The first game from spanish developers Crocodile Entertainment, Zack Zero is 3D side-scroller platformer in which you take control of the hero Zack in the quest to save the universe and his girlfriend from the grasp of the evil Zulrog.
The story is really straightforward. Zack must traverse a planet to save his girlfriend who has been kidnapped and at the same time he has to stop Zulrog from finishing his time machine which he will use to change the history. All of this is narrated through cutscenes like the 90' cartoons. Other reviewers said that the voice actor was one of the worst ever, but I really liked him cause he narrates the story like grandparents narrate stories to their grandsons, changing the tone to evoke different emotions.
The game is an action platformer. Zack must go from one end of the level to the other while defeating enemies and avoiding obstacles to finish it and continue through the story. Helping in his quest is his elemental suit. It has four modes: ice, fire, rock and the regular mode. In ice mode you can slow down time and shoot ice tornadoes that freeze enemies. In fire mode you can move faster, you can glide for a brief moment also you can shoot fireballs and unleash a stunning fire attack. In rock mode you move a lot slower than regular, you can super punch, you can smash the earth like Hulk does and you can ground pound to destroy obstacles. In regular mode Zack is faster and fire discs or slash enemies using his blade.
The game starts with Zack having every power unlocked and then he falls and the suit is damaged so all the powers are lost. Collecting orbs and defeating enemies level up Zack's suit. All these powers should make really cool platforming sequences, right? Here that's not the case. You can get through the game using only the regular mode except when you need a power to pull down a lever. The game suffers from inconsistency like he can grab some ledges and some he simply can't causing him to fall. Or during the boss fights where Zack can glitch into the boss and die in one hit. Also if Zack in fire mode is completely on fire how does he takes damage from fire ?!
Then there is the graphics and let me tell you, you are in for a treat. This game has a feel like one of the greatest series ever Ratchet and Clank.The vibrant colors, the very detailed levels similar to those of RnC games and the beautiful depth of field makes this game really beautiful to look at. Also the animations are great to and the enemies are very detailed. Also similarity to RnC games are the sound effects like the breaking of a crate or the sound of bolts and orbs. The soundtrack also does the trick by providing just the right tunes for a heroic title Zack Zero actually is.
As a first effort, indie-developer Crocodile Entertainment did a great job. The experience at first is really cool but it falls flat as the game progress. Kids can find this game really enjoyable, but for hardcore players it is to simple.
7/10
