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Zenix3D

Score: 70%
ESRB: Not Rated
Publisher: GoSub Software
Developer: GoSub Software
Media: Download/1
Players: 1 - 4
Genre: Shooter/ Arcade

Graphics & Sound:

Zenix3D is an indie project from developer Jeremy Spiller. The game goes by the tagline of, "Sometimes you just want to blow stuff up" and certainly delivers on that experience. There's no overarching plot, or any linear level progression other than seeing new enemies. While this isn't a bad thing (after all, it worked with countless arcade shooters), the lack of depth does hinder its lasting appeal.

Although the title says "3D," Zenix3D is very much a top-down shooter. The 3D component comes with the various enemies you encounter throughout each level. There's no animation to them, though they look nice and fit the game's overall feel. Were this a epic, story-driven game releasing on a major console, I'd certainly expect more, but for a downloadable arcade shooter it works. The only inconsistency seems to be with the player ship, which doesn't seem to really fit with everything else and looks flat.

Sound is made up of mostly generic bangs, buzzes and bleeps - everything you would expect from an arcade shooter. Where Zenix3D really shines is in its music. Rather than a simple, repetitive tune, you get music that blends in with what is going on during the game. As you blast through enemies, you can almost feel the music synching with the action.


Gameplay:

Zenix3D is, again, a simple arcade shooter. You fly a spaceship around a scrolling map and shoot enemies that appear from different sections of the screen. Your main weapon is a missile, though you can upgrade them by picking up power-ups that pop up during the level. In addition to blasting enemies, your main job is to avoid being hit. Though you have a shield to protect you, you are only allotted a single life. Blow up and you've blown it.

Since there's no story or really anything that connects the story together, Zenix3D can feel a bit too open-ended (maybe even overwhelming) for some players. You can play any level you want by flying into a door at the space port. Once in a mission, you just keep dodging enemies and shooting until the end - that's it. Adding to this "Too Open" feeling is the lack of any instructions with the game. There are no in-game cues that give you a clue about what to do (starting the game, how to shoot, goals, power-ups....) which actually caused me to lose interest early on. Now, this isn't something that will happen for everyone playing it, but it will happen to a few. At times, it almost feels like it is assumed that anyone will know exactly what to do. True, Zenix3D isn't the most complicated of games, but it shouldn't take more than a couple of seconds to figure out these basic concepts.

Where the lack of instructions really hurts is the level construction kit. This is a great addition to the game and something that could really make up for the otherwise short-lived appeal of the main shooting game. However, with no clear instructions easily at hand (you can find them online), it might turn away would-be level designers who simply want to make levels rather than have to figure out the tools.


Difficulty:

Zenix3D is hard - really hard. In addition to having no documentation at all, the game is unfairly hard. The screen is always filled with an untold number of enemies and missiles, making it really hard to even see what is going on. Bigger enemies take even longer to destroy - though they can usually kill you in a few hits. Granted, some people enjoy hard games, after all just look at the success of Alien Hominid. At the same time, even hard games need to have some sort of sense of balance, something Zenix3D lacks. There isn't a great sense of reward for completing certain tasks and most deaths feel cheap; like it is meant as a way to punish players rather than encourage them to keep playing. If you end up blaming the game after dying rather than trying to figure out what you could have done differently, there's a flaw in the game.

Game Mechanics:

One of the better things about Zenix3D is the number of control options available. You can use a joystick (though I was unable to get my 360 controller to work with the game), mouse or keyboard. The controls are very simple; you can move and you can shoot. Of the options I played with, the keyboard seemed to be the better of the two. Using the mouse does give you a little more maneuverability, though it feels a little too slippery while flying. At least with the keyboard, you have some sort of feeling of limitation. It is an odd thing to describe, but makes sense when seen in action.

Generally, Zenix3D is an okay shooter. There's nothing particularly revolutionary about the game, but at the same time not every game needs to break through to a new genre. Given the nature of the game's problems, it feels like it was either rushed or still isn't complete. Without going into details, there are several little fundamental things wrong with the game that never come together or simply don't fit.

If you are interested in the title, it is available for download at the official site, though I would recommend playing the demo before making a purchase.


-Starscream, GameVortex Communications
AKA Ricky Tucker

Minimum System Requirements:



Windows 2000/XP/Vista; 1GHz Processor; DirectX 9.0c; 512Mb VRAM: 64Mb
 

Test System:



Windows Vista; 1.6 GHz Dual-Core processor; 2 Gig RAM; DVD drive; 120 GB HDD; GeForce Go7600

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Game Vortex :: PSIllustrated