Zet Zillions on PC
Stop us if you have ever commandeered an entire planet like a spaceship on a quest to rid the galaxy of danger by exploding other celestial bodies to find a new home for your people. No? It figures, as even though Zet Zillions is a roguelite deckbuilder in an increasingly crowded genre, developers OTA IMON Studios and publisher Raw Fury have managed to deliver an experience that has enough depth and distinct style to help it stand out.
As Foam Gun, the captain of the planet-ship Baby Violence, players will have to navigate across the vastness of space, taking on all sorts of enemies, making choices, and gathering an extensive collection of cards that form the basis of everything that goes on during combat.
That is the point of a deckbuilder, after all, but Zet Zillions does adopt a different system thanks to the two types of cards that players will get familiar with. The first being Junk, which is, as the name suggests, useless wreckage that can be used as makeshift weapons; then we have Trash, the affectionate name given to synthetic life forms that are willing to die for the cause. On their own, these cards have limited utility, but when fused together, that’s when the magic happens.
Zet Zillions features more than 100 possible combinations for the fusion system, often leading to useful and sometimes hilarious results. You could combine a basic Junk and Trash card for a literal Meatball to fire at the enemy for a start, and as you progress, actual space buses of pain can become your weapon of choice. Fusions also work on the defensive side of things, and there are effects that get amplified with additional fusions, adding even more layers to an already strategic affair.
But before you get your planet-killing engines into overdrive, consider the pacifist options, which plays into the other vital mechanic of combat. Rather than go all-out in trying to reduce your opponent’s health to zero, sometimes, it pays to have your people crawling all over them instead. By maxing out the population meter, the enemy gets staggered for that turn, preventing any offensive or defensive moves.
This can be the very difference between defeat and victory against some of the tougher bosses, or when your mission is to colonise instead of pulverise. Plus, there are cards that take advantage of population counts, such as delivering additional damage or other special effects, all of which can work in your favour if you manage to build a deck that has synergy.
Throughout your travels in space, there will be opportunities to obtain minions or traits that can further expand your options in combat. Obviously, having another helping hand is always better, and the range of effects and cards that come with minions can provide more ways to build a deck. The same goes for traits, as you will likely try to maximise the effects with your deck at every chance.
The randomised nature of each run feeds into this constant cycle of experimentation, with maps full of branching paths and unique interactions awaiting Foam Gun and the rest of her crew. With an overall objective at the end, how you get there and what actions you take will be entirely up to you. There will be plenty of fighting, but there are also pineapples to collect as currency, minions to free, and strange sights to behold.
And when you perish, the progress made is usually enough to propel you further into the rabbit hole that is Zet Zillions. New unlocks for your crew, as well as the various minions, can be an enticing lure to get started on a new run immediately, and while progression can surely be sped up a little bit, it is hard to complain when the fun of fusion and combat is still so satisfying. It also helps that OTA IMON Studios’ sense of style and the music in the game are brilliant, feeding into the absurd nature of things in a way that feels like home.
It may not be the best deckbuilder out there, but at least Zet Zillions knows what it is all about and goes hard with its fusion system. The risks it takes when it comes to the visuals and the storytelling may not be for everyone, but for those willing to buy into planetary genocide, this is one enjoyable experience worth playing over and over again.
Zet Zillions is now available on Steam.
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Summary
Zet Zillions has fresh ideas and takes artistic risks, and those willing to go for the ride will undoubtedly enjoy themselves.
