Zephon

89%
Game Brain Score Based on 597 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Zephon Game Cover
Starting at $39.99Buy now
Get on Steam

"ZEPHON is a turn-based warfare strategy game, set in a post-apocalyptic world of alien origin. Survive through city management, combat, unholy research, and diplomacy, with both single and multiplayer modes. Navigate the ruins of Earth, battling mutated creatures and rogue robots, and choose your path between the indifferent Voice and uncaring ZEPHON. What will you do to survive?"

  • PC
  • Windows
  • Linux
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

89%
Audience ScoreBased on 597 reviews
story34 positive mentions
grinding5 negative mentions
  • Engaging combat mechanics that emphasize tactical decision-making and unit positioning.
  • Rich world-building and lore that enhance the immersive experience.
  • Improved graphics and sound design compared to previous titles, creating a visually appealing atmosphere.
  • Limited faction diversity, as all factions share a common tech tree, leading to a lack of unique playstyles.
  • The tutorial and in-game explanations are insufficient, making it difficult for new players to grasp mechanics.
  • Endgame events can feel overwhelming and may disrupt the pacing of the game.
  • story125 mentions

    The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players praising its intriguing lore, unique sci-fi setting, and the way minor quests enhance immersion, while others criticize the lack of depth and coherence in the overarching narrative. Although the quests and faction-specific storylines add flavor and variety, many feel that the game falls short of delivering a robust campaign experience, leaving players wanting more substantial storytelling and follow-up on key plot points. Overall, while the world-building and character backstories are appreciated, there is a consensus that the game could benefit from expanded narrative elements and more engaging quest design.

    • “A 4X game that manages to nail survival horror pretty well, it also has a very interesting lore and story that the game doesn't hold your hand for.”
    • “The studio created a whole new setting, factions, and story for this game, and I actually find it an interesting improvement over the Warhammer setting of Gladius.”
    • “Zephon is a worthy successor to Gladius, offering an engaging blend of strategy and storytelling set in a beautifully crafted world.”
    • “The story is hardly deep at all.”
    • “I was expecting a proper campaign story, like in Age of Wonders: Planetfall, or Starcraft.”
    • “The story makes no sense and is rather ominous and very poorly defined.”
  • gameplay124 mentions

    The gameplay is primarily a refined version of the mechanics found in the developers' previous title, Gladius, featuring solid tactical combat and a focus on exploration and expansion typical of 4X games. While the combat mechanics are praised for their depth and engagement, many players feel the overall gameplay lacks variability and innovation, leading to a somewhat repetitive experience. The game excels in worldbuilding and atmosphere, but some players desire more unique mechanics and deeper strategic elements to enhance replayability.

    • “Great tactical combat feel and excellent combat mechanics.”
    • “The gameplay follows traditional 4x mechanics: exploration, combat, and control.”
    • “A fresh and intriguing sci-fi setting, beautiful graphics, nice music and sound design, new gameplay elements that spice up the experience.”
    • “Beyond that, the gameplay doesn't really have much variability to inspire more playthroughs.”
    • “Without a satisfying ramp up in military power, the gameplay feels meaningless and pointless.”
    • “The gameplay was too shallow and complete extermination as the only victory condition is just boring (although lore accurate).”
  • graphics75 mentions

    The graphics in the game have received widespread acclaim for their stunning visuals, immersive art style, and significant improvements over previous titles, particularly Gladius. Players appreciate the atmospheric design, detailed animations, and the blend of cyberpunk and Lovecraftian aesthetics, which enhance the overall gameplay experience. While some users noted minor graphical inconsistencies, the overall consensus is that the game delivers a visually captivating and engaging world.

    • “Awesome graphics and effects for weapons, and fun, immersive gameplay in a post-apocalyptic Lovecraftian world.”
    • “The graphics are stunning, especially when experienced on a big screen, truly bringing the game’s world to life in vivid detail.”
    • “The mix of cyberpunk and eldritch horror is spot-on, and the game's art style is really immersive.”
    • “Call me nitpicky but I couldn't stand the graphical 'dissonance' between the wooden low-poly models from the base game and all the fancy DLC units that received all the buckets of love later.”
    • “With grayish uninspiring graphics.”
    • “Animations and visuals are alive with death-dealing moves bringing flesh-shredding, metal-piercing joy to the gaming senses as ghastly detailed beyond horrendous nightmarish imagining abominations fall or continue to lumber towards your forces as their morale starts to waver, their eyes bulging to dangerously high blood pressure levels!”
  • music36 mentions

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its immersive quality and exceptional composition, enhancing the overall atmosphere and gameplay experience. Many players highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, describing it as beautiful and captivating, with some even listening to it outside of the game. While the ambient music is occasionally noted as dull when not accompanied by specific tracks, the overall sound design, including unit sounds and effects, is praised for its creativity and depth.

    • “The music while playing as the voice faction is wonderful :)”
    • “Again, one of those beautiful touches that makes the game so well is how the music is edited so well over each decision you make.”
    • “The game’s lighting, color palette, particle effects, and creative unit designs help it stand out and combine with its soundtrack full of synths, didgeridoo, and rumbling percussion to create a unique and atmospheric 4x experience.”
    • “In addition, the ambient music is kinda dull.”
    • “The environment, music, lore, units, and flavor in general of this game is really satisfying.”
    • “The game's lighting, color palette, particle effects, and creative unit designs help Zephon stand out and combine with its soundtrack full of synths, didgeridoo, and rumbling percussion to create a unique and atmospheric 4x experience.”
  • atmosphere31 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and dynamic qualities, with many reviewers highlighting the beautiful graphics, rich lore, and unique settings that enhance the overall experience. The combination of excellent worldbuilding, atmospheric music, and creative design elements contributes to a standout feature that captivates players, despite some criticisms of repetitive gameplay. Overall, the game's atmosphere is considered a major strength, drawing players into its captivating and well-crafted universe.

    • “The atmosphere and writing leaves you wanting for more and more, while the gameplay itself is very passable.”
    • “Zephon is a game that is just pitch perfect in terms of atmosphere and setting.”
    • “The game’s lighting, color palette, particle effects, and creative unit designs help Zephon stand out and combine with its soundtrack full of synths, didgeridoo, and rumbling percussion to create a unique and atmospheric 4x experience.”
    • “The atmosphere and writing leave you wanting more and more, while the gameplay itself is very passable.”
    • “If a game's atmosphere has got me flashing back to playing Tiberian Sun when I was ten, it's done something right.”
    • “The in-game lore, world, atmosphere, music, faction, and unit designs are borderline as or more interesting than Warhammer itself.”
  • replayability16 mentions

    Overall, the game offers a decent level of replayability through varied playstyles, multiple factions, and customization options, though some players feel it could be enhanced with improved AI and more diverse factions. While many appreciate the engaging lore and unique faction mechanics, concerns about limited content and a shared tech tree may affect long-term replay value. Players suggest that the game is enjoyable but may not justify its price without additional content or features to enhance replayability.

    • “It lets you vary your playstyle, the difficulty, and lots of specialty features to enhance replayability.”
    • “Excellent combat, amazing unit design and animations, a grimdark-esque universe with interesting lore and lots of replayability.”
    • “Each faction has its own twist and quirks, which does add some replay value.”
    • “I love this game, but I can see replayability will be limited if, at the very least, the AI isn't improved.”
    • “It's not a bad game, but there just isn't as much within to warrant this price or offer replay value at its current state.”
    • “The one issue I have is that as the tech tree is shared, it feels like there isn't much difference compared to the leaders. Even with the setting to reduce the other techs, it doesn't stand out, and I worry about replayability.”
  • optimization11 mentions

    Overall, the optimization of the game has received high praise from users, highlighting its excellent performance, responsiveness, and smooth gameplay even in late-game scenarios. Many players noted that it runs well on older systems without significant bugs or performance issues, making it a standout example of quality optimization in modern gaming.

    • “This game has a beautiful atmosphere and is optimized extremely well.”
    • “The game has good performance and feels responsive.”
    • “Performance-wise, it runs buttery smooth without impact on the late game turn times and challenging AI without needing cheats to compete.”
    • “You don't see this level of optimization in products of this quality much anymore.”
    • “Performance wise, it runs buttery smooth without impact on the late game turn times and challenging AI without needing cheats to compete.”
    • “Excellent alternative to Civ6 with less bloat, better performance, and better gameplay.”
  • grinding5 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, especially in longer sessions where the need to eliminate numerous enemies can become monotonous. While the initial gameplay may be engaging, the lack of meaningful upgrades and the drawn-out end-game contribute to a sense of fatigue and a loss of purpose.

    • “This isn't so bad early on, but in a long game with many units all over the map, it gets very tedious.”
    • “New and improved units (what few there are) really don't feel like upgrades, and while it makes the mid-game tedious, it makes the end-game such a slog you forget what the point was.”
    • “I just find them so... tedious.”
  • emotional3 mentions

    Players find the game emotionally engaging, as it fosters a strong connection to individual units, enhancing their investment and enjoyment over extended playtime. While some aspects may need refinement, the overall emotional experience remains compelling.

    • “It makes you care for each unit individually, which keeps the entertainment and emotional investment going for 100+ hours into the game.”
  • stability3 mentions

    Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while some players report smooth performance without crashes, others experience significant issues such as the inability to save games for non-host players and glitches affecting side selection at the end of matches.

    • “First thing's first: the game runs fine, with no glitches or crashes.”
    • “And it runs great (Linux + Proton, out of the box).”
    • “When playing with friends, only the host can save the game. If the host leaves, it closes the lobby. Additionally, when you pick a side at the end of the game, it often glitches and chooses an alien regardless of your choice. Please fix this!”
    • “The game runs fine, but there are frequent glitches that disrupt the experience.”
    • “I encountered several stability issues that made it difficult to enjoy the game.”
  • humor3 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by a playful and self-aware tone, with players finding amusement in the exaggerated damage mechanics and the absurdity of the combat interactions. The developers seem to embrace this comedic aspect, inviting players to engage with the humor as part of the gameplay experience.

    • “Ultimately, you will side with one faction or the other, and you can hit them for 3 damage here and 5 damage there while they hit each other for dozens of damage, sometimes resulting in a hilariously massive area of effect.”
    • “Haha, you know what would be funny?”
    • “So what, devs? It's funny, isn't it? Hehe... so maybe, let's make this joke a reality?”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Buy Zephon

Play time

80hMedian play time
70hAverage play time
50-90hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

Videos

Similar Games

Game News