Zeno Clash
- April 21, 2009
- ACE Team
- 4h median play time
First-person action fans shouldn't miss Zeno Clash's unique mix of deep melee combat and wonderfully bizarre art design.
Get on Steam"Zeno Clash" is a first-person action/fighting game set in a punk fantasy world, where players take on the role of Ghat and engage in brutal close combat as they journey through a visually striking and original world. The game is known for its unique visuals and melee combat mechanics that offer a fresh take on the first-person genre. Experience a deep storyline and face the forbidden in this award-nominated game.
PC
Windows
Xbox
Xbox 360
Reviews
- Unique and bizarre art style that creates a captivating atmosphere.
- Satisfying melee combat mechanics that feel impactful and engaging.
- Intriguing story with memorable characters and a surreal world.
- Short gameplay length, typically around 3-4 hours.
- Combat can feel clunky and frustrating, especially against multiple enemies.
- Voice acting and dialogue can be subpar, detracting from the overall experience.
- story593 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The story of "Zeno Clash" is characterized by its bizarre and surreal narrative, often leaving players confused yet intrigued. While some appreciate its unique world-building and character design, many criticize the plot for being convoluted, poorly paced, and lacking depth, with a resolution that feels unsatisfying. Overall, the storytelling is seen as a mix of captivating oddity and frustrating vagueness, making it a polarizing aspect of the game.
“The story is very intriguing and interesting, the art style is fascinating, and the combat... probably the most satisfying hand-to-hand combat I've ever experienced in a first-person fighting game.”
“The story is bizarre, yes, but extremely fascinating and does a good job of keeping you engaged through the whole game.”
“The story is engaging despite its rather odd nature.”
“The story seems like it's going somewhere interesting at first, but it's ultimately utterly pointless. The whole plot is centered around the protagonist knowing the dark secret that the giant bird-monster isn't actually his biological parent, which the game reveals to you at the end as if this is a big plot twist.”
“The story is poorly explained, muddled, with little character development and too many answers left out, topped off with a mediocre cliffhanger.”
“The voice acting is atrocious, the gameplay is severely lacking and repetitive, and I'm not even sure if there's an actual story, despite their efforts.”
- gameplay327 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Zeno Clash is characterized by its unique first-person brawler mechanics, which combine hand-to-hand combat with occasional ranged elements. While many players find the combat satisfying and immersive, it often suffers from repetitiveness and clunky controls, leading to a mixed reception regarding its overall execution. Despite its flaws, the game's distinctive art style and intriguing world help maintain player engagement, making it a memorable experience for those willing to overlook its shortcomings.
“The gameplay truly is satisfying, but you are pretty much repeating the same combat loop over and over again.”
“Unique gameplay and setting, fascinating art direction and environments... even if the story is middling, the overall package is quite compelling.”
“The combat mechanics feel really good; there is a real oomph to them when you land your hits.”
“The gameplay loop is boring; it isn't helped by non-intuitive, slow controls.”
“The gameplay is very rough, with tons of low-budget source engine jank, but it's satisfying enough to be playable.”
“Uninspired gameplay, combat that's just rinse and repeat, weapons that completely suck and have no reason to use other than when fighting specific enemies, completely limp and lifeless story, this is just a complete waste of time and money.”
- graphics233 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique and surreal art style, which combines elements of fantasy and punk aesthetics, creating a visually striking experience. While some reviews note that the graphics are somewhat dated due to the game's reliance on the Source engine, many players appreciate the vibrant colors, imaginative character designs, and the overall artistic presentation that enhances the game's bizarre world. Despite occasional graphical bugs and rough edges, the visuals are considered a major highlight, making the game a memorable experience for those who value artistic creativity in gaming.
“Not only are the character designs and environments absolutely stunning, the cell-shaded graphics provide the game with a very strong sense of identity, something recent game releases lack, excruciatingly so.”
“The graphics really set this game up nicely.”
“Zeno Clash sports a very unique art style that places you in a very surreal world with a strange geography and is populated by strange creatures all brought to life by the developer's clever use of Valve's Source engine.”
“The graphics are nothing to write home about either and come across as kind of amateur, but this might just be a consequence of how old the game is.”
“Graphics are outdated by now, hit boxes seem random, a very basic brawler (punch, kick, run) in a very very weird - and super-ugly - setting.”
“The graphics look like they were thrown together hastily.”
- music53 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 49 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising its eclectic blend of synthetic, orchestral, and tribal elements that effectively enhance the surreal atmosphere, while others criticize it as repetitive, generic, and mismatched with the game's tone. Many players appreciate the soundtrack's ability to set the mood and complement the unique visuals, but a significant number find it forgettable or even nauseating. Overall, the music is seen as a defining aspect of the game's experience, though opinions on its quality vary widely.
“The soundtrack is pretty stellar.”
“The soundtrack is equally as effective in accomplishing this, ranging from the beats of war drums and chanting to make you feel like this could be your last stand, to music that makes you feel both elated, but also that not all is right with the world.”
“Fantastic game with a catchy soundtrack and surreal, weird, yet very engaging universe.”
“The music and voice acting are all incredibly amateur, the structure repetitive, and the writing subpar.”
“It sounds like generic full-MIDI video game music without soul and, in my opinion, doesn't usually resonate with the atmosphere of the game.”
“Music is just making things worse, since it is boring, repetitive, and nauseous (I had never imagined that music can be nauseous until I played that game).”
- atmosphere48 mentions
- 69 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its unique, surreal, and often bizarre qualities, drawing comparisons to dreamlike and psychedelic experiences. Players appreciate the imaginative world-building and the way the environment enhances the overall experience, despite some criticism of the music and repetitive elements. Overall, the game's distinct atmosphere is considered its strongest feature, making it a memorable and engaging experience.
“It’s alien atmosphere makes it a remarkable experience.”
“The atmosphere and the world are amazing.”
“The environments are all exquisitely crafted and manage to pull off a bizarre yet beautiful atmosphere.”
“The music in Zeno Clash is as weird as everything else in this game, and really seals the atmosphere.”
“I've best read this game described as 'stonepunk.' The atmosphere is alienating to an extreme and doesn't always make a lot of sense.”
“The atmosphere is full of creepiness, mostly because of the creatures.”
- character development22 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 32 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is marked by its striking and unique character designs, which are praised for their creativity and visual appeal, contributing to a strong sense of identity and atmosphere. While the characters are visually captivating and diverse, some reviews note a lack of depth in their development and storytelling, with a muddled plot that leaves many questions unanswered. Overall, the game's character design is celebrated as a standout feature, even if the narrative and character arcs could be more fleshed out.
“Not only are the character designs and environments absolutely stunning, the cell-shaded graphics provide the game with a very strong sense of identity, something recent game releases lack, excruciatingly so.”
“Character design is also marvelous to look at, with many of your adversaries having unique models and despite the game's age, some, especially your female companion, having some really beautiful facial and motion animations with expressive features and lively (and equally bizarre) voice acting that enhances this ethereal fever dream you experience.”
“The art department really outdid itself on character design, and there isn't a single character in the game that could be classified as 'bland'.”
“- poorly explained, muddled plot with little character development and too many answers left out (topped off with a mediocre cliffhanger)”
“- some of the voice acting is under-par, but the character designs and mysterious story is more than enough to make up for it.”
“Nightmarish character design and creepy voicework contributes highly to the game's fascinatingly surreal ambience.”
- replayability22 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 36 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is generally considered low, with many players noting that after completing the short campaign, there are limited incentives to return, aside from a few achievements and challenge modes. While some players found enjoyment in the challenge maps and multiple endings, the consensus is that the game lacks substantial replay value, making it more suitable for those who enjoy achievement hunting or are drawn to its unique mechanics.
“Replayability: 9/10: this is an absolute joy to play, whether you're looking for overly fun gameplay or delicious eye candy, this is worth the price it has.”
“Once you've beaten the main campaign, there are some great challenge maps to play, making for good replay value.”
“There's a series of challenge levels to give the game some replay value.”
“Essentially no replayability though.”
“After the campaign, there isn't much replay value other than a few easter eggs and achievements.”
“Save for a (rather dull) challenge mode, and the ability to unlock cheat codes for the campaign, this title has virtually no replay value.”
- humor19 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised, with players highlighting its absurdity and unique comedic elements, such as bad voice acting and bizarre character designs, which contribute to a lighthearted experience. Many found the dialogue and situations to be genuinely funny, often leading to unexpected laughs during gameplay, despite some frustrations with controls and repetitive enemies. Overall, the game is described as a delightful mix of humor and engaging combat, making it a memorable and entertaining experience.
“It has some hilarious parts like bad voice acting and that one mother holding her 'baby' that is just a pig in a blanket.”
“It doesn't take itself too seriously either with ridiculous enemy designs that made me laugh a few times.”
“Story is great, the world is crazy and original, and the humor is wicked.”
- stability11 mentions
- 9 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 91 % negative mentions
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players noting significant bugs and technical issues that can disrupt gameplay, particularly during combat encounters and event triggers. While some appreciate the game's unique charm despite its imperfections, others find the bugs frustrating and detrimental to the overall experience. Overall, the game is described as "janky" and unpolished, with varying degrees of stability depending on individual playthroughs.
“Polished, solid, and I haven't encountered any glitches.”
“Good game, very janky and buggy, but I liked it warts and all. Some of the game mechanics were too complex for how it runs. Despite its imperfections, it was fun, with a surreal art style, music, and a strange story.”
“Game is buggy, forcibly restricted in many ways (like save locations), deliberately made hard, etc. At some point, you'll pretty much get frustrated by some of its bad designs.”
“The hit detection is ridiculously absurd; enemies fall into places where you can't reach them, the triggered events do not trigger (twice in a row in a climactic part of the game), and even the credits are buggy. Play this game only if you want something different, but if you want a nice experience, I wouldn't recommend it.”
- optimization11 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is mixed; while it can run on a wide range of hardware and generally performs well, players report persistent stuttering issues, particularly with mouse movement and environmental interactions. Some users have found that forcing vsync through external tools can help mitigate these problems, but the stuttering remains a significant concern for many. Despite these flaws, the game's performance is still considered solid, especially given its use of the Source engine, which allows for smooth graphics on less powerful systems.
“It does this at the same time as it provides solid performance.”
“Overall PC performance is great.”
“The combat is brutal, satisfying, and easy to learn; gameplay is well-paced, and the graphics use the source engine, so you don't need a beastly computer for this game to run smoothly and look great.”
“Constant stuttering while viewing surroundings.”
“However, I could never get the gameplay to stop stuttering no matter what was suggested on the forums by users and by the developer.”
“There are only two big flaws with this game: it's a bit unoptimized (that's caused by the engine), and the voice acting falls short for the worst possible character: your sidekick.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, with combat becoming increasingly monotonous as they progress. While some enjoy the universe and moments of fun, many feel that the lack of a compelling story and the reliance on repetitive combat mechanics contribute to a sense of fatigue. Overall, the grinding can detract from the overall experience, making it feel more like a chore than an engaging challenge.
“The gameplay can get tedious later on; I'd say the universe/setting here is the real selling point.”
“The game was okay; it had its moments of fun, but in the end, the combat is too sticky, the story is really non-existent, and you figure out the plot twist about 15 minutes into the game and then spend the rest of the game grinding through combat that gets harder and harder.”
“Unfortunately, this is also the likely cause of the game’s growing tediousness later on, as, outside of a few close calls and even some deaths, I was just smashing through opponents in area after area.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game elicits strong feelings of derision and discomfort, as players navigate through repetitive violence to confront deeper personal issues. While it offers a unique experience, many find it ultimately unengaging after a single playthrough, suggesting a lack of lasting emotional impact.
“This is a very strange game about punching the same six or ten people in the face over and over again to make them leave you alone so that you can sort out your crippling emotional problems in peace.”
