Zenge

70%
Game Brain Score Based on 967 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

70%
Audience ScoreBased on 967 reviews
music263 positive mentions
grinding22 negative mentions
  • Beautiful artwork and relaxing music create a calming atmosphere.
  • Puzzles are engaging and introduce new mechanics at a good pace, keeping the gameplay fresh.
  • The game tells a story through images, allowing for personal interpretation and adding depth to the experience.
  • The puzzles can be too easy, lacking challenge for experienced players.
  • The story is abstract and may be difficult to follow, leaving some players confused.
  • The game is quite short, typically completed in under two hours, which may leave some players wanting more.
  • music440 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its relaxing and soothing qualities, often described as calming piano or ambient tracks that enhance the overall atmosphere. Many players appreciate how the soundtrack complements the beautiful artwork and storytelling, creating a meditative experience. However, some reviews note that the music can become repetitive over time and may occasionally cut out during gameplay.

    • “If you are burnt out on other games with difficulty levels, rage-inducing bosses, or high-stakes plot choices, Zenge will treat you well: calm piano music plays while you slide tiles and enjoy a storyboard-based, meandering plot without words.”
    • “The music is beautiful and the art, while abstract, is both soothing and magical.”
    • “Zenge is a visually and auditory pleasing game with relaxing chill-out music and slightly cheesy sea waves sounds.”
    • “The rest of the game is ok, although the buttons are far too large, the music is too loud (with only the option to mute it), and each interaction having its own different noise gets annoying after a while.”
    • “I actually had to stop playing a few times just because the music was so depressing.”
    • “The music is pretentious and boring.”
  • story345 mentions

    The game's story is conveyed through a series of abstract, wordless images that players unlock by completing puzzles, creating a minimalist narrative that is open to interpretation. While some players find the visuals beautiful and the overall atmosphere engaging, many express confusion over the story's coherence and meaning, often describing it as vague or difficult to follow. Overall, the artistic storytelling adds a unique charm to the gameplay, though its effectiveness varies among players.

    • “If you are burnt out on other games with difficulty levels, rage-inducing bosses, or high-stakes plot choices, Zenge will treat you well: calm piano music plays while you slide tiles and enjoy a storyboard-based, meandering plot without words.”
    • “The story is simple and the music has a bone-chilling feeling to it.”
    • “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.”
  • gameplay254 mentions

    The gameplay of this puzzle game is characterized by a gradual introduction of interesting mechanics, such as rotation, teleportation, and color-coded pathways, which keep the experience fresh and engaging throughout its 70 levels. While the puzzles are generally not overly challenging, they effectively encourage logical thinking and problem-solving, making it suitable for casual players. The game features a smooth difficulty curve, allowing players to learn new mechanics intuitively, although some may find the lack of explicit instructions frustrating at times.

    • “There are 70 levels and it's not especially hard; there are no ways of getting a soft lock on a level, and new mechanics are introduced at a good pace, but there is nothing super complicated. Most levels can be solved fairly quickly.”
    • “The puzzles start off simple, and as the game progresses, you see new mechanics. The difficulty curve is right on the money, and it introduces new mechanics throughout your playthrough, which add complexity to each subsequent puzzle.”
    • “The gameplay is smooth and doesn't take you by the hand, introducing new mechanics as you progress through the puzzles without explaining anything. The mechanics are simple enough to understand, but stacking the mechanics really gives the puzzles depth.”
    • “The gameplay is quite defective: things don't go when you click and drag, and that's quite stressful.”
    • “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.”
  • graphics244 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beautiful, minimalist artwork and calming aesthetic, which enhance the overall relaxing experience of the puzzle-solving gameplay. Many reviewers highlight the charming and colorful visuals that accompany each completed puzzle, revealing artwork that contributes to a serene atmosphere. While some note that the graphics are simple, they are consistently described as pleasing and well-suited to the game's casual nature, making it a standout feature for players who appreciate artistic design.

    • “The artwork is gorgeous and the puzzles are quite challenging at times!”
    • “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.”
    • “Beautiful artwork and fun little puzzles, very enjoyable puzzler.”
    • “Graphics are bland and music is annoying.”
    • “Pictures were aesthetically pleasing at first, but I've got sick of them rather quickly.”
    • “The graphics, i.e. the art style is simplistic and pleasing for the eye, as you can already tell from the screenshots of the game.”
  • atmosphere35 mentions

    The atmosphere of Zenge is widely praised for its captivating blend of minimalist art, soothing instrumental music, and an abstract narrative that invites personal interpretation. Reviewers highlight the game's ability to create a peaceful and surreal environment, enhancing the overall puzzle-solving experience. The combination of beautiful visuals and a haunting soundtrack contributes to a relaxing and intriguing journey, making it a standout feature of the game.

    • “No text or voices, just puzzles and a beautiful atmosphere with music and abstract pictures.”
    • “The minimalist atmosphere with the right choice of colors and a chill soundtrack.”
    • “Puzzles are simple, but the peaceful yet surreal atmosphere is what makes this game worth trying.”
    • “The atmosphere, the colors, and the soundtrack are beautiful!”
  • grinding22 mentions

    The reviews for "grinding" in Zenge highlight a prevalent sense of tedium associated with the puzzle mechanics, where many players found the repetitive tasks and back-and-forth movements to be frustrating and unenjoyable. While some appreciated the game's visuals and the rewarding nature of solving puzzles, the overall sentiment leans towards the experience being more grindy than challenging, with a significant number of players expressing a desire for more engaging and less tedious gameplay.

    • “The solution is usually pretty straightforward and can be easily reached by experimentation, though in some levels that means a little too much back and forth and became somewhat tedious to execute.”
    • “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.”
  • replayability14 mentions

    Overall, the reviews indicate that the game's replayability is generally low, with many players noting it feels more like a one-time experience after completing the levels. While some appreciate its simplicity and potential for casual revisits, most agree that once the puzzles are solved, there is little incentive to replay the game. However, given its low price point, many feel it still offers good value for a single playthrough.

    • “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.”
    • “While the replay value is low, I did not encounter any issues with settings or bugs, and Zenge does everything it set out to do perfectly.”
    • “Nearly no replayability.”
    • “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.”
  • emotional11 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 soothing melodies and stunning visuals creates a heartfelt atmosphere that resonates with many 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 onto the main character.”
    • “The music was so beautiful and emotional, it made me drop some tears. :(”
    • “The art is great, but the music... when I heard it for the first time, I cried.”
  • stability5 mentions

    Overall, users report a generally stable experience with the game, particularly on Linux, with no significant issues. However, some players have encountered occasional audio glitches, including interference and temporary loss of sound, though these do not appear to be widespread or game-breaking.

    • “I experienced no glitches or issues while playing.”
    • “The game runs great on Linux without any problems.”
    • “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.”
  • humor4 mentions

    The humor in the game is described as both charming and amusing, with players finding themselves laughing at various scenes while appreciating the cute elements. The blend of simple yet beautiful artwork enhances the experience, making the humor feel both meaningful and absurd, as it mirrors the game's overall theme of connection and assembly.

    • “I'm not a girly girl, but I found myself laughing at some scenes and saying 'how cute!' on others.”
    • “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.”
    • “But still funny.”
  • 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 it smooth and enjoyable.”
    • “I appreciate how the developers focused on optimization, allowing for seamless gameplay and engaging mechanics.”
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
2-2hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 7 analyzed playthroughs

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