It looks like Tim Schafer's 'monopoly' on wildly surreal gaming worlds could be over with the arrival of the punk fantasy game Zeno Clash and that's great, because we can't get enough of such daredevils. However, ACE team goes far beyond the distinctive art style. Instead of the conventional shooting-as-always, they developed the first-person combo-based melee system that is not only refreshing, but it works surprisingly well too. A hint in advance: one of the frequently needed action buttons is F5 for taking screenshots!

So first things first. 'Love from the First Screenshot' is what Zeno Clash art is. The talented Chilean artists (Ace Artists!) created such an awe-inspiring surreal world that gamers and press got hooked from the first previews. The designs seem to be ranging from Alice in Wonderland to hellish paintings of Hieronymus Bosch. Indeed, Andres Bordeu, Co-Founder and Game Designer, in  the recent interview  revealed that they "look at sources of inspiration that are not traditionally seen in video games", such as John Blanche's illustrations, paintings of the mentioned Bosch, the film Dark Crystal and so on.

No doubt, the world of Zenozoik is mean and brutal, but the most of the levels are visually bright and positive. I was pleasingly surprised that ACE Team didn't go the easy way by re-iterating assets, but instead they created lots of really distinct settings. Some of the most impressive areas are End World, The Alley, The Coast, though in fact all of them are diverse and unforgettable. There is even a level built by the best traditions of horror, but enough of spoilers for now!

The attention to details is striking too (it proves that in Chile there are more than 24 hours in a day!). Birds flying in the sky, rainbows, waves breaking on the coast, tattoos, lots of weird characters that are 'unnecessary' (you can't beat them!)- all such features that usually are present only in very high budget titles. But the most welcome 'detail' is Deadra, one of the prettiest and strangest female side-kicks in video games. The horned girl shoots at your adversaries sometimes, but more importantly she opens gates and poses for the screenshots really well.

But enough about girls, let's get to the manly stuff. The melee fights in Zeno Clash are genuinely fast, furious and brutal. The first person view definitely helps for the immersion, but the most important in fighter games is the execution and ACE Team did it brilliantly. In fact, the Chilean studio possibly finally kick-started the long awaited genre- FPF as for First Person Fighter. They managed to optimise the extensive combo set into just few keys, Mouse 1 & 2 buttons and the right timing which is the key factor. For example, to perform Deflect-Kick combo, you have to block a punch (Spacebar key) just before it lands and then press Mouse 1 immediately to execute a powerful kick. Special compliments go to their decision to gradually introduce the player into the fight system instead of forcing him/her to learn all the combos in advance like in some other third person fighting games. Nevertheless, I would recommend to do some additional training in Challenge Mode before getting into the more advanced skirmishes of the main campaign.

But that's just a part of the fun. It's so exciting to see how varied and dynamic the combats can be if they are designed by those thinking outside the box. Zeno Clash is a fighter gamer from the ground, but it's not ranged and melee weapons free. A very innovative feature is that the weapons can be knocked out of hands and picked up by you or your enemies- 'first come, first served'. In boss fights you badly need a melee or a ranged weapon, otherwise you make no damage to your opponents, and when you loose your gun after a powerful punch, then the party begins. Ah, I almost forgot to mention that bosses never come without a bunch of minions!

Speaking of which, Zeno Clash boss fights are something special. I can't go into the details and spoil all fun for you, but I think some of them deserve getting into Top Boss Fight lists. Though, one boss has been already revealed by ACE Team in their awesome  Zeno Clash Web Comics- Hunter, the blind assassin. The guy gets somewhere really high and throws rats at you! These are trained pets with explosive packs tied to their backs. They are really fast and upon approaching you they start squeaking. Then the assassin shoots in the direction of the sound and BOOM! The loveliest of fireworks is achieved when there is a good bunch of these squeaky bastards in one place- around you, for instance.

The story is constructed in an interesting way too. It constantly teases the gamer with intriguing details, but don't expect everything to be explained, save it for the major secrets like of Father-Mother. There're also flashbacks like in the earlier Lost TV series, just fully playable. Another interesting feature is that Zeno Clash is so imaginative that it stimulates mental associations. For instance, Father-Mother is one parent, one beginning of all Zeno family and that resonates with many religions and myths, such as the Tibetan symbol Yab-yum ("Father-mother") or the Greek god Zeus, who gave birth to Athena, the Goddess of War. The dark, guarded by wraiths End World could resemble the underworld Hades, especially when the ways in and out are by crossing a river. But a punk game wouldn't be punk without some unexpected cool stuff. Pay close attention to the Rubik’s Cube in Golem's hands- that's quite an important binding key in ending cutscenes.

The sound design and the music are absolutely top-notch, especially the battle music. It's a great example of how crucially important a good non-generic score is for an immersion and believability of a created world. The voice acting is also good, although not perfectly on pair with the overall very high standards of Zeno Clash. Nevertheless, ACE Team did a really good job in this department too.

The lasting appeal is much greater than one could expect. Zeno Clash has 3 difficulty modes (Normal as the easiest), Steam Achievements and the mentioned Challenge Mode with the leaderboard showing scores of your Steam friends. Challenge Mode is a tower of 5 difficulty areas, each of them consisting of 5 floors, different enemy formations; faster times and less damage receive higher score.

All in all, I don't really have any major complaints. The controls could be slightly sharper, but on other hand that most probably would have come at a price of reducing the punch weight and that rewarding feeling. The environment textures could be slightly higher in resolution, but that could be limited by the engine. The main campaign is so enjoyable, that you wish it was longer (the first play through could take around 5-6 hours). But even then the small Chilean team has overdone themselves by adding Challenge Mode.

It comes as little surprise that Zeno Clash has bean awarded 'Editor's Choice: Best Upcoming Indie' at ModDB's 2008 and nominated in 'Excellence in Visual Art' at IGF- these are well deserved recognitions and there's little reason for not picking up Zeno Clash, the inspired game by the talented ACE Team.


Related links:

Zeno Clash Official Site
Zeno Clash on STEAM
Zeno Clash on Wikipedia
ACE Team
Zeno Clash Interview
Zeno Clash Web Comics
Zeno Clash Screenshots