Latest Reviews of Zen Studios Games
Review Pinball M (PS5) - A Devilishly Cohesive Horror Pinball Platform
You're already dead
Pinball M launches at a time when creator Zen Studios’ reputation has been dented. For well over a decade now, the Hungarian developer has dominated the virtual pinball market with its beautiful table layouts and feature-packed apps. But this year’s Pinball FX crushed consumer confidence by failing to carry forward previous...
Review Pinball FX (PS5) - Messy Monetisation Overshadows Enormous Pinball Package
Ball save up
You’d think Pinball FX – the rebooted pinball compilation from Hungarian developer Zen Studios – would be the least controversial release of the year, wouldn’t you? But this is the video game industry, and controversy is effectively its middle name. So, the studio has come under intense scrutiny for not allowing owners of its...
Review Mini-Review: Circus Electrique (PS5) - Not Quite The Greatest Show On Earth
Roll up, roll up
Young journalist Amelia has the circus in her blood; her uncle runs the titular Circus Electrique and her mother was a former circus performer who died in an accident ten years prior. Amelia has been given an assignment to report on the reopening of the circus, but disaster strikes as London is plagued with a mysterious incident...
Mini Review Operencia: The Stolen Sun - Old-School Dungeon Crawler with a Modern Feel
Praise the Sun
Zen Studios has crafted a delightful first-person dungeon crawler with Operencia: The Stolen Sun, giving strong nods to classic games such as Wizardry while also putting its own modern spin on things. This is a gorgeous looking game that places as much emphasis on its Central European folklore-inspired story as it does on exploring...
Empty chamber
On paper, Out of Ammo sounds like a good idea – but any positive notions are squashed almost as quickly as the game can boot up. Out of Ammo is a blend of real-time strategy and first-person shooter. You take control of a squad from above and build your base, with the ability to switch and control any individual on the ground at...
Flip the light fantastic
So, has Zen Studios finally settled on a name, then? Pinball FX3 is the successor to Zen Pinball 2, a game which itself was named Pinball FX2 on other platforms. The good news is that despite the adjusted moniker, you can import practically all of your tables from the previous version into this all-new release – although...
Castle crashers
Zen Studios must be contractually obliged to port CastleStorm to every viable platform, because it seems to get around like a king on a crusade. It’s a weird one because the game has never, in this author’s opinion, been all that exciting – but people must enjoy it otherwise it wouldn’t keep popping up like a bad smell...
Review Infinite Minigolf (PS4)
Tiger W∞ds
Infinite Minigolf may be a bad name, but it’s a potentially accurate one. Zen Studios’ follow-up to forgotten PlayStation 3 putt-‘em-up Planet Minigolf is packing some nifty cross-console features, meaning that its pool of user generated courses can be accessed regardless of your system of choice. This means that you could,...
Flipping out for real
You could never accuse developer Zen Studios of being particularly selective about which platforms its pinball titles appear on. Thus, the number of people who'll be surprised to hear Pinball FX2 has arrived on PlayStation VR will probably be close to zero, especially since it provides a rare opportunity to do something a bit...
Review Zen Pinball 2: South Park Pinball (PlayStation 4)
Sweet
Building up its repertoire of table tie-ins, Zen Studios has bizarrely added comedy hit South Park to its post-release Zen Pinball 2 purchasing roster. With two tables on offer in this double pack, does the satirical NSFW show make a successful transition to the more traditional silver ball structure? The staple Super-Sweet Pinball table is...
Latest Zen Studios Articles
News Steampunk RPG Circus Electrique Is Coming to PS5, PS4 on 6th September
Step right up!
Circus Electrique looks like a colourful take on the Darkest Dungeon formula, featuring 4v4 turn-based combat where positioning is an essential factor. Today we got a release date, and it's soon: the steampunk RPG is coming to PS5 and PS5 on 6th September. In a post over on the PlayStation Blog, Creative Director of Zen Studios Chris...
DLC Review Staying Frosty in Zen Pinball: Aliens vs. Pinball on PS4
How could they cut the power, man? They’re animals
Zen Pinball 2 has received special tables linked with pre-existing properties before now, but the three-pack dedicated to the Alien license – and recently released in celebration of Alien Day – is, in theory, one of the more interesting ones. In execution, however, it's more of a mixed bag...
News Portal Pinball Carries Out Some Tests on PS4, PS3, Vita
Chell's bells
Portal – and its imaginatively titled sequel Portal 2 – remain two of the most critically acclaimed games from last generation. With the recent rumour regarding a LEGO Dimensions pack themed around the popular franchise, you'd be forgiven for wanting to revisit Aperture Laboratories. But if you can't be bothered fishing out the...
News KickBeat: Special Edition Delivers a Flying Kick Next Week on PS4
Realistic moshpit action
When KickBeat launched on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita, it proved that it had all of the right moves – as it received a groovy 8/10 in our review. If, however, you're one of those desperate for next-gen graphics to go along with your rhythmic butt kicking, your wait has finally come to an end. KickBeat: Special...
News Move Update Rattles into the Planet Minigolf Cup
And it's free as well
Planet Minigolf is a blessing to gamers and journalists alike: a game that does exactly what it says on the tin. You play minigolf around the world, customising characters and even designing your own holes to share with the rest of the planet. Soon you'll be able to get to grips with its charms using Move, as a free patch is...
News Steampunk RPG Circus Electrique Is Coming to PS5, PS4 on 6th September
Step right up!
Circus Electrique looks like a colourful take on the Darkest Dungeon formula, featuring 4v4 turn-based combat where positioning is an essential factor. Today we got a release date, and it's soon: the steampunk RPG is coming to PS5 and PS5 on 6th September. In a post over on the PlayStation Blog, Creative Director of Zen Studios Chris...
DLC Review Staying Frosty in Zen Pinball: Aliens vs. Pinball on PS4
How could they cut the power, man? They’re animals
Zen Pinball 2 has received special tables linked with pre-existing properties before now, but the three-pack dedicated to the Alien license – and recently released in celebration of Alien Day – is, in theory, one of the more interesting ones. In execution, however, it's more of a mixed bag...
News Portal Pinball Carries Out Some Tests on PS4, PS3, Vita
Chell's bells
Portal – and its imaginatively titled sequel Portal 2 – remain two of the most critically acclaimed games from last generation. With the recent rumour regarding a LEGO Dimensions pack themed around the popular franchise, you'd be forgiven for wanting to revisit Aperture Laboratories. But if you can't be bothered fishing out the...
News KickBeat: Special Edition Delivers a Flying Kick Next Week on PS4
Realistic moshpit action
When KickBeat launched on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita, it proved that it had all of the right moves – as it received a groovy 8/10 in our review. If, however, you're one of those desperate for next-gen graphics to go along with your rhythmic butt kicking, your wait has finally come to an end. KickBeat: Special...
News Move Update Rattles into the Planet Minigolf Cup
And it's free as well
Planet Minigolf is a blessing to gamers and journalists alike: a game that does exactly what it says on the tin. You play minigolf around the world, customising characters and even designing your own holes to share with the rest of the planet. Soon you'll be able to get to grips with its charms using Move, as a free patch is...