ZeroRanger
- September 28, 2018
- system_erasure
- 14h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io StoreZeroRanger is a single-player or local co-op science fiction shooter game with a wholesome story and impressive visuals/music. Blast through alien invaders across 4 stages, unlocking new weapons and abilities. With 8 distinct colors, scanline options, and colorblind modes, this game offers a phenomenal shooting experience and high replayability. Try the demo at .
PC
Windows
Xbox
Reviews
- ZeroRanger is a beautifully crafted shmup that combines tight gameplay, stunning visuals, and an incredible soundtrack, making it a must-play for fans of the genre.
- The game features a unique continue system that rewards players for their performance, allowing for a sense of progression and mastery as they improve their skills.
- The narrative is surprisingly engaging for a shmup, with themes of reincarnation and enlightenment woven into the gameplay, providing a deeper experience than typical entries in the genre.
- The final boss can delete your save file if you fail, which can be frustrating and discouraging for players, especially those new to the genre.
- Some players find the difficulty curve to be inconsistent, with certain stages feeling significantly harder than others, leading to potential frustration.
- The game lacks a practice mode or the ability to start from specific checkpoints, which can make it challenging for players to learn and master difficult sections.
- music389 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 37 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The music in this game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its catchy, energetic, and memorable compositions that enhance the gameplay experience. The soundtrack is often described as a standout feature, featuring a mix of retro-inspired melodies and dynamic tracks that perfectly match the game's pacing and intensity. Overall, players find the music to be a significant factor in their enjoyment, often highlighting it as one of the best aspects of the game.
“The soundtrack is amazing and it starts running off the rails in a very fun and memorable way once you manage to reach the third difficulty level.”
“The compositions are cleverly arranged and the motifs are memorable; the sound and music are a generation past the period visuals for a few reasons, but the anachronistic pastiche enhances the total flavor.”
“The music is an absolute masterpiece.”
“The unequivocally disappointing aspect of this game to me was the music.”
“The music is so-so to decent, but with no real hits that I'll be humming down the line.”
“Let's not even start on the music.”
- gameplay229 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Zeroranger is widely praised for its tight controls, engaging mechanics, and a well-balanced difficulty curve that caters to both beginners and veterans of the shoot 'em up genre. Players appreciate the variety in weapon choices, level design, and the integration of narrative elements that enhance the overall experience. However, some reviews highlight frustrations with certain late-game mechanics, particularly those that can lead to significant setbacks, such as save file deletions, which may detract from the otherwise enjoyable gameplay loop.
“As far as gameplay goes, it is extremely responsive and the screen is very readable even with the game's chaotic pace and unique visual style.”
“The gameplay is incredibly fun and engaging, mainly due to its weapons and combo system, where you are forced to choose between one of two weapons, both of which are extremely helpful and versatile in their own ways.”
“The gameplay is tight but fair, with a soundtrack that keeps you going.”
“End game deletes your save then dumps you in a new gameplay mode it does not explain to make sure you die and lose all progress before you're allowed to understand what's going on well enough to survive it, and it's not worth replaying the entire game over to get back there.”
“The final boss of this game changes combat mechanics entirely, and if you have the audacity to not immediately know what they are without having them explained and die, your save is deleted permanently and is unrecoverable.”
“Terrible end-game 'mechanic' that erases your save file.”
- story223 mentions
- 34 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The story of "Zeroranger" is a surprisingly intricate and engaging narrative for a shoot 'em up, weaving themes of reincarnation and enlightenment with a unique blend of visual storytelling and gameplay mechanics. While some players find the plot to be cryptic or superficial, many appreciate its depth and emotional resonance, enhanced by stunning pixel art and a captivating soundtrack. Overall, the game successfully combines its challenging gameplay with a compelling story that encourages exploration and discovery, making it a standout in its genre.
“Great level design, an unsettling meta story, attractive pixel art (love the color palette), and a banging soundtrack.”
“In a genre not known for well-written dramas or gripping epics, Zeroranger tells a compelling story that is made even better by its connections to gameplay.”
“The art style, the music, the story... while still being quite challenging for someone not used to this style of game, it never pushed me away in its difficulty, and kept me trying to push forward my skills and become better and better.”
“Any proposed connection to Buddhist philosophy is superficial or lacks evidence, because this ultimately isn't an enlightenment story like it claims; it's just a regular save-the-world narrative with some time travel sprinkled in.”
“But I think the really strong visual aesthetic and mysterious dialogue, which owe a lot to its Buddhist window-dressings, have tricked people into thinking the story and themes are deeper than they are.”
“The story is very hard to talk about because the game doesn't really give it to you; you have to fight a boss in a special way to get any story during the true final boss of the game.”
- graphics154 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique and polished pixel art style, utilizing a limited color palette that enhances both clarity and aesthetic appeal. Reviewers highlight the game's vibrant visuals and attention to detail, which effectively complement its engaging gameplay and soundtrack. Overall, the art direction is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's charm and immersive experience.
“The graphics work really well, a lot of detail in the limited color palette.”
“The visuals are great with nicely detailed, fluid pixel art and some really badass ship designs, and the soundtrack is absolutely fantastic, complementing the action perfectly.”
“It's a beautifully crafted masterpiece of a game with an amazing story, tight controls, exciting gameplay, captivating soundtrack, simplified and effective visuals, and it's incredibly addictive despite the high difficulty curve.”
“The art direction and graphics are stylish and a little plain in an 8-bit sort of way.”
“While it only uses two colors, the graphics feel simple, and there's just some kind of charm that comes from it.”
“Visuals are fairly clear despite the highly limited palette, though there were a few times I lost track of my ship after getting hit during chaotic fights.”
- replayability27 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The game is widely praised for its exceptional replayability, driven by diverse weapon combinations, multiple ship types, and various gameplay modes. Players appreciate the challenge of beating high scores, uncovering hidden surprises, and experiencing different endings, all of which contribute to its lasting appeal. With a compelling soundtrack and engaging mechanics, it offers a rich and rewarding experience that encourages repeated playthroughs.
“Insanely fun, insanely accessible, insanely replayable love letter to the shmup genre with an amazing little story that has to be experienced firsthand.”
“With multiple ship and weapon combinations, along with alternate gaming modes, there is quite a bit of replay value.”
“The weapons system allows you to try multiple combinations, which along with the hidden bonuses and other secrets increases replay value even after you've finished the main game.”
“The weapons system allows you to try multiple combinations, which, along with the hidden bonuses and other secrets, increases replay value even after you've finished the main game.”
“For a game that can be finished in around ten minutes, it definitely offers a lot of replayability, as it has customizable weapon sets and multiple possible endings.”
“It took me about 16 hours of playing to get the true ending, but its upgrade and scoring mechanics naturally lend themselves to a ton of replayability.”
- grinding12 mentions
- 8 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 92 % negative mentions
Players express frustration with the grinding mechanics in the game, particularly the tedious process of farming for continues to progress through challenging sections. Many feel that the grind detracts from the overall experience, making it feel more like a chore than an engaging challenge, especially when failures can lead to significant setbacks like save deletions. While some appreciate the opportunity to earn extra lives, the consensus is that the current system is overly punishing, especially for new players.
“Unfortunately, it's held back by a grindy continue system, gating the last sections of the game behind obscure nonsense, and deleting your save if you fail the last level, making you replay about an hour of all the rest of the game to get one more try.”
“Gaining the continues three times faster would work perfectly; I reached the true final boss and didn't even have full continues, so it is obvious the current system is grindy, which ultimately punishes new players.”
“That all leads into grinding earlier levels for more continues, and let me tell you, if there's one mechanic I absolutely don't want to see in a shmup, it's grinding.”
- emotional11 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highly praised, with players expressing deep feelings ranging from joy to heartbreak, highlighting it as a heartfelt love letter to the shmup genre. Many reviewers noted the clever storytelling and powerful emotional moments that resonate more than traditional narrative-focused games, creating a unique and engaging experience. Overall, the game successfully evokes a strong emotional response, making it a standout in its category.
“An emotional experience and a beautiful masterpiece.”
“It’s a very clever story with some genuinely emotional moments, and some fantastic payoffs for your efforts.”
“It even manages to be emotionally engaging, something shmups rarely even attempt, let alone succeed at.”
- humor6 mentions
- 83 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as cleverly integrated into its visuals and gameplay, enhancing the overall experience with unique graphical options and witty text. Players appreciate the game's ability to evoke joy through its art style and humorous elements, which often reference other media and tropes. Overall, the humor is seen as a significant and enjoyable aspect that contributes to the game's charm.
“Its visuals, humor, and other art are all beautifully crafted, and pull you into its world.”
“This game has been my obsession for the past week; it is great fun to go through and has been a great joy to me along with its art style, humor, and its stage design, each feeling unique and bringing a new context to the story.”
“Not only this, but it also has some humor, conveyed mostly through gameplay or small pieces of random text, relying on your knowledge of other media and tropes.”
“I used to have an unfunny joke review here, but this game deserves much better than that.”
“The humor in this game falls flat and feels forced, making it more cringeworthy than funny.”
“I expected a lot of laughs, but the jokes are stale and the comedic timing is off.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is praised for its thoughtful plotting and immersive qualities, creating a unique experience that feels akin to playing through an anime. Users highlight the combination of great artwork, music, and storytelling, which together enhance the overall ambiance and gameplay. The atmosphere is described as both challenging and approachable, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
“Challenging yet approachable, with thoughtful plotting and atmosphere to go alongside top-notch gameplay, this really is a special game.”
“+great artwork, atmosphere, music, and story”
“Strangely, this lack of consistency works wonders for the gameplay and atmosphere.”
“In addition to that, it has a lot of 'moments' that feel like you're playing through a goddamn anime, setting the atmosphere through gameplay and music alone.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game strikes a commendable balance between difficulty and skill development, allowing players to learn from their mistakes without frequent setbacks. However, it suffers from notable performance issues and initial compatibility problems with Xbox controllers, which detracts from the overall experience. Despite these challenges, its unique theatrical narrative enhances its appeal within the vertically scrolling shooter genre.
“The balance between difficulty and skill development is just right, to the point where I almost never lost a credit without learning something crucial that would improve my next performance.”
“Finally, I had a lot of performance issues throughout the game and issues with the Xbox controller at first.”
- stability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game demonstrates strong stability, with users reporting smooth performance, including compatibility and reliable operation on the Steam Deck.
“The game runs smoothly on the Steam Deck.”
“I haven't experienced any crashes or bugs during my playthrough.”
“The performance is consistently stable, making for an enjoyable gaming experience.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviewers appreciate the developer's commitment to free updates, including new game modes and soundtrack songs, which enhances the game's value and fosters goodwill in an era dominated by paid DLC and microtransactions.
“The fact that two entirely new game modes, as well as several new soundtrack songs, are coming as free updates—not paid DLC—when they are completed makes the developer even more worth supporting, especially in the modern age of paid DLC and microtransactions.”
