Zup!
- October 4, 2016
- Quiet River
- 3h median play time
Get on Steam"Zup!" is a minimalistic physics-based puzzle game with over 40 levels and 110 achievements. Players can enjoy the delightful music and hilarious gameplay as they progress through the challenges. Powered by Clickteam Fusion 2.5, the game features explosions, trading cards, and emoticons, taking inspiration from Sergio Andre's example, with music from bensound.com.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Easy to farm achievements, with 118 unlockable in under 30 minutes.
- Fun and relaxing gameplay, suitable for casual players.
- Minimalistic design and simple mechanics make it accessible for all ages.
- Very short game, can be completed in about 20 minutes.
- Lacks depth and challenge, mostly trial and error.
- Repetitive gameplay with little replay value.
- gameplay165 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the zup! series is characterized by its minimalist design and simple mechanics, making it accessible yet occasionally challenging as players progress through the levels. While many players appreciate the relaxing and enjoyable nature of the gameplay, some criticize it for being repetitive and lacking depth, with a focus on achievement farming rather than substantive puzzle-solving. Overall, the gameplay offers a short but engaging experience, particularly for those seeking easy achievements.
“Easy gameplay and fun to farm achievements in.”
“Its minimalist design and easy-to-understand mechanics make it accessible, but still challenging as you progress through the levels.”
“With colorful visuals and engaging gameplay, it's a delightful puzzle experience that hooks players from the start.”
“The gameplay is really simple and there is no real challenge in any of the levels.”
“Gameplay is as simple as it gets.”
“Buy this if you want an extremely short game with no depth of gameplay whatsoever, no story or background, just a plain short game with achievements.”
- music63 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as calming and relaxing, enhancing the overall experience, though it tends to be repetitive and lacks variety. Some players find the background music soothing, making it suitable for winding down, while others criticize the absence of audio controls and the overwhelming sound of explosions. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a mixed bag, with some enjoying its simplicity and others finding it lacking in depth.
“The music was calming and it was a ton of fun.”
“I will say that the music is very relaxing and adds to the casualness of the game, so this series would probably make good games to play before bed or while winding down after work/school.”
“A great little stress reliever with calming music.”
“Bewilderingly, the game doesn't include proper audio controls, so you can't turn off the annoying background music; you'll need to alt+tab out and stop the music using the Windows sound mixer.”
“The music is just a few bars that loop over and over again.”
“Lame graphics, only one piece of background music, confusing interface, and extremely short.”
- graphics55 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are generally described as simplistic and basic, with a minimalist art style that may not appeal to everyone. While some players appreciate the colorful visuals and find them fitting for the game's straightforward mechanics, others criticize the lack of resolution options and overall visual depth, deeming them insufficient for a PC game. Overall, the graphics serve their purpose without being groundbreaking, with ratings typically ranging from 4.5 to 7 out of 10.
“With colorful visuals and engaging gameplay, it's a delightful puzzle experience that hooks players from the start.”
“[i]Visual aesthetics - stunning graphics.”
“The simplistic art style combined with the amazing gameplay makes this game so amazingly good.”
“There's no option to change the resolution and no useful graphics tweaks.”
“Considering this is being evaluated as a PC game, having the graphics phoned in like this isn't going to result in a high quality, visually impressive game that PC gamers are used to seeing.”
“The graphics are pretty bare bones and simply serve as a means to an end.”
- humor44 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised, with many users finding it genuinely funny and entertaining, often highlighting the amusing achievements and simple yet engaging gameplay. While some describe the humor as simplistic or corny, it consistently provides a lighthearted experience that appeals to players looking for casual fun. Overall, the game is seen as a humorous and enjoyable way to pass the time, especially for those interested in unlocking achievements.
“Little did she know that the achievements were hilarious and cool, so she displayed it on her profile.”
“My little son (2) had to laugh a lot while I was watching the example gameplay - so I bought it and he continued laughing during the game.”
“Funny and nice game :)”
- story40 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The reviews present a mixed perspective on the game's story, with many users noting a lack of a traditional narrative. While some players appreciate the engaging and compelling storyline that enhances the gameplay experience, others criticize the game for having little to no story, describing it as simplistic and focused more on achievements than on narrative depth. Overall, the game's story aspect seems to be a point of contention, with some finding it immersive and others deeming it nonexistent.
“Each game will take you less than an hour to complete yet still pack so much content and so many achievements along with an insanely compelling story that will leave you immediately wanting to continue the story in the next series as the poor blue ball attempts to simply get to his destination and his friends, the explosives and yellow balls, help him to navigate around since he can't figure it out for himself.”
“Would recommend, 10/10, definitely going to play through one or two more times purely to focus on the involving and detailed storyline.”
“If you're looking for a game with a riveting story then go no further.”
“This game has no story.”
“There is no actual story here other than the stories you will tell people about how much fun the game is to play.”
“If you're looking for a game with a riveting story, then go no further.”
- replayability33 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 36 % negative mentions
Overall, the game exhibits limited replayability, with many players noting that once all levels are completed, there is little incentive to revisit them. While some enjoy the mini puzzles and achievements, the consensus is that the game lacks substantial replay value, often described as an "achievement spam" experience with minimal long-term engagement. Despite its low price point, most reviewers agree that the game does not offer enough content or challenge to warrant repeated playthroughs.
“🔲 infinitely replayable”
“When looking at it through the scope of what it really is, it is a good buy and has replayability to it.”
“Tetris, for example, has much less content than this game, but is highly replayable.”
“There is no replayability after beating every level, and no reward except for a massive amount of achievements, very few of which actually look nice.”
“I enjoyed playing the game itself, but I just don't think it's worth the 99 cents for the amount of time it takes, and what I consider the lack of replayability really.”
“Little to no replayability whatsoever; doing something you've already done in this game is not really fun at all.”
- grinding30 mentions
- 7 % positive mentions
- 3 % neutral mentions
- 90 % negative mentions
The reviews indicate that grinding in these games primarily revolves around achievement farming, with many players noting that the experience can be tedious and lacks genuine gameplay enjoyment. While some appreciate the ease of unlocking achievements, others criticize the games for being overly simplistic and not engaging, often labeling them as "achievement farming garbage." Overall, the grinding aspect is seen as a double-edged sword, providing a quick way to earn achievements but at the cost of meaningful gameplay.
“No grinding is required to unlock all of the achievements.”
“You’ll need a second life for grinding.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“Pretty much just for grinding achievements; the game itself is pretty bad.”
“Nothing fun with this game; do not listen to positive reviews about it being 'challenging' or 'fun' because it is just another achievement/trading card farming game.”
- optimization5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game is generally praised for its low system requirements, allowing it to run smoothly on most setups, even on lower performance configurations. However, some users note that performance can vary significantly, with certain aspects falling below expectations. Overall, it provides ample performance for collectors, but may not meet the mark for all players.
“Low system requirements, runs smoothly on most setups.”
“10/10 performance.”
“I can relate to this as I am running Elden Ring on low performance.”
“Performance or gameplay falls significantly below the passing mark.”
“It offers plenty of performance for collectors.”
- monetization5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- -20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy primarily relies on microtransactions and in-game purchases, which many users perceive as a cash grab by the developers. Despite initial concerns about the game's design feeling repetitive and exploitative, some players find that the gameplay improves significantly after the early levels.
“Microtransactions are well-balanced and don't feel intrusive.”
“The in-game purchases enhance the experience without being necessary to enjoy the game.”
“I appreciate that the monetization model allows for free play while offering optional purchases.”
“The UI remains the same across all of the games; it's a cash grab by the developer.”
“It feels like a cash grab, on top of the full character map collection.”
“Just another cash grab copy-paste job with loads of achievements attached.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is generally described as immersive and captivating, creating a relaxing environment, although some sound effects may detract from this experience. While some users appreciate the simplicity and similarities to other games, there are also negative opinions regarding the overall atmosphere.
“The immersive atmosphere creates a captivating environment.”
“The atmosphere is relaxing, though the sound effects may differ.”
“If you liked QOP, you will immediately notice the similarities in the simplicity and great atmosphere of the game.”
“The atmosphere is relaxing, though the sound effects are not.”
“Atmosphere - bad - (none)”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, users report a mixed experience regarding stability, with some noting only minor bugs and glitches, while others express frustration with a significant presence of issues that detract from gameplay.
“The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs and glitches.”
“There are a few bugs and glitches that disrupt the experience.”
“There are minor bugs and glitches that can be frustrating.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional impact of the game is notably negative, with players expressing a strong aversion to revisiting it, indicating a lack of engagement or satisfaction.
