You play as Ghat, a rebel outcast from your community. You are on the run from your brothers and sisters with the beautiful and benevolent Deadra in tow. The game begins with a confusing mix of amazing visuals, flashbacks and some tutorial style fights which teach you the basics you will need if you want to survive. All you know is that you have killed Father-Mother and now you must flee.
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The game is strictly linear in nature and it cleverly weaves a character driven story in with some brutal beat ‘em up action. Your main weapons in Zeno Clash are your fists and your feet. The melee
combat system has been carefully designed and it allows for a range of combat moves, blocks and counter attacks which make fist fights a satisfyingly gritty experience. There is also a range of fragile-looking knocked together weapons but they have prohibitively long reload rates which really discourages their use.
There are a few short cut scenes but the bulk of the story is told by characters talking in game while you retain control of your character. This approach always works well as it keeps things immersive and engaging. As you work your way through the adventure you come up against a wide range of enemies. Fights are generally held in fairly tight, closed off environments. You know the violence is about to kick off when a title card intro pops up showing your opponents.
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The controls are fairly easy to master and much of the challenge comes from beating multiple opponents at the same time. These bruisers do not line up and wait their turn, they come for you all at once and you have to employ some strategy to emerge victorious. The gameplay is oddly reminiscent of Double Dragon, you are always beating up multiple enemies: getting hit makes you drop weapons and the action is frenetic. It is also a lot of fun and it made me laugh out loud quite a few times as I kicked prone enemies through the air or unleashed a combination.
The main progression is relatively short but it is perfectly formed. The expectation some people have of getting days worth of gameplay is strange anyway. For this price you could see two movies and it easily outlasts that timescale so I reject longevity as a criticism. There is also a demonically tough tower challenge you can play afterwards in which you have to clear a circular arena of enemies before ascending to the next level. The ultimate aim is to reach the top as fast as possible.
