Zolg

About

"Zolg is a top-down shooter with minimalist graphics, featuring six bosses and numerous enemies to battle. Collect five power-ups to aid you in combat and unlock 40 achievements for varying levels of difficulty. Explore the game with WASD + mouse controls or use a controller, which can be customized in the main menu."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

75%

Audience ScoreBased on 75 reviews

music4 positive mentions

replayability3 negative mentions

The game offers a fun and challenging experience, especially for fans of retro-style twin-stick shooters.
It features smooth and responsive controls, allowing for a good level of player control and engagement.
The minimalist graphics and catchy music create an enjoyable atmosphere, making it a decent value for its low price.

The game suffers from poor hitbox detection and frustrating enemy mechanics, leading to cheap deaths.
There are significant technical issues, including controller input problems and crashes, which detract from the overall experience.
The gameplay can become repetitive and lacks depth, making it feel tedious after a short period.

music
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
65%
15%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it lively, catchy, and enjoyable, while others criticize it for being repetitive and bland. Although the soundtrack contributes positively to the game's atmosphere, many users express a desire for a larger selection and variety. Overall, while the music enhances the experience for some, it falls short for others, leading to a divided opinion.
- “The music in the game is quite lively and very prominent.”
- “This game is actually decently challenging and provides good quality music and atmosphere.”
- “The music, though it does tend to loop constantly except upon area change, is actually enjoyable and catchy.”
- “The music and sound are bland.”
- “The music is often in loop.”
- “A tedious clunky shooter with terrible graphics, awful music, horrible controls (arrows on the keyboard and the mouse), boring enemies and bosses, some cheap difficulty for the sake of difficulty.”
gameplay
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
60%
20%
The gameplay is generally described as solid and enjoyable, featuring good combat mechanics, level design, and a progression system that enhances player abilities. However, technical issues, particularly with controller support, detract from the experience, leading to frustration. While some find the gameplay simplistic, it is executed well, offering a fun and engaging experience despite its lack of innovation.
- “The gameplay is good, the combat is good, levels and boss design is good; it's a solid game, definitely worth the money.”
- “Gameplay in itself is pretty decent; you start out with a tiny health bar, slow speed, and no shield, and gain abilities as you progress and collect power-ups.”
- “Despite the simplicity in the levels and enemies, Zolg demonstrates an increase in difficulty as the game progresses, and the addition of mouse control as well as the WASD keys really makes for some interesting and fun gameplay.”
- “If there were no gameplay issues and the presentation of the game was more weighty, then I might’ve actually really enjoyed the game - enough to be willing to give it the legendary point - but, alas, it was not so.”
- “It was extremely frustrating that the game stopped properly recognizing controller input ever so often during gameplay.”
- “For instance, on multiple occasions the left stick (movement) input was reversed when gently manipulating the stick, making it necessary to stop gameplay (thereby losing progress) and reconfigure the controller input.”
graphics
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
43%
21%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a minimalist and clean design, often utilizing retro vector art and neon colors, which some players find appealing. However, opinions are mixed, with some users criticizing the visuals as clunky and reminiscent of a low-quality project. Overall, while the aesthetic is consistent and simple, it may not appeal to everyone, particularly those seeking more detailed or polished graphics.
- “The cleanliness of the lines, the minimalist approach to visuals, the fact that information is well conveyed through visuals… that’s all grand!”
- “The game is beautifully simple, the controls, graphics, and mechanics.”
- “Very minimalistic retro art style with lots of neon, not particularly beautiful.”
- “A tedious clunky shooter with terrible graphics, awful music, horrible controls (arrows on the keyboard and the mouse (arrows!)), boring enemies and bosses, some cheap difficulty for the sake of difficulty, some...”
- “I bought this game twice because of the graphics but have each time forgotten why I refunded it.”
- “The graphics and mechanics will convince you that this is someone's first video game from their high school computer science project.”
story
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
33%
33%
The story aspect of the game is polarizing; while one user highlights a profound moral about perseverance and the unpredictability of life, another notes the absence of a narrative altogether, describing it as a minimalist experience with no story.
- “The moral of the story is that you never know what life has in store for you. If I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
- “This minimalist game, ladies, gentlemen, and non-binary folks, has no story.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
150%
Players appreciate the thoughtful level design and well-distributed difficulty, which enhance replayability through challenging achievements and speedrun opportunities. The inclusion of various challenges, such as time and shots fired, further encourages players to revisit the game for a more engaging experience.
- “The difficulty is distributed properly, the levels seem to have been made very thoughtfully, and while there are many redundant achievements, I think the most challenging ones are good for adding replayability, especially with the simple but fun bosses, speedrunable nature of the levels, and a certain quirky enemy type.”
- “The achievements are designed around replayability with time and shots fired challenges that extend the life of the game.”
- “The achievements are designed around replayability with time and shot fired challenges, which extend the life of the game.”
- “Once you complete the main story, there's little incentive to replay it, as the side quests feel repetitive and uninspired.”
- “The lack of meaningful choices and consequences makes replaying the game feel like a chore rather than an enjoyable experience.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the grinding in this game to be tedious and frustrating, exacerbated by poor graphics, unresponsive controls, and uninspired enemy design. The experience is often marred by artificially inflated difficulty that detracts from overall enjoyment.
- “A tedious, clunky shooter with terrible graphics, awful music, and horrible controls. The enemies and bosses are boring, and the difficulty feels cheap, added just for the sake of it.”
- “The grinding in this game is mind-numbing and feels like a chore rather than an engaging experience.”
- “I spent hours grinding for resources, only to find that the rewards were minimal and not worth the effort.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by high-quality music, contributing to a decently challenging experience that immerses players effectively.
- “This game is actually decently challenging and provides good quality music and atmosphere.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the game to be genuinely funny, highlighting its effective use of humor throughout the gameplay experience.
- “This game had me laughing out loud with its clever jokes and hilarious character interactions.”
- “The humor is spot on, blending witty dialogue with absurd situations that keep you entertained.”
- “I love how the game doesn't take itself too seriously, making every moment a fun and lighthearted experience.”