Review | Zeno Clash: Ultimate Edition
Gloves off…
Format: Xbox 360 | Genre: Fighting | Publisher: Atlus | Developer: ACE Team | Release date: 05/05/10 | Price: £11
Lewis Anderson gears up for the fight in ZENO CLASH: ULTIMATE EDITION.
I’M NOT a fighting man. It’s not something that has ever really appealed to me. I mean, like most people I’ve been in a handful of one-punch situations, where someone fuelled by alcohol gets annoyed and lashes out. Usually with a lame punch that hurts the thrower more, it’s immediately followed by a bombardment of apologies and the forging a beautiful friendship for the rest of the night.
In fact, I have such little fighting capability that if I were ever to be in an actual, real fight then all the king’s horses and all the king’s men wouldn’t be able to put me together again. So with all my heart I thank ACE Team for Zeno Clash, for the chance to experience bare-knuckle fighting only without the inevitable nightmare of being operated on by horses.
First-person fighter
Zeno Clash, first released on the PC last year, now comes to Xbox Live Arcade in the form of an Ultimate Edition. Featuring new moves, weapons and a co-operative chop-til-you-drop mode, it expands on what is a bizarre yet entertaining romp focused on first-person melée combat.
As though channelling the spirits of vintage games like Streets of Rage, Zeno Clash throws you into brawl after outnumbered brawl. An abundance of weird-looking opponents, made up of humans, animals and barbaric psychopaths, aim to reduce you to a pulp. There’s only one way to stop them from doing that – and it’s not with a friendly chat over a beer.
Armed with fists, feet, elbows and a selection of weapons, the main character throws everything he can at whoever stands in his way. Playing a fighting game in first-person often feels 
clumsy, but in Zeno Clash it’s implemented rather well, and I found myself occasionally flinching in real life from enemy punches.
We follow the protagonist in flight from his brothers and sisters after killing the head of his family, the multi-gendered FatherMother. Switching back and forth between exploring the events preceding and following the murder, the plot unfolds between bouts fought in enclosed areas that, although limited, give you enough space to outmanoeuvre when surrounded, which is often.
All of this is set in a world which is plucked straight from a dream: giant dinosaur-like creatures stalk vast eerie deserts, eccentric barbarians inhabit foreboding forests, and petrified sentinels haunt forgotten temples. Thematically, Zeno Clash is spot on. The primitive firearms you use, shamanistic settlements you visit and appearance of the characters you encounter contribute to the feeling of an unfolding, developed world, even though game areas are presented linearly and are completely enclosed.
The soundtrack is worth a mention too. When escaping the scene of a crime through an untamed wilderness you need to feel scared and isolated, and sinister instruments play aptly in 
the background, communicating the feeling of a man on the run.
The new co-op mode is fun and fast, and having one extra person helping you fight up the floors of a tower or descending through the depths of a pit really makes a difference. Since opponents can only attack who they target, it’s easy for the player not being attacked to step behind an enemy and unleash hell upon their kidneys. Or which ever organs it is elephant-men keep in their lower back.
Short but sweet
The greatest compliment I can pay is that, playing all the way through in one sitting, not at any point was I bored. While fist-based combat can be repetitive, there’s a lot of satisfaction in landing a punch and dodging enemy blows. Using a weapon when you can helps mix up the action enough to keep things fresh and never dull. On top of that the game moves from area to area at a swift pace, compelling you to play on while the action switches from pre- to post-murder in what is unfortunately a fairly thin – though ultimately serviceable – plot.
There’s a few twists and turns along the way, and some intriguing moments fighting through ancient ruins, but this is a short game and the focus is on the combat, as it should be. And it’s a lot of fun. Much better than getting in a real fight.
I’m playing through Zeno Clash again at the moment. I’d forgotten how bloody difficult it it as times.