Zoochosis

About

Zoochosis is a single player simulation game with a horror theme. It was developed by Clapperheads and was released on September 30, 2024. It received neutral reviews from players.

"Zoochosis" is a night shift zookeeper simulation where players must care for and save infected animals from turning into mutants. Interaction with the animals includes preparing meals, restocking, and cleaning enclosures. The player's choices determine the ending, as they try to save specific animals and survive the night, leading to multiple possible endings.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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56%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,766 reviews

story96 positive mentions

gameplay117 negative mentions

Interesting concept with unique monster designs.
Engaging gameplay loop that encourages replayability.
Good graphics and atmosphere.

Repetitive tasks that become tedious quickly.
Numerous bugs and glitches leading to soft locks.
Misleading trailers that do not represent the actual gameplay.

gameplay
544 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
60%
22%
The gameplay of the game has received largely negative feedback, with many players finding it repetitive, tedious, and poorly explained. The core loop involves performing similar tasks across different enclosures, which quickly becomes monotonous, and the lack of clear mechanics often leads to confusion and frustration. While some appreciate the unique premise and aesthetic, the overall execution feels rushed and unpolished, leaving players disappointed and feeling misled by promotional materials.
- “For now, the game keeps me entertained, and the variety of endings and current gameplay make it replayable, offering different experiences rather than a simple story based on events and cinematics that won't scare you anymore after the first playthrough.”
- “The gameplay loop is visiting different enclosures, performing tasks for and on the animals - you feed them, take blood, monitor sound, and collect faeces - before diagnosing maladies, and concocting and then administering various remedies.”
- “The mechanics of working out illnesses are great and the enemies are interesting.”
- “The game follows a tedious recipe of repetitive gameplay with no added value on replays other than to get alternative endings or unlock new animals to help, but even then, it's just applying the same formula on a different character model.”
- “The gameplay loop is tediously the same throughout 95% of the game.”
- “The core gameplay loop quickly becomes repetitive, leaving players with a sense of tedium.”
story
468 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
69%
10%
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it intriguing yet poorly executed. While some appreciate the variety of endings and the potential for deeper lore, others criticize the pacing, lack of character development, and overall brevity, feeling that the narrative is rushed and fails to deliver on the promises made in trailers. Overall, the story is seen as a missed opportunity, with many hoping for future updates to enhance its depth and coherence.
- “I found it fun with just the right amount of tension, an interesting story, and plenty to explore on the map.”
- “For now, the game keeps me entertained, and the variety of endings and current gameplay make it replayable, offering different experiences rather than a simple story based on events and cinematics that won't scare you anymore after the first playthrough.”
- “The story is more than people say it is, I'm piecing it together and I'm on my third new game+.”
- “Unfortunately, it fell flat for the story; the gameplay becomes repetitive, and it feels overpriced for what you get.”
- “The story is very poorly executed.”
- “The story is shallow and boring, with characters not acting how you would expect, along with very few things being explained.”
stability
158 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
99%
The game's stability has been widely criticized, with many players reporting numerous bugs, glitches, and game-breaking issues that can lead to lost progress and soft locks. While some users experienced minimal problems, the overall consensus is that the game is currently very buggy, making it difficult to enjoy the gameplay fully. Players are advised to wait for patches and fixes before diving in, as the developers are actively addressing these issues.
- “Playing on Steam Deck, this game runs great (plugged) on medium/low settings with fast loading between the zones.”
- “This game was laggy, buggy and crashed twice.”
- “A buggy mess, had several game freezes when interacting with objects and when being attacked by the creatures where it simply fades to black, yet you can still move around and do stuff.”
- “The game is really buggy; gameplay is repetitive and the monsters hardly do anything that was shown in the trailer unless the game gets improved.”
graphics
117 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
41%
3%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the high-quality visuals, creature design, and overall aesthetic, while others criticize them as outdated or misleading compared to promotional materials. Despite some graphical bugs and performance issues, players generally find the visuals immersive and appealing, though they feel the gameplay does not match the same level of polish. Overall, while the graphics are considered a strong point, they are often overshadowed by gameplay shortcomings and technical problems.
- “The graphics and creature design are amazing; I love the freaky mutated animals.”
- “The graphics are gorgeous, and gameplay was smooth for me.”
- “The visuals are incredible!”
- “The graphics used in trailers and the Steam product description are misleading.”
- “The graphics are also nowhere near as pristine as past renditions, even when set on 'epic' settings.”
- “Graphics are automatically set to the highest settings when you start and still frequently lag the game on their lowest settings.”
grinding
80 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
1%
98%
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for its tedious and repetitive gameplay, with players expressing frustration over the monotonous tasks required to progress, such as collecting samples and managing animal care. Many reviewers feel that the lack of variety and meaningful engagement leads to a dull experience, diminishing the game's potential for horror and excitement. Overall, the grinding mechanics are seen as a significant drawback, making the game feel more like a chore than an enjoyable experience.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The gameplay loop is tedious chore bait and the routine gets old fast.”
- “The tediousness of tasks, running back and forth to cut food bricks, feed animals, get blood, suck up poop, figure out what's wrong with the animals, make the medicine, cure/kill the mutant, rinse, repeat.”
- “I like the idea but I can't recommend the game, it gets repetitive quickly and tedious trying to accomplish certain steps, especially trying to achieve the 'good' ending.”
atmosphere
72 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
47%
4%
The game's atmosphere is frequently praised for its spooky and unsettling qualities, with unique monster designs and a strong visual and sound design that enhances the experience. However, many reviewers feel that the gameplay undermines this atmosphere, often describing it as repetitive and lacking in tension, which detracts from the intended horror experience. Overall, while the atmosphere is compelling and well-crafted, it is often overshadowed by gameplay issues that prevent full immersion.
- “This game has such a cool premise, and it really does well with the atmosphere, setting, and tone.”
- “The monster designs were very unique and the overall atmosphere was really spooky while still being grounded to some sense of realism.”
- “Ultimately, Zoochosis is a game with a lot of heart and a genuinely creepy atmosphere.”
- “I hate to say it, but the game was a major letdown. The atmosphere, infected animal designs, and overall idea were really good, but they kept taking the simple way to make something happen. For example, the infected animals just appear without any transformation, and the boss music is awful too; it's more suspense music than boss music, sounding like jumbled-up sound effects.”
- “At first, things are confusing to understand, which created a frustrating atmosphere for me rather than a spooky one.”
- “The trailers show things that never happen and paint this game to be a high-stakes horror with a tense atmosphere.”
optimization
45 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
51%
29%
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues such as stuttering and lag, particularly in critical areas like animal enclosures. While some users have noted improvements with recent patches, others still find the game poorly optimized, especially on lower-end hardware. Overall, players recommend waiting for further updates to enhance performance before purchasing.
- “The game both looks great and runs smoothly, letting the player jump headlong into the insane and skin-crawling story!”
- “Performance is getting better by the day.”
- “Edit: the dev has been hard at work, making one patch a day for over a week, and the performance is way better now.”
- “The game is poorly optimized, and I was getting heavy stuttering even after dropping everything down to the lowest possible settings with a GTX 3060.”
- “As much as I want to love and play it for its unique concept and great designs, my experience is ruined by the poor optimization. The biggest issue is with the lag you get when inside the animal enclosures, which is arguably the most important location to not have that lag since your reaction time is delayed.”
- “Additionally, this game is poorly optimized to the point I feel like it mines Bitcoin when it doesn't.”
replayability
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
57%
27%
The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating the variety of endings and gameplay mechanics that encourage multiple playthroughs, while others criticize it for lacking depth and meaningful content. Many feel that the reliance on different endings feels like a gimmick rather than a genuine incentive to replay, and issues like bugs and repetitive gameplay further diminish the experience. Overall, while some find it entertaining for a short time, others believe it falls short of providing a truly fulfilling replayable experience, especially at its price point.
- “Game's concept is really cool and the gameplay loop is fun while maintaining lots of replayability, even if it does take some patience on the player's side to get comfortable with all the game mechanics.”
- “It's designed as a replayable experience where you experiment with different choices or methods to calm the mutations each run, eventually allowing you to discover more and more of the story.”
- “For now, the game keeps me entertained, and the variety of endings and current gameplay make it replayable, offering different experiences rather than a simple story based on events and cinematics that won't scare you anymore after the first playthrough.”
- “After the first playthrough, it has no replayability due to soft locks; other people have reported the issue in the official Discord, and the devs have left them ignored.”
- “The lack of meaningful unlocks or an endless mode further diminishes the replayability factor.”
- “$25 for a buggy and monotonous game with no challenge or replay value.”
monetization
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as a cash grab, with many reviewers feeling that it fails to deliver on its advertised promises and instead offers a poorly executed experience. There are calls for a reimagining of the game as a free-to-play title with more meaningful gameplay mechanics, as the current model does not align with player expectations set by the marketing. Overall, the sentiment suggests that the game's financial approach detracts from its potential and may lead to its decline.
- “Whatever this is, it feels like a bastardization of his vision and, at best, a petty cash grab.”
- “The trailers did this game a terrible disservice by advertising a product that didn't exist.”
- “In my opinion, the game (if you can call it that) has a lot of good ideas that were very poorly executed, and the best route to make this a success would be to make it a free game and rebuild Zoochosis from the ground up.”
humor
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as campy and unintentional, often eliciting laughter from players rather than genuine fear. Players found moments like a penguin attack and quirky animations amusing, while bugs and oddities added to the comedic experience. Overall, the humor seems to stem from a mix of absurdity and unexpected scenarios, making it entertaining for those playing with friends.
- “I will say it was quite hilarious to have the penguin forced to attack me as it just bobbed me up and down on the roof for a bit before dropping me.”
- “Maybe assuming the game might be a bit of a 'horror comedy' was on me: while I'm fully aware that part of taking care of animals is cleaning up their waste, I just assumed that a trailer that so proudly showcased their 'poop-sucker' had a sense of humor.”
- “But I must say I had a ton of fun getting all the endings and seeing how much dedication and work was put into this game with the nice looking graphics, awesome designs, and pretty funny animations.”
music
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
20%
40%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising the dark ambient tracks that enhance the atmosphere, while others criticize the boss music for lacking intensity and coherence, describing it as more suited for suspense than actual combat. Additionally, the implementation of background music in key cutscenes has been noted as a rushed feature that detracts from the overall horror experience. Overall, while there are moments of effective sound design, many players feel that the music does not fully support the game's intended atmosphere.
- “Also the dark ambient music is really awesome.”
- “It's clear they had an idea but rushed on key features that really make a horror game beyond just the graphics, including the addition of background music to enrich key cutscenes.”
- “I hate to say it, but the game was a major letdown. The atmosphere, infected animal designs, and overall idea were really good, but they kept taking the simple way to make something happen. For example, the infected animals don't transform in any way; they just appear. The boss music is awful too; it's more suspense music than boss music. It sounds like jumbled up sound effects, and then it was called a day.”
- “Boring game, not scary at all. Just some music and loud sounds, and animals running through the zoo.”
- “Boring game, not scary at all. Just some music and loud sounds, and animals running through the zoo.”
emotional
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the game emotionally engaging, appreciating its blend of fun, spookiness, and challenge, while also noting the wholesome portrayal of animals. The ability to toggle certain features enhances the sense of inclusion, although initial bugs led to feelings of a rushed experience, which were alleviated by subsequent updates. Overall, the emotional impact is positively highlighted, particularly for fans of horror and open-world crafting genres.
- “The fact there is a way to toggle this off in the game made me feel included.”
- “The animals were pretty wholesome in my opinion.”
- “To me, this is a fun, spooky, challenging game that I've very much enjoyed playing; however, the bugs I found on the day this game came out made me feel like the game was rushed a bit, but with the nice update, it doesn't feel rushed anymore.”