Zoochosis Game Cover
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"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.

  • PC
  • Windows

Reviews

56%
Audience ScoreBased on 882 reviews
story49 positive mentions
gameplay57 negative mentions
  • Unique concept of combining animal care with horror elements.
  • Multiple endings and replayability add depth to the gameplay.
  • Creative and well-designed mutant animal models.
  • Game is riddled with bugs and glitches, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
  • Repetitive tasks and lack of meaningful progression make the game feel tedious.
  • Misleading trailers that do not accurately represent the actual gameplay.
  • gameplay268 mentions

    The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it repetitive and lacking depth. While some appreciate the unique mechanics of animal care and the horror elements, others criticize the clunky controls, numerous bugs, and a gameplay loop that quickly becomes tedious. Overall, the game seems to struggle with balancing its intriguing premise with engaging and polished gameplay, leading to disappointment for many players.

    • “I enjoy figuring out the right concoctions to cure animals, but the most overt challenge is messing around with the game's mechanics on repeat playthroughs to kind of suss out the repeating cycle of checking habitats.”
    • “Once you get the hang of it, the gameplay is actually pretty nice and enjoyable.”
    • “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.”
    • “The difference between what's shown in the trailer and what the actual gameplay is, is so large that I'd call it borderline false advertising.”
    • “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.”
  • story229 mentions

    The game's story has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it rushed, shallow, and poorly executed, often feeling disconnected from the gameplay. While some appreciate the intriguing premise and the potential for multiple endings, others criticize the lack of depth and emotional engagement with characters, leading to a sense of indifference towards the narrative. Overall, the story is seen as a missed opportunity, with players hoping for future updates to enhance its complexity and coherence.

    • “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 body horror, atmosphere, and story are all very interesting.”
    • “It's neither a horror game nor a meandering chore game, just a badly told story with ham-fisted delivery.”
    • “The story just happens, it ends, and you're left feeling indifferent.”
    • “The story is shallow and boring, with characters not acting how you would expect, along with very few things being explained.”
  • stability79 mentions

    The game has been widely criticized for its significant stability issues, with players reporting numerous bugs, glitches, and soft locks that severely impact gameplay. Many users experienced game freezes, animation problems, and inconsistent mechanics, leading to frustration and a recommendation to wait for patches before playing. Despite these issues, some players noted that the developers are actively addressing the problems, which offers hope for future improvements.

    • “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 haven't encountered any crashes or major bugs, making my gameplay smooth and enjoyable.”
    • “This game was so buggy that 20% of the player base couldn't even get to an ending.”
    • “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.”
  • graphics57 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received generally positive feedback, with many players praising the high-quality visuals, creature designs, and immersive atmosphere. However, some users noted issues such as graphical bugs, performance problems, and a disconnect between the impressive aesthetics and the gameplay experience, suggesting that while the visuals are strong, they do not compensate for other shortcomings in the game. Overall, the graphics are considered a highlight, but they are marred by technical issues and gameplay mechanics that feel rushed or underdeveloped.

    • “The visuals are incredible!”
    • “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.”
    • “There are a few graphical bugs.”
    • “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.”
  • grinding39 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game has been widely criticized for its tedious and repetitive nature, with many players feeling that the gameplay consists of mundane tasks that quickly become boring. While some appreciate the potential and unique concepts, the overwhelming sentiment is that the grind detracts from the overall experience, making it feel more like a chore than an engaging game. Players express frustration over the lack of variety and the need to repeatedly perform the same actions to progress, leading to a diminished sense of horror and excitement.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “This game is so tedious to the point that it's not even scary anymore.”
    • “I was extremely hyped for this game and all I got was a minimum wage job with tedious boss fights. I would've much rather waited 1+ years for a good game than this rushed mess.”
    • “The gameplay loop is tedious chore bait and the routine gets old fast.”
  • atmosphere35 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is often praised for its initial tension and spooky aesthetics, effectively creating a creepy and immersive environment. However, many reviewers feel that the gameplay fails to capitalize on this atmosphere, leading to a disconnect where the horror elements feel underutilized or diminished by repetitive mechanics and lackluster character reactions. While the visuals, sound design, and monster designs contribute positively to the atmosphere, the overall execution leaves players wanting more depth and engagement.

    • “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.”
    • “The voice acting is commendable and truly enhances the unsettling atmosphere.”
    • “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.”
  • replayability23 mentions

    The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating the variety of endings and unique mechanics that encourage multiple playthroughs, while others criticize it for being too short and lacking meaningful content to justify repeated attempts. Bugs and a lack of depth further detract from the experience, leading some to feel that the replay value is overstated and not worth the price. Overall, while there are elements that promote replayability, many players find it insufficient for a truly engaging experience.

    • “I really like the game and I don't necessarily think it deserves all of the bad reviews it gets because it is pretty fun and has some unique game mechanics, and the game is pretty replayable.”
    • “Game is a lot of fun, animals are adorable and different endings add to the replayability.”
    • “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.”
  • optimization20 mentions

    The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players experiencing significant performance issues, including lag and stuttering, particularly in critical areas like animal enclosures. While some users noted improvements following frequent developer patches, others still found the game unplayable on lower-end systems and recommended waiting for further updates before purchasing. Overall, the optimization remains a major concern, detracting from an otherwise enjoyable experience.

    • “Edit: The dev has been hard at work, making one patch a day for over a week, and the performance is way better now.”
    • “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!”
    • “Very unoptimized game that had nothing to do with the trailers.”
    • “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.”
    • “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.”
  • humor13 mentions

    The humor in the game is largely described as unintentional and campy, with players finding amusement in bugs, awkward animations, and absurd scenarios rather than genuine comedic writing. Many reviewers noted that the voice acting and character interactions added a layer of humor, making the experience more entertaining when shared with friends. Overall, while the game may not deliver on its horror promises, it provides plenty of laughs through its quirky design and unexpected moments.

    • “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.”
    • “The bugs didn't bother me really; it made the game a bit more funny.”
  • monetization12 mentions

    The monetization of the game has been criticized as a potential cash grab, with many reviewers feeling that the actual product does not align with the misleading advertisements. Players express disappointment over the game's execution and suggest that it would have been better received as a free title or demo, emphasizing the need for significant improvements and a more engaging gameplay experience. Overall, the consensus is that the game feels like a poorly realized attempt to capitalize on its initial concept.

    • “I actually am wondering if the whole point of the trailers was to make this a cash grab.”
    • “Feels like a cash grab.”
    • “If not, then it was a cash grab that will fade into obscurity.”
  • music5 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 during key moments as rushed and ineffective. Additionally, the boss music has been described as disappointing, lacking the intensity expected for such encounters. Overall, while there are elements of the soundtrack that contribute positively to the experience, many feel it falls short in critical areas.

    • “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.”
    • “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.”
    • “Boring game, not scary at all; just some music and loud sounds while animals are running through the zoo.”
    • “--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

    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 a positive emotional layer, while initial bugs created a sense of disappointment, which was alleviated by subsequent updates. Overall, the game successfully blends fun, challenge, 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.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

3hMedian play time
6hAverage play time
2-6hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 12 analyzed playthroughs

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