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Zenge

An Exercise in apathy, neither solid nor liquid. Not exactly bad, but not very good either. Just a bit 'meh,' really.
Zenge Game Cover
86%Game Brain Score
music, story
grinding, stability
94% User Score Based on 1,120 reviews
Critic Score 50%Based on 1 reviews

Platforms

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Zenge Game Cover

About

Zenge is a single player casual action adventure game. It was developed by Hamster On Coke Games and was released on April 12, 2016. It received neutral reviews from critics and very positive reviews from players.

"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."

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Zenge screenshot
Zenge screenshot
Zenge screenshot
Zenge screenshot
Zenge screenshot
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94%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,120 reviews
music316 positive mentions
grinding26 negative mentions
  • Beautiful art and relaxing music create a calming atmosphere.
  • Puzzles gradually increase in complexity, providing a satisfying challenge without frustration.
  • The game tells a story through images unlocked after each puzzle, adding depth to the experience.
  • The game is quite short, typically completed in under two hours.
  • Puzzles may feel too easy for experienced players, lacking significant challenge.
  • The story can be confusing and abstract, making it hard to follow.
  • music
    524 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in "Zenge" is widely praised for its relaxing and soothing qualities, enhancing the overall calming experience of the game. Many players appreciate the beautiful soundtrack, which complements the stunning visuals and minimalist art style, although some note that it can become repetitive and even cut out during later levels. Overall, the combination of serene music and engaging puzzles creates a tranquil atmosphere that players find enjoyable and meditative.

    • “All the while its serene music and stunning visuals will transport you to an ethereal world where you'll follow a simple, yet wondrous story.”
    • “The music is beautiful and the art, while abstract, is both soothing and magical.”
    • “Zenge is a beautiful little puzzle game with an incredibly relaxing soundtrack, which goes along perfectly with the easy-on-the-eyes simplistic geometrical artstyle.”
    • “The music was generally pretty decent, although it started to get old toward the end of my playthrough.”
    • “The music is pretentious and boring.”
    • “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.”
  • story
    409 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is conveyed through a series of beautiful, abstract images revealed after completing each puzzle, creating a minimalist narrative that is open to interpretation. While some players find the story intriguing and emotionally resonant, others describe it as confusing or lacking clarity, often feeling disconnected from the gameplay. Overall, the combination of art, music, and the visual storytelling adds a unique charm to the experience, even if the narrative itself may not be fully comprehensible.

    • “A very short, easy puzzle game with some beautiful simple art telling a wordless story.”
    • “The puzzles help to tell the story, the art is immersive and works with the gameplay, and the story is intriguing to keep you going and not to get discouraged.”
    • “Zenge is one of the prettiest puzzle games I've ever played, with an abstract, wondrous story told through beautiful artwork displayed after each stage completed.”
    • “The story is confusing.”
    • “The art is supposed to tell a story, but it is not at all clear what that is.”
    • “The story was confusing, and the levels felt repetitive.”
  • gameplay
    318 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of the puzzle game is characterized by its enjoyable and relaxing mechanics, featuring a gradual introduction of new elements such as rotation, teleportation, and resizing, which keep the experience fresh without becoming overwhelming. While the puzzles start off simple and accessible, they progressively increase in complexity, allowing players to engage with a variety of mechanics that enhance problem-solving without significant frustration. Overall, the game offers a smooth learning curve and a satisfying blend of aesthetics and gameplay, making it suitable for casual puzzle enthusiasts.

    • “It features unique sliding and tangram-style puzzles that gradually introduce new mechanics like rotation, portals, and resizing.”
    • “The puzzles start off simple and as the game progresses you see new mechanics.”
    • “The gameplay is pleasant and smooth, and a surprising amount of new mechanics is introduced along the way.”
    • “Although new mechanics are introduced frequently, this game never really gets to be close to challenging or overwhelming.”
    • “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.”
  • graphics
    298 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    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 art that contributes to a cohesive narrative. The combination of charming graphics and calming music creates an immersive atmosphere, making it a standout feature of the game.

    • “Zenge is one of the prettiest puzzle games I've ever played, with an abstract, wondrous story told through beautiful artwork displayed after each stage completed.”
    • “The artwork is really beautiful, it made a good combination with the relaxing music which the developer offered kindly on his SoundCloud account. I can easily give this music 5/5; it worked perfectly with the puzzles and story atmosphere.”
    • “Beautiful artwork and flawless gameplay make this a standout puzzle game.”
    • “The graphics are bland and the music is annoying.”
    • “Decently pretty artworks 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.”
    • “I had a bug where the visuals were shifted down the screen leaving a grey bar at the top, and it took me a long time to realize that I had to click above the pieces to make them move, because of the graphical error.”
  • atmosphere
    43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of Zenge is widely praised for its beautiful artwork and relaxing instrumental soundtrack, creating a serene and intriguing experience. Players appreciate the minimalist design and abstract storytelling, which allows for personal interpretation while enhancing the overall mood of the game. The combination of simple puzzles and a captivating atmosphere makes it a unique and enjoyable puzzler.

    • “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.”
    • “The pictures are wallpaper material in my opinion and the music just adds on to the peaceful atmosphere.”
  • grinding
    27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game is often perceived as tedious and repetitive, with many players expressing frustration over the lack of challenge and the need for excessive back-and-forth actions. While some found moments of enjoyment in the visuals and overarching story, the gameplay frequently felt like a chore, leading to a mixed reception regarding its grindy nature. Overall, the balance between engaging puzzles and tedious mechanics remains a significant point of contention among players.

    • “You'll need a second life, maybe some macros, and a will to live for grinding.”
    • “I had wishlisted Zenge expecting an imaginative, challenging puzzle game, but what I got was a tedious, boring, pointless waste of time.”
    • “Over-all there was a hefty amount of misclicks and I found my interaction with the game to be very tedious - borderline frustrating even.”
  • replayability
    15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the reviews indicate that the game's replayability is generally low, with many players noting that it feels more like a one-time experience despite its low price point. While some users appreciate the game's simplicity and potential for casual revisits, most agree that once the levels are completed, there is little incentive to replay.

    • “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.”
    • “While the replay value is low, I did not encounter any issues with settings or bugs, and the game does everything it set out to do perfectly.”
    • “I imagine most will finish the game in around 90 minutes or so, and there isn't any real replay value, but at such a low cost I really can't see many complaining by the time they finish.”
  • emotional
    12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    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.”
  • stability
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    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, including interference and music dropouts, which may require a restart to resolve.

    • “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.”
  • humor
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    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 sense of satisfaction and humor, enhanced by the game's simple yet beautiful artwork that cleverly ties into its overall theme.

    • “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.”
  • monetization
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Reviewers express concern that the game's monetization strategy feels exploitative, as it appears to prioritize advertising and promotional purposes over delivering substantial content, resulting in a short experience with insufficient levels.

    • “The game feels more like a platform for monetization than an enjoyable experience, with constant prompts to spend money.”
    • “It's frustrating to see that progress is heavily gated behind paywalls, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending extra.”
    • “While the gameplay is fun, the aggressive monetization tactics really detract from the overall experience.”
  • optimization
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is praised for its solid optimization, featuring smooth performance and engaging puzzle mechanics, complemented by a poetic atmosphere and cool music.

    • “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 it smooth and enjoyable.”
    • “I appreciate how the developers focused on optimization, allowing for seamless gameplay and stunning visuals.”
  • character development
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development is noted to be somewhat simplistic, with users appreciating the level-complete artwork but finding the character designs lacking in depth.

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50%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews
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2h Median play time
2h Average play time
2-3h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 9 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Zenge is a casual action adventure game.

Zenge is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac OS, Phone and others.

On average players spend around 2 hours playing Zenge.

Zenge was released on April 12, 2016.

Zenge was developed by Hamster On Coke Games.

Zenge has received neutral reviews from players and neutral reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its music but disliked it for its grinding.

Zenge is a single player game.

Similar games include klocki, Hook, Scalak, Hook, LYNE and others.