Zolg | a Review
originally published on 30/08/2022;
Hello everyone, I am the minimalist and neon G.E.M.Simov, a line-based entity here to tell you about Zolg.
Simple review details - I rank games on an out of 10 basis, granting up to 3 points in 3 categories, as well as a last, single point from my own self, depending on my experience with it.
Gameplay
Zolg is a top-down 2D shooter. It features movement with the WASD keys and the ability to fire projectiles with the Right Mouse Button. The movement of the Player Character (PC) is smooth and responsive, even if it feels a bit sluggish, at least initially. The projectiles fired move quickly and follow the mouse’s cursor, or at least its position when they were fired, with great precision.
Those are all good things, due to the fact that they allow the Player a great deal of control. Then, there’s more decent stuff to be found in this game. Enemies who have distinct movement patterns and behaviors, which enemies deal damage in evident ways. Obstacles which work almost perfectly, being clearly readable and well implemented.
There are also interesting bosses that provide a decent challenge whilst also feeling mostly fair, which is a great thing. There are means of upgrading the PC, be they through providing them with new abilities - such as shielding themselves by clicking the Left Mouse Button or firing more powerful shots after a period of not firing - as well as statistical improvements, such as ones that allow the PC to move blocks by moving into them or ones that increase the PC’s maximum health. Fortunately, one of those is an increase to the PC’s movement speed, which deals with the comparatively sluggish movement issue.
However, this game is not entirely perfect. Even if it is a simple, relatively little project, it still has problems. Those problems are highlighted by:
Bad hitbox detection - sometimes, I get hit by things that really should not be hitting me - as well as bad enemy detection - the main culprit being the ‘Stalker’ type of enemy.
Why those enemies are badly designed goes as follows - they are invisible until they move within a certain range of the PC or they get hit. However, they are not just invisible beyond a certain range, they are also invincible. They have a decently high amount of health, so high that the PC can not kill one by standing and shooting at it as the Stalker is moving towards the PC. They also have a very high movement speed - higher than that of the PC. In addition to all that, they also deal two times as much damage as any enemy so-far encountered.
The good way of dealing with those is through trial and error - not by getting good at avoiding them and killing them, but by learning what the positions in which they start the level are, and then either shooting them before they become visible or attempting to avoid them entirely.
That, in a game that’s more action than memory, is not good. Now, while the Stalker enemy type is not good, the rest of the enemies in this game are well done. Unfortunately, the flaws of Zolg make it night incapable of providing as much enjoyment out of just playing the game as it should have. 2/3
Presentation
Zolg is really intriguing in this sense. On the one hand, it’s fantastic. The cleanliness of the lines, the minimalist approach to visuals, the fact that information is well conveyed through visuals… That’s all grand!
Sure, it is quite sharp - with the main example for that sharpness being the ‘red = stop, green = go’ sign - but due to the fact that the game has informed the Player that it aims to be minimalist, then that somewhat makes sense. Green is utilized as a color for safety and for goodness - positive effects and such - whereas Red is utilized as a color for danger and badness - negative effects (those being losing health).
A bunch of other colors are also interspersed in relation to enemy appearances, but the sharp movements of those are more indicative of their intention, rather than their coloration.
The music in the game is quite lively and very prominent. It’s not bad, but I would not classify it as all that good, though, again, in regards to a minimalist game, it is quite the fitting choice.
Now, an issue. Impact; feedback - those are things that are very valuable. Unfortunately, they are almost completely missing from Zolg. Whenever the PC fires a shot, that shot soars through the air and slams into an enemy. No sound is heard. The enemy does not visually react to being stricken.
That’s a bit of a problem, especially considering the fact that one of the bosses DOES visually react to taking damage, going from blue to red based on how many times it has been hit. When the game does not convey to me, the Player, that I’ve stricken my enemy and I’ve done damage to them, I feel as though I’m not actually doing damage to the enemy. I feel weak… Or, rather, I feel bad.
Maybe not those two, but I definitely do not feel good. Then, due to the fact that the majority of this game is shooting and killing enemies, the fact that me shooting them elicits no response - neither from me, nor the enemy, nor the game! - is very unhealthy for the game’s presentation. Whenever an enemy dies, naturally, there’s a bit of sound to it. Whenever the PC fires a charged up shot, there’s a bit of sound… But that’s not enough.
Overall, unfortunately, Zolg is almost very good in this regard. Almost very good, but not good enough. 2/3
Story
Тhis minimalist game, ladies, gentlemen and N bees, has no story. One could argue that it’s some sort of prison escape, but there really is nothing to it. 0/3
Legendary Point
Does this game get the legendary point, so craved and wanted by all and none at the same time? I’m afraid the answer to that question is a resounding NO. If there were no gameplay issues and the presentation of the game was more weighty, then I might’ve actually REALLY enjoyed the game - enough to be willing to give it the legendary point - but, alas, it was not so. 0/1
Conclusion
4/10. Zolg is a game. A completely average game. It’s a tiny little project that’s decently well done. If you’re a fan of top-down 2D shooters, and maybe of neon or synthesizers, then give it a go. If not… Well, don’t bother.
I’ll lay it to rest in the bag of mediocrity. It’s not bad, but it’s not good. May it gather all the dust accolades it deserves in there!