Zoochosis
- September 30, 2024
- Clapperheads
- 2h median play time
Get on Steam"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.
Reviews
- The game has a unique and interesting concept that combines horror with zookeeper simulation.
- The graphics and monster designs are impressive, creating a creepy atmosphere.
- The developers are actively working on patches and updates to improve the game.
- The gameplay loop becomes repetitive quickly, with similar tasks for each animal enclosure.
- Many players experience bugs and soft locks that hinder progress.
- The game does not deliver on the horror elements promised in the trailers, lacking real tension and danger.
- gameplay233 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 22 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting a repetitive and tedious gameplay loop that quickly becomes stale after a few hours. While some appreciate the unique mechanics and the potential for engaging animal care tasks, numerous bugs and poorly explained mechanics detract from the overall experience, leading to frustration and a lack of immersion. Despite its interesting premise and aesthetic, many feel the game is underdeveloped and fails to deliver on its initial promise, often feeling more like a chore simulator than an engaging horror experience.
“Nice simple gameplay loop that gets tricky when you are under pressure.”
“I love the gameplay; sure, there are some bugs here and there, but the whole team of developers is actually trying to fix as much as they can...and that's a really huge plus, not only for this game, but for the whole team of developers and also for the community.”
“The gameplay loop is visiting different enclosures, performing tasks for and on the animals - you feed them, take blood, monitor sound, and collect feces - before diagnosing maladies, and concocting and then administering various remedies.”
“I'm mostly mad at myself for buying this since I rarely buy games just to be met with whack animations that sometimes broke, repetitive gameplay, and a bunch of bugs where, for example, an elephant was dead but its hitbox was broken, and a needle got stuck under its foot and I couldn't pick it up (the icon popped up).”
“The gameplay loop is tedious chore bait and the routine gets old fast.”
“The gameplay gets boring fast, and the whole experience was pretty underwhelming, especially compared to how it was advertised.”
- story206 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it intriguing yet underdeveloped and overly short, often clocking in at around 1-2 hours. While some appreciate the potential for multiple endings and the unique lore surrounding mutated animals, others criticize the pacing, lack of coherence, and the feeling that the narrative was rushed or incomplete. Overall, the storytelling is seen as a missed opportunity, with calls for more depth and a more linear approach to enhance the experience.
“The implication of the game seems to be that you're going through a scripted story with unique challenges for the different infected animals, with plenty of scares along the way.”
“The story and twists are quite entertaining and were fun to unravel.”
“I bought it for the awesome monsters, but I was blown away by how great the story is!”
“The story is trash and you get nothing when you beat it, only a small, very bad cutscene, text, and new animals to watch over.”
“The story is extremely short and feels rushed, with many plot elements thrown at you without proper explanation.”
“The devs have confirmed there are 23 different storylines with multiple endings, but to access each one, you are expected to play through the same hour and a half again and again with little to no real gameplay changes.”
- stability71 mentions
- 4 % positive mentions
- -3 % neutral mentions
- 99 % negative mentions
The game is widely criticized for its numerous bugs and glitches, including frequent soft locks, crashes, and animation issues that significantly impact gameplay. While some players appreciate the developers' efforts to address these problems, many recommend waiting for further patches before playing, as the current state is described as a "buggy mess." Overall, the stability of the game is a major concern, overshadowing its enjoyable aspects.
“Playing on Steam Deck, this game runs great (plugged) on medium/low settings with fast loading between the zones.”
“The game maintains a steady frame rate, even during intense action sequences, which enhances the overall experience.”
“I appreciate how stable the online multiplayer is; I rarely encounter lag or disconnections.”
“Very buggy, crashes and freezes a lot.”
“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 very buggy and you will get soft locked at points.”
- graphics52 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive generally positive feedback, with many players praising the high-quality visuals, creature designs, and immersive atmosphere. However, some users report issues such as graphical bugs, frame rate drops, and misleading promotional materials that do not accurately represent the game's visual fidelity. Overall, while the aesthetics are appreciated, they are often seen as overshadowing gameplay mechanics that feel rushed or underdeveloped.
“The graphics are amazing and the immersion feels incredible, glad they managed to patch up a few glitches which helped me actually finish the game.”
“The graphics and creature design are amazing, I love the freaky mutated animals.”
“The visuals are incredible!”
“Overall, if you like simulations, you might like this game. The graphics are not something to be proud of, and the only way to fix this royal mess that the developers had a year to create is to take it down and try again.”
“Don't let the 'pretty' graphics and hype trailers fool you.”
“The graphics are also nowhere near as pristine as past renditions, even when set on 'epic' settings.”
- atmosphere33 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is described as a mix of spooky and unsettling, with commendable visuals and sound design that enhance the experience. However, many players feel that the gameplay detracts from the intended horror, as the lack of real threats and repetitive mechanics diminish the overall tension. While some appreciate the innovative premise and unique monster designs, others find the atmosphere inconsistent, often feeling more comic than genuinely frightening.
“The dark atmosphere is really oppressive and anyone sensitive to that kind of thing will totally get it.”
“Ultimately, Zoochosis is a game with a lot of heart and a genuinely creepy atmosphere.”
“This game has such a cool premise, and it really does well with the atmosphere, setting, and tone.”
“Too repetitive, agonizing tutorial, general atmosphere that was more comic than horror.”
“The monster cannot actually hurt you in any way; it takes away from the otherwise creepy atmosphere. When you get attacked, it has no consequences and just makes the game not as scary as it could be.”
“At first, things are confusing to understand, which for me created a frustrating atmosphere rather than a spooky one.”
- grinding33 mentions
- 3 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 97 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game has been widely criticized for its repetitive and tedious gameplay, with many players expressing frustration over the monotonous tasks required to progress, such as managing animal care and completing objectives. While some appreciate the variety of endings, the overwhelming sentiment is that the gameplay loop becomes dull and unengaging, making it feel more like a chore than an enjoyable experience. Overall, players suggest that the game lacks polish and fails to deliver a compelling narrative, leading to a tedious grind that detracts from its potential.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“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.”
“The gameplay loop is tediously the same throughout 95% of the game.”
“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.”
- replayability21 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 29 % negative mentions
Overall, reviews on replayability are mixed; while some players appreciate the unique mechanics and multiple endings that encourage replay, others criticize the game for being too short, repetitive, and lacking meaningful content to justify multiple playthroughs. Many feel that the game's price does not align with its replay value, leading to disappointment among those seeking a more fulfilling experience. Ultimately, the game's replayability is seen as either a fun aspect or a shallow gimmick, depending on individual perspectives.
“Game is a lot of fun, animals are adorable and different endings add to the replayability.”
“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.”
“Ultimately, it's fun for the first playthrough but definitely not worth the price tag as it has little to no replay value.”
“The idea of replay value isn't really there with 8 animals and a repetitive loop for each one.”
“The lack of meaningful unlocks or an endless mode further diminishes the replayability factor.”
- optimization19 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 32 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting poor performance, lag, and stuttering, particularly in key areas like animal enclosures. While some users noted improvements over time and found the graphics appealing, the overall consensus is that the game requires substantial optimization to be enjoyable, especially for those on lower-end systems. Players recommend waiting for updates before purchasing to avoid frustrating performance issues.
“Here are some areas for optimization, hoping the developers can listen to consumers.”
“Performance is getting better by the day.”
“The game both looks great and runs smoothly, letting the player jump headlong into the insane and skin crawling story!”
“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.”
“I trust the developers will try their hardest to fix this, but for now I say this game isn't worth your money unless you have an ultra-high-performance computer.”
“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.”
- humor12 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as a mix of unintentional campiness and amusing voice acting, with players finding joy in quirky animations and unexpected moments, such as a penguin's antics. While some bugs add to the comedic experience, the overall tone leans more towards a lighthearted, absurd take on horror rather than intentional humor, leading to a fun yet chaotic gameplay experience.
“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.”
“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.”
- monetization10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as feeling like a cash grab, with many reviewers noting that the gameplay does not align with the promises made in the advertisements. Players express disappointment that the game lacks meaningful choices and depth, suggesting that it would have been better received as a free title with a more robust development approach. Overall, the monetization approach is seen as exploitative, detracting from the game's potential.
“I actually am wondering if the whole point of the trailers was to make this a cash grab.”
“Whatever this is, it likely feels like a petty cash grab.”
“Feels like a cash grab.”
- music5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the dark ambient tracks that enhance the atmosphere, while others criticize the implementation of background music in key cutscenes as rushed and ineffective. Additionally, the boss music has been described as disappointing, lacking the intensity expected for such encounters. Overall, while there are moments of effective sound design, many feel that the music does not fully support the horror experience.
“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.”
“Boring game, not scary at all; just some music and loud sounds with animals running through the zoo.”
“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. The boss music is awful too; it's more suspense music than boss music, sounding like jumbled-up sound effects.”
“--1 save/reload bug, where it was telling me to 'do the thing,' but the game crashed. Upon reload, everything seemed normal yet had an obvious 'stuff is going down' music/visual representation.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the emotional inclusivity offered by the option to toggle certain features off, enhancing their connection to the game. The wholesome portrayal of animals adds to the overall enjoyment, while initial bugs led to feelings of a rushed experience, which were alleviated by subsequent updates. Overall, the game successfully blends fun, spookiness, and emotional depth, appealing to fans of various horror and 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.”
