Zotrix

About

Zotrix is a single-player shooter game inspired by classic arcade machines, featuring brightly colored enemies and over 50 missions. Gameplay involves escorting cargo ships and avoiding enemy attacks, with rewards used to upgrade ships or purchase new ones. The game emphasizes repetitive arcade-style gameplay, requiring players to "grind" to progress.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

59%

Audience ScoreBased on 123 reviews

story12 positive mentions

grinding8 negative mentions

Zotrix offers a nostalgic arcade shooter experience with smooth gameplay and a catchy soundtrack, reminiscent of classic games like Galaga and Asteroids.
The game features a trading system and ship upgrades, adding depth to the gameplay and allowing players to customize their experience.
Many players find the game fun and challenging, especially for those who enjoy retro-style shooters.

The game suffers from repetitive gameplay and a lack of variety in missions, leading to a feeling of boredom after a short playtime.
There are significant balancing issues, with players able to acquire powerful upgrades too early, making later missions less challenging.
Technical problems, such as poor controller support and UI design, detract from the overall experience and can make the game frustrating to navigate.

story
70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
77%
6%
The story in Zotrix is generally considered minimal and uninspired, primarily serving as a backdrop for repetitive missions that often feel tedious and lack depth. While there are elements of non-linear questing and a simple economy, many players find the narrative unengaging, with missions often reduced to escort tasks and grinding for upgrades. Despite some potential for development, the overall consensus is that the story does not significantly enhance the gameplay experience.
- “The story itself is currently not too big, but I can positively say that the possibilities of further development are endless and the game might become much bigger than it currently is depending on the path developers continue guiding the game to.”
- “This game is fun; it has an awesome story and cool music!”
- “The quests and trading system give it some legs, but the problem is that this style of shooter, with waves of enemies moving in preset patterns, is boring, and when it isn't boring, it is overwhelming.”
- “The story is almost non-existent, and even though you can upgrade your ship via stuff in shops (which are different at every station), you can obtain the best parts well before you reach the 1/4 mark in the game.”
- “The story is boring and involves nothing more than political espionage; the true motives of the titular Zotrix that you mass-murder throughout are never extrapolated upon.”
- “This game took me 30 hours to beat over three months because I could only handle one or two missions at a time before succumbing to sheer boredom.”
music
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
66%
27%
7%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many players praising its catchy and nostalgic qualities, particularly the techno and retro-inspired soundtracks that enhance the gaming experience. However, some users express frustration with overpowering sound effects that can overshadow the music, and a few find the overall musical experience lacking in variety or depth. Overall, while the soundtrack is a highlight for many, adjustments to sound balance are recommended for an optimal experience.
- “Great retro-ish music, quite nostalgic but also modern.”
- “I love the music; this is the perfect game to play high!”
- “Zotrix has fast response, interesting enemy wave patterns, a killer soundtrack, and a good working upgrade system.”
- “I didn't care for the music, and it just felt boring to me.”
- “Sound effects for shooting are obnoxiously loud, completely obscuring the music.”
- “There are other minor annoyances, and the music is simply there, tracks playing without a point, and some of the sound effects overpower everything else and are annoying.”
gameplay
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
55%
12%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it repetitive and uninspired, often comparing it unfavorably to classic titles like Galaga. While some appreciate the solid mechanics and the incorporation of trading and resource systems, others criticize the lack of variety in enemy encounters and the overall execution, leading to a sense of boredom. Despite these issues, a few players highlight the game's potential and addictive qualities, suggesting that with further development, it could offer a more engaging experience.
- “Very great game mechanics with an actual market system and trading.”
- “The gameplay is solid and quite difficult (but I'm not very talented either).”
- “Awesome arcade style gameplay, brings back memories :) hope to see DLCs.”
- “Horribly bland, boring, repetitive gameplay.”
- “Most upgrades do nothing to change the gameplay in any way.”
- “The actual gameplay is solid but basic; I really do hope they add more depth to the way enemies spawn.”
graphics
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
32%
16%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the colorful and functional retro style that enhances gameplay, while others criticize the lack of polish at higher resolutions and the overall simplicity. Many players appreciate the graphics for their clarity and ability to avoid confusion during gameplay, though some feel that they are not the main focus of the experience. Overall, the visuals are described as nice and fitting for the game's casual and nostalgic appeal.
- “With only 1 hour of playtime so far, I can definitely recommend this game to the casual gamer or just someone who wants to relax and play games with awesome music and graphics.”
- “However, the graphics and sounds in the game are pretty superb, albeit the in-game dialogues cannot be fast-forwarded or skipped.”
- “The game has beautifully colorful 2D classic arcade top-down graphics.”
- “The real killer is the ugly retro graphics and the way the game doesn't display properly at resolutions over 1080p.”
- “The only letdown is the graphics department, but in a game like this you focus more on surviving than on how shiny everything is anyway!”
- “An arcade shooter game with elements of modern day gaming mechanics instead of sticking to retro style graphics alone to earn free nostalgia points.”
grinding
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding in Zotrix to be repetitive and tedious, often feeling like a chore rather than an engaging part of the gameplay. While upgrading can be enjoyable, the lack of meaningful progression and the ease of acquiring top equipment diminish the sense of achievement, leading to a monotonous experience. Overall, the grinding aspect detracts from the game's potential enjoyment, making it feel more like a slog than a rewarding challenge.
- “The difficulty varies wildly from level to level and the combat is tedious at best.”
- “This makes completing the game tedious and boring.”
- “The missions have you grinding through levels you've already done.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
75%
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players appreciate the route choices that enhance replay value, others find it limited and frustrating due to clunky controls and interface issues. The consensus suggests that the game may not justify a higher price point based on its replayability alone.
- “You can choose which route you take, which alters which levels you do and adds to the replay value.”
- “Fun to play with plenty of replay value.”
- “I think this game should be $4.99 or less just due to the replay value being very low.”
- “Fun to play with plenty of replay value, but the clunky interface and nonsensical controls prove to be frustrating.”
- “Shoot-em-up with replayability... kind of?!”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
150%
The stability of the game is polarizing; while some users report a bug-free experience, others highlight significant issues and express concern that the developers have abandoned it, leading to a lack of recommendations.
- “So far, it has been bug-free, and I dare say I am merely beta testing it instead of alpha testing, which is a good thing.”
- “The game runs smoothly without any crashes or glitches, providing a stable experience.”
- “I've experienced no issues with stability; everything works as intended, making for a seamless gameplay experience.”
- “Sadly, this game is very buggy, and the developers seem to have abandoned it, so I can no longer recommend it.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
- “I encountered numerous glitches that disrupted my gameplay experience.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Overall, the game is praised for its smooth performance, which is crucial for its genre, although there are some concerns regarding the optimization of particle effects.
- “The game runs smoothly, which is really important for the type of game that Zotrix is.”
- “The only thing I don't understand is the optimization of the particle effects.”