Zeno Clash

Steam Description

Zeno Clash is an action/fighting game set in a punk fantasy world. The game is played from a first person perspective and the combat is generally up close and brutal.
Experience a deep storyline set in a fantastic world. Play the role of Ghat, a man banished by his own brothers and forced to begin a desperate journey past the forbidden desert and to the end of the world.
Nominated in 'Excellence in Visual Art' at the Independent Games Festival, the original visuals, which make full use of the Source engine features, breathe new air in the fantasy game genre. The new close combat mechanics are also a deviation from traditional action in the first-person genre that will feel fresh for new and veteran players.

Engaging melee combat in first person
The new melee combat system allows players to perform a variety of movements like deflect & elude combos, knockback finisher punches and punishing grab attacks. Learn new attacks as the game progresses and confronts you with more formidable foes.
Fantastic visuals powered by the Source engine
Players will be immersed in a fantastic world, beautiful and disturbing at the same time. The unprecedented art style brings a fresh new approach to the first person genre. The surreal environments and characters will keep players wanting to discover more.
Survival mode challenges
Jump right into the action in engaging unlockable "tower challenges". The player must overcome enemy waves to progress through the tower levels. The game will rate the player in different categories like speed and performance. A leaderboards system will rank you against your friends, so the challenge never ends.
Deep storyline
Players will play the role of Ghat; the son of a impressive hermaphrodite creature called Father-Mother, whose children form the most powerful clan in the city of Halstedom. Ghat must escape from his family and start an incredible journey with his female companion Deadra, who will aid him in the dangerous lands of Zenozoik.
Bizarre weapons
The game features an unusual arsenal of eccentric weapons that are built from scraps and junk. Hammers and clubs will be the most effective when fighting heavy characters that can only be brought down with extreme force.
The Zeno Clash Model Pack for Garry's Mod
The pack includes 70 models with the characters and creatures to be used with the popular Source engine mod Garry's Mod. "This is a great addition to the existing library of assets and we really hope the fans will enjoy the content and start developing their own Zeno Clash inspired videos, screens or machinima." says Andres Bordeu from ACE Team. Zeno Clash owners can download the free DLC from the Tools tab in their Steam client.

My Experience

Completion: Game completed once and some tower challenges played

Playtime at Review: 4.2 hours

Total Playtime: 4.2 hours

Achievements at Review: 7/22 (32%)

My rating: 7.0/10

Likes

Weird and creepy

Tower challenges for those who enjoy the fighting

Combat is pretty challenging and fun

Dislikes

Story wasn't the best, mainly because the ending was too predictable

Left abandoned on a blank screen after the credits end, not knowing if it's bugged out or what to do next

Zeno Clash - Review

This was something I got in a bundle a few years ago and I finally decided to activate it and give it a try. It's not the best game ever, but it's certainly unique with it's absurdly weird characters and environments, and creepy story. As much as the story wasn't amazing, it kept me wanting to find out more, until I actually got to the end and it ended exactly how I had imagined. I was certainly hoping for a bigger, more surprising ending, but maybe I'm just creepier than the game is.

The combat system, while appearing quite simple in the beginning, actually has a lot more to it as you discover the further into the story you progress. It can take a bit of time to get used to the mechanics and master fighting with dodges, counter attacks, and the use of different weapons, but it was the most fun aspect of the game for me. Luckily, dying isn't much of an issue as you'll generally restart at the start of the battle you died in.

The game is very short (2-3 hours), but if you finish the game, or just fancy a little break from the story, you can always test you fighting skills in the Tower Challenges. The challenges I've attempted so far are, as suggested, challenging. More so than the battles faced throughout the story.

Overall, I'd say Zeno Clash is worth the price, if only for the awesomely creepy characters and challenging fighting. You may have guessed I like creepy.

Posted on 03-05-2019

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