 Open world doesn't work for every game. Father-Mother is in prison where he rightfully belongs and now Golem rules over the town with relative benevolence. But Ghat is convinced to free Father-Mother. When Golem steps in to prevent Ghat from accomplishing this task, Ghat goes on a long quest to find out exactly what Golem is hiding.
1. Gameplay
I liked the first Zeno Clash and I like this game for many of the same reasons. The low-budget indie quality gives it a bit of charm. This is a game that’s rough around the edges but relatively bug free. It tries some new ideas, some of which work very well, others of which are not as great. This game attempts to make improvements on the foundation its predecessor laid out, but the confusing open-world elements and increased reliance on combos and weapons made the previous game more enjoyable.  The creature design is by far the best part about this game. It's almost worth it just for that. Almost. The previous Zeno Clash was a linear game. You walked through the world, fighting enemies and making your way through a crazy world with interesting creatures. This game has some even more amazing creatures and characters, but the basic design is very different. The first-person melee combat is still there, but instead of a linear world the game includes an open-world space. This is fun because it allows the player to explore some artistically insane landscapes, but the game still forces the player along a set path and there isn’t a quick way to move from space to space. Each time I had to cross some of the larger maps, it was more of a nuisance than fun. This was compounded exponentially if I was trying to figure out where to go, since often I’d cross an area only to find out I was in the wrong area and have to cross back.  If I have to collect one more moth for this dolt it'll be too soon. The melee combat is still present and, for a first person melee game, is smooth and fun. However, the game’s tutorial was the hardest part by far (which seems very counterintuitive). The game attempts to teach the player combos, which can be used to deal a great amount of damage to enemies. However, these combos require either stamina, energy, or both, and the game isn’t very good about making it clear which moves require stamina or energy. For example, the magic-based weapons and equipment did not require any energy, but some of the most powerful combo moves did. It was a process I tried to avoid whenever possible, since most combat sequences were simple enough to complete without complex combos and counters.  Directed by J.J. Abrams. By far the best reason to play this game is the art. This game takes a Dr. Seuss style for everything from its environments to its architecture to its characters and then twists it to make it foreign and sinister. There will be some human characters, but their numbers are dwarfed by the other, much more strange characters. The human characters kept me grounded and always gave me someone to connect with, but the other characters gave me a sense of wonder. If you played through the first Zeno Clash and want to keep going with the story, this is a pretty good game to play. If you either didn’t like the first game or didn’t care for its story, you won’t find much reason to play Zeno Clash 2.
I completed the game’s campaign in a little over 6 hours. There were some collectibles and secrets that I missed, but without any real choices in the campaign the replay value is extremely limited. For an independent project, the game does have value, but it doesn’t last very long.
There were two distinctly frustrating elements in this game. The first, and most surprising, was the tutorial. I think it’s the first time ever that I have been unable to complete a tutorial (and not for lack of trying, trust me). The tutorial forces the player to attempt sometimes ridiculous combos but doesn’t give any indication as to what I was doing wrong. I attempted the same move for well over 15 minutes with zero success. After starting the game and realizing those moves were definitely not required to successfully complete the game, I never even thought about going back to complete the tutorial. The second thing was the frustratingly oversimplified fast travel system. There’s no easy way to cross some of the largest maps quickly. With no real reward for exploration and nothing new to do in these areas, it turns what starts out as an enjoyable, interesting experience into a long, repetitive, boring slog. It’s the one thing that nearly kept me from finishing this game. I usually like open-world games, but this is an example where it clearly hurts more than it helps. 2. Parental Notices
Violence is essentially the only factor in this game, but overall it’s pretty minor. The player will primarily punch, kick, and generally beat up all enemies in his way. Hits do not result in any blood at all. Minor hits can cause enemies to react and major hits can knock enemies backwards. However, there is never any blood or gore.  Float like a butterfly, sting like a very deformed butterfly with a few extra legs. There are a few types of attacks, especially with melee weapons, that will include a special animation. Sometimes these can involve smashing the enemy over the head. However, as with all of the other attacks, there is no blood or gore.  Just use the power of the sun to take them down. The player can also use ranged weapons and magical attacks. The guns can have a variety of strengths and effects, but almost all of them will deal a large amount of damage and knock the enemy back.  Primitive shotgun to the face, no blood necessary.
Sexuality is basically nonexistent in this game. However, a few of the enemies wear very little clothing (if any). These types of costumes aren’t extremely common, but it was included a few times.  There's no way her hair would cling that tightly to her skin.
The player can eat small fruit to gain health, but there’s no animation associated with this. This is the only obvious form of “substance” in the game.
Gambling is not a factor in this game. 3. Other Factors
There are no modding tools available for this game.
There are a number of god-like creatures in the game and some of the characters treat them with the respect only reserved for kings and deities. However, this “religion” isn’t organized and, considering the god-like creatures are simply aliens with superior technology, religion is not a factor in this game.
Ghat (the main character) openly defies Golem, the deity-like creature that rules over the main city, and frees Father-Mother from prison. The entire plot is basically Ghat’s open rebellion against Golem’s species (and Golem in particular). While the local law enforcement may not wear uniforms or carry around badges, there is a definite organized group that looks up to a specific ruler of the city. If fighting the Queen’s guard would be considered anti-law, this has to be counted as well.
There are no multiplayer modes for this game.
Extreme sports are not a factor in this game.
Magic plays a fairly important role in the story and in combat. While the game implies that many of the “magical” items are simply superior technology created by an alien race, it doesn’t go into any sort of detail about how the technology works. For example, there’s a wrist device that causes a line of explosions. The player aims at the sun (or moon), fires, and the line of explosions is drawn on the ground from the sun/moon to the player, taking out anyone inbetween.  A hologram that can wear a wrist-mounted energy guidance system that draws power from the sun? Magic. There are a number of other devices and weapons that have similarly ridiculous effects.
Human Disfigurement Sometimes it is extremely difficult to determine which creatures are human and which are not. There are a number of humanoid creatures with faces or bodies that are extremely disfigured. However, for the most part, the humans look human and the non-humans are far from human.  Should I ask him to wear clothes?
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