Released (on Steam): 21 Apr, 2009
Genres: Action, Indie
Developer: ACE Team
Publisher: ACE Team
Steam Price: £6.99
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.
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: 7.4/10
Weird and creepy
Tower challenges for those who enjoy the fighting
Combat is pretty challenging and fun
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
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
Coming in a future update!