This review is for the Microsoft Windows version of Dungeon of Zolthan.
I’ve played a lot of bad games. I’ve also played a lot of games so bad that I don’t actually think they’re finished. Even amongst these categories, Dungeon of Zolthan is probably the most rudimentary overall. Every aspect from music to visuals to the basic controls feel like placeholders for assets that will be added later. I guess this is technically a better practice than just buying and flipping somebody else’s assets, but only on an ethical level – the end result is essentially at the same level of quality.
Aesthetics aren’t what matters though – what matters is how the thing plays, and this particular thing plays exactly like the default game from any one of those game design programs that kids use. The platforming requires only the most basic of mechanical ability, the pitiful little gun you have can’t fire when there are three projectiles on the screen, and the enemies are just squares that move back and forth. It’s just another one of those ‘nothing’ games, except unlike many of those, this one doesn’t even have a unique idea that it fails to flesh out – it doesn’t even have a real concept, just basic platforming and that’s it.
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