Zenge

93%
Game Brain Score Based on 1,104 reviews
  • music
  • story
  • gameplay
Zenge Game Cover
An Exercise in apathy, neither solid nor liquid. Not exactly bad, but not very good either. Just a bit 'meh,' really.
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"Zenge is a single-player adventure game with a unique, intriguing story about a time-traveling journeyman named Eon. The game features exceptional graphics, stellar music, and a wholesome story, making for a very atmospheric and relaxing experience. With no distractions like points or move counters, players can fully immerse themselves in Eon's journey."

  • iPad
  • iPhone
  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Phone
  • Windows
  • Android
  • Linux
  • Mobile Platform
  • Tablet
  • Windows Phone
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

93%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,104 reviews
music315 positive mentions
grinding25 negative mentions
  • Beautiful artwork and relaxing music create a calming atmosphere.
  • Interesting puzzle mechanics that gradually increase in complexity.
  • Great value for the price, providing a satisfying experience for casual gamers.
  • Puzzles can be too easy and lack challenge for experienced players.
  • The story told through images is vague and may be hard to follow.
  • The game is quite short, taking only about 1-2 hours to complete.
  • music523 mentions

    The music in "Zenge" is widely praised for its beautiful, calming, and relaxing qualities, enhancing the overall atmosphere of the game. Many players appreciate the soothing soundtrack that complements the minimalist art style and puzzle mechanics, although some note that it can become repetitive over time. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's meditative experience.

    • “Zenge is a very short minimalist puzzle game accompanied by beautiful and relaxing music.”
    • “The music is beautiful and the art, while abstract, is both soothing and magical.”
    • “The music is calming and the puzzles make you think a bit differently.”
    • “The music is pretentious and boring.”
    • “The music while done well gives off a 'nauseous' feeling (to me at least) and is not all that pleasant to listen to and it does build up at times instead of staying relaxing all of the time.”
    • “At first the music seems charming and relaxing, but even in the small amount that I played it, the music was starting to be very repetitive.”
  • story404 mentions

    The story in Zenge is conveyed through a series of abstract images unlocked after completing puzzles, creating a minimalist narrative that is open to interpretation. While some players find the visuals beautiful and the overall theme intriguing, many struggle to grasp the storyline's coherence, often describing it as vague or confusing. The game's charm lies in its ability to evoke personal interpretations of the journey depicted, enhanced by a calming soundtrack that complements the visual storytelling.

    • “The story is told through drawings unlocked after each stage, creating a beautiful narrative experience.”
    • “The artwork is really beautiful, it made a good combination with the relaxing music which the developer offered kindly on his SoundCloud account.”
    • “The beautifully zen gameplay reveals art panels that tell an abstract story set in an appreciably vague surreal world.”
    • “The story was very abstract and the minimalist art didn't help.”
    • “The art is supposed to tell a story, but it is not at all clear what that is.”
    • “The story is too weak.”
  • gameplay309 mentions

    The gameplay in this puzzle game is characterized by a gradual introduction of diverse mechanics, such as rotation, teleportation, and color-coded pathways, which enhance complexity as players progress through 70 levels. While the puzzles are generally easy and accessible, they effectively encourage logical thinking and problem-solving without overwhelming players. The combination of simple mechanics, beautiful artwork, and a relaxing soundtrack creates an engaging and enjoyable experience, though some players noted a lack of challenge and occasional frustration with controls.

    • “The puzzles start off simple, and as the game progresses, you see new mechanics introduced at a nice pace, keeping the gameplay fresh and engaging.”
    • “The gameplay is smooth and doesn't take you by the hand, introducing new mechanics as you progress through the puzzles without explaining anything, which adds to the challenge.”
    • “Each new mechanic is introduced with a fairly easy puzzle that teaches you how it works, allowing for a gradual increase in complexity and depth.”
    • “The gameplay is quite defective: things don't go when you click and drag, and that's quite stressing.”
    • “There isn’t enough depth to the puzzle mechanics to make for anything approaching a challenge, and a puzzle game that isn’t puzzling is, by definition, a failure.”
    • “The only negative I have is that when a new mechanic is introduced, it's often not obvious both what it does and how to use it.”
  • graphics296 mentions

    The graphics of Zenge are widely praised for their beautiful, minimalist artwork that enhances the overall relaxing experience of the game. Players appreciate the soothing visuals and the way each completed puzzle reveals a piece of artwork that contributes to a cohesive narrative. The combination of charming graphics and calming music creates an engaging atmosphere, making it a standout feature of this casual puzzle game.

    • “Zenge is a relaxing, never-too-difficult puzzle game with lovely visuals.”
    • “The artwork is gorgeous and the puzzles are quite challenging at times!”
    • “Zenge is a beautiful little puzzle game with an incredibly relaxing soundtrack, which goes along perfectly with the easy-on-the-eyes simplistic geometrical art style.”
    • “The graphics are bland and the music is annoying.”
    • “Decently pretty artworks (obviously the focus of this game) that try telling some kind of story, but the story has nothing to do with gameplay and it's not particularly interesting to begin with.”
    • “Pictures were aesthetically pleasing at first, but I've got sick of them rather quickly.”
  • atmosphere43 mentions

    The atmosphere of Zenge is widely praised for its beautiful geometric artwork and soothing instrumental soundtrack, creating a relaxing and intriguing experience. Players appreciate the minimalist design and the abstract storytelling conveyed through the puzzles, which enhance the overall ambiance of calmness and philosophical exploration. Despite some critiques on puzzle complexity, the game's aesthetic and atmospheric execution are consistently highlighted as standout features.

    • “The minimalist atmosphere with the right choice of colors and a chill soundtrack.”
    • “The atmosphere, the colors, and the soundtrack are beautiful!”
    • “The finished puzzles reveal a series of cute images that tell small stories of their own, and the music contributes to the atmosphere very well.”
    • “I have very little clue as to what the story depicted throughout the game is about, but the atmosphere and execution of the puzzle mechanics are quite satisfying.”
    • “Only additional recommendation is to add a little more to it, both in story, sidestories, atmosphere and characterization of others for the world exploration.”
    • “I think it would take away from the atmosphere and make it less relaxing, if the puzzles would offer much more challenge.”
  • grinding25 mentions

    The reviews for "grinding" in Zenge highlight a mixed experience, with many players finding the gameplay tedious and repetitive, particularly in moving pieces and solving puzzles. While some appreciated the game's aesthetic and the occasional challenge, the overall sentiment leans towards frustration with the grindy nature of certain tasks, making the experience feel more like a chore than an engaging puzzle-solving adventure.

    • “I had wishlisted Zenge expecting an imaginative, challenging puzzle game, but what I got was a tedious, boring, pointless waste of time.”
    • “It's not fun, just tedious.”
    • “Difficult to force myself to press on through some of the tedious repetition in the end.. my final undoing.. even the music/storyline could not compel me to stay.”
  • replayability15 mentions

    Overall, the reviews indicate that the game's replayability is generally low, with many players noting it as a "one-time experience" after completing the levels. While some appreciate the game's value for its price, they express doubt about returning to it once all puzzles are solved. A few users suggest it may serve as a relaxing option to revisit occasionally, but the consensus leans towards minimal replay value.

    • “Definitely a game with replay value.”
    • “And that kind of simplicity can't be pulled off without some impressive replayability.”
    • “I'm not sure if the game will really have any replay value after I've finished all the levels, but it seems like something I might come back to at some point if I just want a relaxing game to while away a bit of time.”
    • “I don't think there is any replay value, but at $0.99 (USD) I am hard pressed to think of a better value in gaming out there.”
    • “Replayability is low for the game, but all in all it is worth its price tag.”
    • “I also feel that this game may not have any kind of replay value if you already know how to solve all the levels.”
  • emotional12 mentions

    Players find the emotional aspect of the game deeply impactful, primarily driven by its beautiful music and art, which evoke strong feelings ranging from happiness to sadness. While the story may be somewhat ambiguous, it allows for personal interpretation, enhancing the emotional experience. Overall, the combination of heartfelt storytelling and soothing soundscapes creates a memorable and touching atmosphere that resonates with players.

    • “The story may not be very clear, but I got a lot of 'lonely traveler' vibes, which to me can be very emotional, and an open-ended story gives you the opportunity to project many of your own feelings on the main character.”
    • “The music was so beautiful and emotional, it made me drop some tears. :(”
    • “This is a very heartfelt story, hidden within a very decent game.”
  • stability5 mentions

    Overall, users report a generally stable experience with the game, particularly on Linux, with no major issues. However, some players have encountered occasional audio glitches and sound interference, which can disrupt gameplay but are not considered significant problems.

    • “I experienced no glitches or issues while playing.”
    • “The game runs great on Linux.”
    • “I experienced audio glitches in the music from time to time; it was pretty random, but sometimes it seemed like multiple sounds would interfere with each other.”
    • “I also had some periodic sound glitches where the music would vanish, and I'd have to restart, but no major issues beyond that.”
    • “Glitches and bugs were present.”
  • humor5 mentions

    The humor in the game is described as both charming and amusing, with players finding themselves laughing at various scenes and appreciating the cute elements. The puzzles, while varying in difficulty, consistently deliver a humorous experience that adds to the overall satisfaction of gameplay, all conveyed through simple yet beautiful artwork that cleverly ties into the game's themes.

    • “I'm not a girly girl, but I found myself laughing at some scenes and saying 'how cute!' on others.”
    • “Puzzles can be simple or hard, but they are always funny and give satisfaction after finishing.”
    • “It's meaningless and meaningful all at the same time, because it's told through very simple, yet beautiful artwork, where the player is left to connect and assemble the pieces, which is hilariously exactly what the game itself is.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    Reviewers express concern that the game's monetization strategy feels exploitative, as it appears to prioritize advertising and showcasing the developer's skills over providing substantial content, leading to a short gameplay experience with insufficient levels.

    • “The game feels more like a platform for monetization than an enjoyable experience, with constant prompts to spend money.”
    • “I appreciate the gameplay, but the aggressive monetization tactics really detract from the overall enjoyment.”
    • “It's frustrating to see a game that could be great, but instead focuses on pushing in-game purchases at every turn.”
  • character development1 mentions

    Character development is noted to be somewhat simplistic, with users finding the character designs to be basic despite the overall graphics and level-complete artwork being satisfactory.

  • optimization1 mentions

    The game is praised for its solid optimization, featuring engaging puzzle ideas and a captivating soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.

    • “The game features poetic, cool music and seems well optimized, offering very interesting puzzle ideas.”
    • “The optimization in this game enhances the overall experience, making puzzles more engaging and enjoyable.”
    • “I appreciate how well-optimized the game is; it runs smoothly and allows me to focus on solving the intriguing puzzles.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

50% average critic score

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Play time

2hMedian play time
2hAverage play time
2-3hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 9 analyzed playthroughs

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