Hello and welcome back to “The Backlog,” a weekly column where I review video games each week. We’re continuing our reviews of scary games for October, and it would be remiss to not include the recent release that many gamers have been waiting for: “Zoochosis.”
Indie game studio Clapperheads initially announced “Zoochosis” earlier this year, and it was later released on Sept. 30. The indie survival horror game garnered attention through various trailers and updates, but it was met with a lackluster reaction from audiences after its release. “Zoochosis” was developed on Unreal Engine 5 and can be purchased on Steam for $24.99 (on sale for $22.49 until Oct. 14) and is only playable on Microsoft Windows.
The story puts players in the shoes of Paul Connelly, a husband and father seeking employment with Pine Valley Zoo as its newest zookeeper. Right off the bat, things are not as they seem. The game starts off by asking players to sign a nondisclosure agreement (NDA). If players take too long to sign the contract, Doc, our interviewer, urges us to sign the NDA by playing an audio clip of Paul calling the Emergency Suicide Helpline. It’s unclear how he got his hands on this phone call or if it’s something they created, but the implication of what will happen if Paul doesn’t comply is clear.
Doc teaches Paul how to care for the animals in the zoo, although they aren’t available for the public to see. Maintaining each enclosure includes chores like feeding, cleaning up excrement, using tools to determine health and curing any animals that are ill with a dart gun. The first animals you come across are the giraffes. Animal-loving players may like taking care of each enclosure, but it quickly turns into a survival horror game after Doc finishes the tutorial and Paul is left on his own.
As you progress you quickly find that there is something wrong with the animals. In each enclosure, there is one animal infected by a parasite and it’s up to you to determine which one it is. The tools allow you to find symptoms like high temperatures, sound sensitivity, positive stool or positive blood. Through various texts and logs throughout the game, players discover that the infected animal will mimic the symptoms of sick animals but isn’t actually sick.
From then on players have two choices — depending on whether they discovered the necessary texts and logs — they can either use lethal injections to kill the infected animals or create the proper cure for their disease and save the animal. Defeating each animal is not easy; once the infected animal transforms, they become bigger and monstrous.
Spoilers for “Zoochosis” beyond this point!
There are multiple endings for players to find, each one depending on your choices as Paul or if you come across certain in-game events. When players come back to the hub and try to collect meat to feed the animals, they find that the meat is human, and they can choose to save a woman named Sarah Watkins rather than send her into the grinder.
With Sarah, players can try to reveal the secrets of the zoo and eliminate the origin of the parasites, a being called “Mother.” It’s also a race against time (not real-time) as Paul is infected with a parasite as well.
Something players may discover is that most endings are unsatisfying, as finding the good ending requires a lot of steps that are easy to miss. It requires players to follow a strict routine, which has been a major complaint for this game.
Each time you beat the game you can play it again on “New Game +,” which adds a plus sign each time you beat it. As you restart the game each time, each enclosure is randomized and only allows players to access five at a time. This is likely due to optimization and technical reasons, but it can be annoying as players may have a specific animal they want to see but are unable to.
The disappointment on behalf of the fanbase is understandable since the trailers leading up to the game’s release led many to believe the mutated animals would pose a great challenge, requiring players to be stealthy or outsmart the creatures. Instead, each battle involves wearing down the monster’s three-heart health bar.
The story also feels rushed, as it’s not completely fleshed out and heavily relies on dialogue. Even if players get all the endings, “Mother” is not a particularly terrifying threat. The design of each mutated animal has more character than “Mother” does. Players don’t even get to fight her.
Although I have been harsh on “Zoochosis,” it’s worth mentioning that a member of the development team, Alexander Dagan, passed away before its release. He is mentioned in the credits of the game. Because of this, many players theorize that the unfinished feeling of “Zoochosis” is because of his passing, though nothing is confirmed.
Either way, the concept Clapperheads had was exciting, so gamers were excited to see what “Zoochosis” could offer and had high hopes for it. Unfortunately, the experience left many wanting for more and ended up being a tedious chore for completionists.
However, there is enjoyment to be found. Each of the battles varies, the penguin can fly (ironically), the elephant has an armored exterior and the moose is able to distort your camera feed or vision. The designs of each mutant are unique, playing on their characteristics in a grotesque way. I commend Clapperheads for their imagination, but not so much for their execution.
Rating: 2/5 parasites