Many users noted that the game feels unfinished, with a repetitive gameplay loop and difficulty spikes that can frustrate new players. While the art style and some mechanics show promise, significant improvements are needed in areas such as resource management, tutorials, and overall game balance to enhance the experience.
“The gameplay is fun; the crafting aspect makes it enjoyable to build upon and build yourself in strength with a range of weapons.”
“I think the core gameplay loop is a lot of fun, and from the interaction I've seen from the devs with the player base, they're already working on fixing some of the issues that do exist within that loop.”
“The game is exceptional for its combination of several gameplay mechanics like shooting, crafting, collecting resources, and house enhancement.”
“The gameplay loop is straight up run out of metal to gather then die.”
“The gameplay is pretty shallow, not much to do or reasons to do it.”
“I feel like I'm in an endless cycle of finding tree branches and metal pieces to craft wooden arrows and metal bullets just to kill a few zombies, and the gameplay is stuck in that loop, which is not a good thing after a while.”
- graphics90 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 37 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed feedback, with many players praising the cute and unique pixel art style, which adds charm to the overall experience. However, some users reported optimization issues that affected performance, leading to lower frame rates even on low settings. Overall, while the visuals are generally well-received, there are calls for improvements and refinements as the game continues to develop.
“The graphics are stunning!”
“The graphics are so lovely, the gameplay is smooth as silk.”
“The game is wonderful, nice pixelated graphics!”
“This game is just a side project for devs to generate revenue for the suckers that feed on zombie games with niche pixelated graphics.”
“I think this is the fastest I've ever requested a refund for a game that isn't broken and won't open. First off, I love the art style of the game, that is why I gave it a shot, but holy crap is it awful. I don't mind grinding in these types of games, that's a given, but to spend a full minute hitting one tree to harvest and get at best 10 wood from it is insane. The biggest deal breaker is there is no point at all to searching houses and such; other than breaking down the random furniture, there is nothing at all to loot. After speed running more than 10 houses, I never found one thing to take. The only container to loot I found at all was a random box at the side of the road. This is the only zombie game I have ever played where you can't search for food, weapons, ammo, and so on in buildings at all.”
“This is an 8-bit multi-scroll that is clunky, non-intuitive, with awkward controls and nothing like Stardew except they share the 8-bit graphical style.”
- grinding48 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 4 % neutral mentions
- 96 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game excessively tedious and repetitive, particularly criticizing the slow resource gathering and lack of meaningful loot in the environment. Many reviews highlight that the crafting system is cumbersome, with tools breaking easily and an overly complicated tech tree, leading to frustration and a sense of imbalance in gameplay. While some enjoy the art style and potential of the game, the overwhelming consensus is that the grinding detracts significantly from the overall experience.
“I think this is the fastest I've ever requested a refund for a game that isn't broken and won't open. First off, I love the art style of the game, which is why I gave it a shot, but holy crap is it awful. I don't mind grinding in these types of games; that's a given. But to spend a full minute hitting one tree to harvest and get at best 10 wood from it is insane. The biggest deal breaker is that there is no point at all to searching houses and such. Other than breaking down random furniture, there is nothing at all to loot. After speed running more than 10 houses, I never found one thing to take. The only container to loot I found was a random box at the side of the road. This is the only zombie game I have ever played where you can't search for food, weapons, ammo, and so on in buildings at all.”
“I know it's a survival/crafting game, but it's much too grindy and repetitive.”
“You won't get more than a few hours of gameplay here unless you really like mindless grinding.”
- story30 mentions
- 7 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The game's story is criticized for being virtually nonexistent, with players feeling forced into missions that lack direction and meaningful narrative. Many reviewers express frustration over clunky controls, a lack of quests or guidance for new players, and a general sense of boredom due to the absence of engaging story content. Overall, the game is seen as needing significant updates to develop a coherent storyline and improve player experience.
“Moral of the story, you never know what life holds in store for you, and if I would have given up when all the odds were stacked against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
“Now it's a rescue mission to evacuate the survivors and it's chock-full of touch screen mini games.”
“If no further story development is created, of which there is none, this game will create confusion in the current state with a feeling of wasting time after needing to create ammo for hours on end to move a block anywhere in the infested city.”
“There is currently no story and the game is extremely roguelike in the sense of no real direction.”
“- has no story game content”
- stability30 mentions
- 7 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 93 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a significant concern among players, with many reporting persistent bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, including save wipes and crashes. While some users have experienced fewer issues and find the game promising, the overall consensus is that it remains too buggy for a strong recommendation, especially in its early access state. Regular updates are noted, but the stability issues continue to detract from the experience.
“All in all, it's not buggy (at least not for me), and has a solid start for a great game.”
“This is the most buggy game I've ever played; I would even say it's unplayable because you can't go more than a few minutes without a crash.”
“The in-game 'pause' menu is bugged too; sometimes there's no cursor, and other times I click 'back to menu' and it goes back to the game... I keep remembering more glitches as I write this, that's how bad it is.”
“They are working hard on the game and updating it quite often, but the damn thing is still too buggy to recommend despite the added content.”
- music20 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received positive feedback, with many players praising its quality and emotional impact, often comparing it favorably to AAA titles. However, some users suggest the addition of ambient tracks to enhance gameplay transitions and maintain player engagement. Overall, while the soundtrack is appreciated, there are calls for further refinement and additional musical elements to improve the experience.
“I relaxed for 5 minutes to this music long enough to realize that I was going to be okay.”
“The music itself and its use in the game are better than most AAA title video games.”
“Besides that... I love this game, I love the design, I really love the music.”
“The game needs music or a conversation log like a radio to keep the player awake.”
“Could do with a 'peaceful' ambient music at base, so you can hear a transition better for when you're under attack.”
“I can see how the devs are trying hard to make this game a good one, and I really love the art style, but the soundtracks definitely need a lot of tweaks and bug fixing.”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its ability to evoke a sense of dread and thrill, particularly during zombie encounters, which adds excitement and suspense to exploration. Players appreciate the art style and ambient details, noting that the night atmosphere enhances the overall experience, making it engaging and immersive.
“The combat and atmosphere are good; being chased by large hordes of zombies gives me a sense of dread and thrill, which makes things exciting. Plus, when exploring the city, I feel a sense of suspense as I travel around, looking for any zombies that may pop up when least expected.”
“I am really enjoying the art style, the crafting, and the overall atmosphere of the game.”
“Well done on the night atmosphere and the ambient sounds.”
“Well done on the night atmosphere and the ambient.”
- replayability6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is mixed; while some players find it enjoyable and believe it has significant replay value, others criticize the lack of variety in the Pioneer mode, noting that the static base and location diminish the experience after repeated playthroughs. Many suggest that incorporating more randomly generated areas could enhance replayability, similar to other survival games. Overall, the potential for replay value exists, but it currently feels limited.
“This game continues to surprise me and I truly think it has major replay value and is worth the price tag!”
“I'm waiting to see where the developer takes this game as it is quite enjoyable.”
“Pioneer mode: this mode you get a base of your own though it's always the same base and same location which isn't that fun when you die a lot and have to go to the same place and do the same things.”
“Pioneer mode: this mode you get a base of your own, though it's always the same base and same location, which isn't that fun when you die a lot and have to go to the same place and do the same things. It has very little replay value once you lose everything; it could use more randomly generated areas, like how a lot of survival games are. Because it's a pixel game, it can be done more easily than a 3D survival game.”
“Pioneer mode: this mode you get a base of your own, though it's always the same base and same location, which isn't that fun when you die a lot and have to go to the same place and do the same things. It has very little replay value once you lose everything; it could use more randomly generated areas, like how a lot of survival games are. Because it's a pixel game, it can be done more easily than a 3D survival game.”
- monetization4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has been widely criticized, with users labeling it as a cash grab, particularly highlighting the $22 price point as excessive for the content offered.
“It was just a cash grab :(”
“22$ cash grab”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized as "hilariously tedious," suggesting that while it may be amusing, the experience can also feel frustrating due to cumbersome menu navigation.
- optimization2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been criticized, with players experiencing significant frame rate drops (15-30 FPS) even on low graphics settings and lower resolutions, which can make text difficult to read. While the art style and crafting mechanics are appreciated, the overall performance issues detract from the experience, leading some to hope for future improvements before considering a purchase.
“I had optimization issues; I put the game on low graphics and even on a lower resolution (1280 x 720 to be exact) and I still had FPS around 15-30. I hope these issues are solved, as I would be looking to buy the game again in the future.”
“The game feels a little boring compared to other survival games, and something's missing in this game, but I recommend it for people who like survival games.”
“I could use the lowest resolution in the game, but that makes small texts and numbers unreadable.”
“I had optimization issues; I put the game on low graphics and even on a lower resolution (1280 x 720 to be exact) and I still had FPS around 15-30. Of course, I could use the lowest resolution in the game, but that makes small texts and numbers unreadable. I hope these issues are solved.”
“The game feels a little boring compared to other survival games like Don't Starve/Don't Starve Together. Something's missing in this game, and the optimization issues really detract from the experience.”
“I recommend the game for people who like survival games, but if you're someone who always looks for action and things happening, you might not enjoy this game as much due to the optimization problems.”
