Zombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes
- March 2, 2022
- Zing Games Inc.
- 12h median play time
Get on SteamZombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes is a pinball-based game with strategy elements and zombie-themed content. Players must defeat hordes of zombies while collecting resources to upgrade their pinball machines and characters. The game features both single-player and multiplayer modes, offering a blend of arcade action and tactical decision-making.
iPad
iPhone
Nintendo Switch
PC
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Reviews
- Unique blend of pinball and roguelite mechanics that offers a fun and engaging experience.
- Variety of characters, abilities, and upgrades provide replayability and customization.
- Bright, colorful graphics and humorous dialogue enhance the overall charm of the game.
- Gameplay can become repetitive and grindy, with long runs that may feel tedious.
- The pinball mechanics are simplified, which may disappoint traditional pinball enthusiasts.
- Numerous bugs and glitches can disrupt gameplay, leading to frustrating experiences.
- gameplay37 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 76 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Zombie Rollerz" is a unique blend of pinball mechanics, roguelike elements, and tower defense, creating an addictive and enjoyable experience. While the core pinball mechanics are fun and fluid, some players find the overall gameplay repetitive and lacking in variety after initial playthroughs. The game features a satisfying progression system and a colorful art style, making it appealing for casual play, though it may not offer extensive replayability beyond unlocking new characters and items.
“The gameplay loop is really addictive, and the game has a lot of replayability.”
“The mix of zombie combat via pinball and skill mechanics as well as the physics play to try and hit those sweet spots for high scores has been really enthralling.”
“The core gameplay loop in Zombie Rollerz is as follows: first, you’ll choose from one of the game’s 10 colorful champions, all of whom you'll gradually unlock as you accrue experience points in the game world; second, you'll use magical pinballs—and yes, you heard that correctly—to fight as far forward as possible through the game's handful of zombie-infested zones, at the end of each awaits one of ten randomly selected bosses; and finally, third you will do what you’ve done in Hades, Risk of Rain, and every other roguelite worth its salt—you'll repeat!”
“I had a lot of fun with it but currently am not really looking to push through multiple playthroughs beyond trying out the new characters as the plot is kind of weak and gameplay variety and choice within runs is limited.”
“Sadly, the game doesn't offer a ton of replayability (yes, you can unlock items and characters, but it doesn't change a lot gameplay-wise).”
“I like goofy roguelikes and this game was quite enjoyable for the first few hours, but there's just not enough change for gameplay not to be repetitive.”
- story19 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The story in the game is generally perceived as weak and disjointed, with many players finding it difficult to follow or largely ignorable. While there are some character elements and a basic plot structure, such as a "rescue the princess" theme, the narrative lacks depth and coherence, leading to a focus on gameplay rather than storytelling. Overall, the story does not significantly enhance the experience, and many players feel it is not a crucial aspect of the game.
“I didn’t really expect Zombie Rollerz to have a strong story, but I kind of expected to be able to find my way to an actual ending.”
“On the subject of characters, let's talk story, and don’t worry, I’ll spend about as much time on this subject as did the devs. The plot in Zombie Rollerz is fast and loose, surface-level 'rescue the princess' kind of stuff.”
“No idea what is going on with the story though.”
“It's completely silly and the story is all over the place/ignorable, nothing makes sense, but it's just plain fun.”
“With a story that’s already pretty difficult to follow given how broken up it is, this was pretty disappointing.”
- graphics13 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 23 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the cute and charming art style, smooth visuals, and bright, cell-shaded graphics. However, others criticize the graphics as being simplistic, lazy, or unattractive, indicating a lack of cohesion in the overall aesthetic. Despite these varying opinions, many agree that the visuals contribute positively to the gameplay experience.
“It is very cute and charming, with nice art/graphics.”
“The graphics are nice, the music gets old really quickly (considering that there's no diversity, which is a major problem in a game where you have to constantly grind) and although the sound effects aren't bad, they get annoying after a while (bell, I'm talking about you).”
“+bright, popping cell shaded graphics that feel right at home here!”
“Combined with atrocious grammatical and spelling issues, terribly twee JRPG-style graphics and no explanation of how the 'overworld' map is supposed to work. If I was still within my timeframe to refund, I absolutely would, even for the super low sale price I paid.”
“Aside from that, the art style is terrible, lazy, and ugly.”
“The graphics are simple and unremarkable.”
- music9 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players enjoying its upbeat and fun nature, while others find it repetitive and lacking diversity, especially during extended play sessions. While the sound effects are generally well-received, they can become annoying over time. Overall, the soundtrack is considered decent but not exceptional, often leading players to seek alternative audio during long gameplay.
“The music is good too.”
“I love the mechanics of the game, the goofy self-awareness of some of the characters, the progression path to unlock things, the music and sound effects are good and satisfying, the game balancing is relatively fair for the assumed younger target audience.”
“Meanwhile the game’s soundtrack is equally fun but a little too repetitive to escape neutral three purgatory.”
“The only minor negative is the soundtracks get old when doing long sessions; you may want to listen to something else.”
“Truly a unique experience, and honestly the only part that's gotten a bit repetitive or dull in the last 12 hours of playing is the rather small selection of music throughout the game.”
“Soundtrack - meh.”
- replayability7 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 29 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is noted for its strong replayability, with many players enjoying the addictive gameplay loop and variety of challenges, characters, and modes. However, some users feel that while there are unlockable items, they don't significantly alter the gameplay experience, leading to mixed opinions on long-term replay value.
“Fun little pinball-themed game with excellent replay value and challenges galore.”
“The gameplay loop is really addictive, and the game has a lot of replayability.”
“Also has a surprising amount of replayability, run variety, and characters to choose from.”
“Sadly, the game doesn't offer a ton of replayability (yes, you can unlock items and characters, but it doesn't change a lot gameplay-wise).”
“Hell mode is a different story, but hey, replayability, right?”
- humor7 mentions
- 86 % positive mentions
- -29 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by witty dialogue and amusing graphics, contributing to an overall entertaining experience. While some players appreciate the charm and fun of the humor, others find the writing lacking in quality, with typos and simplistic language detracting from its effectiveness. Overall, the game offers a lighthearted and humorous take on pinball, especially for fans of quirky themes like zombies.
“Dialogue is humorously written.”
“It is really a funny and interesting game.”
“Just a great time-sink and all round fun lil' game for those that love their pinballs with an unhealthy dose of zombies and funny grunting noises.”
“The dialogue here reads at an 8th grade level and is riddled with typos, but it has some charm and is occasionally funny—not funny enough to save it from a two, though.”
“The attempts at humor feel forced and often fall flat, making the experience more cringeworthy than entertaining.”
“While there are moments that aim for comedy, they often miss the mark, leaving a sense of disappointment rather than laughter.”
- grinding5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while it can be surprisingly enjoyable and creatively integrated into the gameplay, it often becomes tedious and repetitive, leading to frustration, especially for those less fond of the roguelike genre.
“But it quickly becomes repetitive and emphasizes grinding.”
“To be quite honest, I'm not a big fan of the roguelike genre, especially because that often translates to lots of grinding and frustration.”
“It fuses these two genres in a way that's really cool and really fun, but also really grindy.”
- stability5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- -40 % neutral mentions
- 80 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while some users report no significant glitches or issues, others have encountered bugs and visual glitches, particularly when alt-tabbing. Despite these problems, the game runs well on platforms like the Steam Deck, but many players feel that updates are needed to address the existing stability concerns before they can confidently recommend it.
“Really fun pinball-style game, runs great on Steam Deck!”
“The game maintains a smooth performance throughout, with no crashes or glitches.”
“I appreciate how stable the gameplay is, even during intense moments.”
“Be it my crappy skills, bad luck, bugs/glitches or whatever else... I raged and cussed that would put an old sailor to shame.”
“Some things can be excused (choppy sound effect loops continuing past boss deaths, visual glitches which appear if you alt-tab while playing at certain times - which I attribute to user conditions for me personally, and a few others).”
“If all this changes and the game gets some updates to fix the buggy and broken bits of it, I would gladly come back to this game, because I adore so much of it, but cannot say to anybody in confidence 'yeah, buy this game' with the state it is right now.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Users report significant performance issues, particularly on busy boards, which can lead to a noticeable drop in frame rates. Additionally, the game's optimization for mouse and keyboard controls is criticized, suggesting that the overall experience may be hindered for players using these input methods.
“After each run, you earn points based on your performance, and these points automatically unlock the next items on your list.”
“Performance can tank heavily on busy boards.”
“The map itself has very poor optimization for mouse and keyboard; I cannot speak for controller performance as I can't play with one at the moment.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The monetization model of the game appears to have transitioned from a free-to-play structure with microtransactions to a full-priced title, yet it still retains a significant grind, leading to a sense that the original design intent was not fully realized.
“It feels like a title that was originally designed to be a free-to-play mobile release with microtransactions, but was then turned into a full-price game and removed the microtransactions, but not the grind.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by the unexpected and whimsical transition from a zombie encounter to engaging with randomly generated pinball tables, creating a unique blend of tension and amusement that evokes a playful yet thrilling experience.
