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App Army Assemble: Returner Zhero – Does this sci-fi puzzler tick the box?

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iOS
| Returner Zhero
App Army Assemble: Returner Zhero – Does this sci-fi puzzler tick the box?

Our community has their say

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Returner Zhero is a beautiful 3D space adventure puzzle game. You'll find yourself solving a variety of puzzles in the immersive sci-fi environment that surrounds your character.

As well as trying to save the Earth, you need to figure out just what the alien threat wants, and how you can stop it.

This game certainly sounds intriguing but this feature isn't about what Pocket Gamer's crack team of writers think. Our App Army has had plenty of time with the game, and this is what they thought about it.

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Mark Abukoff (iPhone 7)

Like Returner 77, Zhero is a gorgeous and immersive sci fi mystery puzzler.

I played through the first few levels and was impressed by the story as well as the pretty straightforward nature of the puzzles. Not too easy, not too difficult, and if you give up, the AI will complete it for you.

Graphics are sharp without being resource killing. Music is moody, voices and sound quality are both good. There were a few times when the attenuated sound quality of the voice acting made it difficult for me to understand, and the captions don't seem to work. That's my only complaint.

Controls are very simple and worked fine on the iPhone 7 screen. The story is interesting enough that I'll want to finish this (and it seems to be a reasonably long story for your money). While I appreciate shooters, I also sometimes want a good story that makes me think while it entertains me.

If you like puzzles and mysteries and a bit of non-shooter sci fi storytelling, I'd say that Returner Zhero is well worth your $4.99.

Joseph Mark Maceiko

Returner Zhero is a beautiful point and click puzzler in the Myst mold. The graphics are just gorgeous and very detailed. The world you progress through fits the story well. Sound effects and voice overs are good.

The gameplay is what you would expect for this type of game. There is nothing groundbreaking to the gameplay, but everything works well.

The controls are responsive and do not hinder play. The game's puzzles are mostly well made.

I have not run into any puzzles that could not be solved with appropriate logic. There are hints available if you get stuck on a puzzle or are not sure where to go next. The storyline is on the bizarre side, but that keeps things interesting.

Overall, I think that Returner Zhero is a well-made puzzler that fans of the genre will appreciate. I am not big into this type of game, but playing this has been fun and interesting, which has made me want to continue playing.

Roman Valerio (iPad Air iOS 11.4.1)

So far can say zero good words about this game as it appears completely broken on my device. I don't know if the trouble is caused by the follow-up update or this space puzzler was damaged from the very beginning.

First of all, there is a considerable lag and very slow response every single time I swipe on the screen to look around. But the most annoying thing is that double tap refuses to work for me: tapped zillion times like a mad man on the so called "waypoint," nbut our hero stands stock-still.

Also, it looks like you cannot skip the intro cut scene and I had to watch it again and again, which made things only worse.

I know that my device is an outdated one, but it is listed in the App Store description page, so everything should perform smoothly I guess.

No need to say, that as it stands I have z(h)ero desire to return to this very game. My final verdict: Fantastic? NOOOO!

Rahul Mazumdar (iPhone X - FW 11.4.1)

It's a first-person atmospheric narrative-driven puzzle game set in space. I won't reveal anything about the story but the first thing one will notice about this game is the polished graphics and presentation. It's very neat.

Puzzles are good which make you think, even scratch your head at times. Touch controls are standard and responsive. It's not re-inventing the wheel but is solid at the same time.

The progression is narrative-driven but does feel a bit one dimensional after a few levels as you are basically moving from one puzzle to the next. Despite that though, the story seems interesting enough to keep you engaged.

The level system is a bit of a let-down as in my opinion, a story-driven game should never reveal it's levels, as that makes it feel more like a game and less like an immersive experience. And finally, the game is not well optimized. It does heat up your device and also the battery drain is substantial even in short bursts of gameplay.

Overall, it's a puzzle game with an intriguing plot and theme which will keep you engaged. It will take a toll on your device due to the heating and battery drain. But if you can look past that, then there's some good story-telling and puzzle-solving fun to be had here.

Ed Davis (iPhone 7)

This provided a fantastic experience that engages you from the very start. Graphically, it looks amazing. A lot of time has clearly gone into creating each environment. The puzzles can be challenging at times and require some thought and patience.

Moving around the map can be sluggish, but this is probably to aid the atmosphere of the game. I would say that it probably works better on a larger screen as some of the puzzles can be quite fiddly.

Overall, a good little game.

Steve Clarke

Returner is a Myst style puzzler the genre of which I find quite boring, it’s not an exception to that but it's better than most.

The story is weird, but does enough to retain your interest with its sci fi ideas and decently acted cutscenes.

Puzzles are competent but on the whole far too easy, my biggest gripe was that I had more trouble working out how to interact with some problems than I did solving them.

The visuals are the highlight here, the world is sumptuous, it's just a shame your character moves so slowly around it. If I were stuck behind Zhero I'd be fighting the urge to punch him in the back of the head.

Returner Zhero is pretty good example of it's genre, I'd recommend fans check it out.

Brian Wigington (iPad 5th gen)

So far Returner Zhero has been an enjoyable, atmospheric first-person adventure.

The game runs very well on my hardware with very few glitches so far. Without spoiling too much, aliens have invaded and you are returning 5 years after to the planet. At times you really feel alone in the strange world which has been transformed by the alien invasion and absorbed in the puzzles.

The graphics are quite crisp and detailed and the interface works well for the most part. I would prefer to not have the left/right look controls inverted, but I got used to it after a while.

While the game is immersive, the presentation sometimes breaks the experience a bit. Completing levels makes the game seem a bit more like a standard puzzle game at times but the overall experience is still worth diving in to. The puzzles range from arranging objects or symbols to unlock devices or adjust beams of light to activate consoles and many other types.

I recommend plugging in decent earbuds to add to the game's immersion factor. If you enjoy point and click adventures with more tactile puzzles then you will definitely want to pick this one up. The sci-fi setting is great and the story makes you want to find out what happens next. I am glad I was able to post this brief review and will continue playing this in the coming week and I hope to report back if I can complete the game!

Quincy Jones (iPhone 8 Plus)

Interesting storyline and a really beautiful world make it a worthwhile outing, the puzzles weren’t bad and the AI was there as backup.

Slow movement and issues with interacting with things made it less fun, there were times I was tapping the screen like crazy because nothing seemed to work.

If you're a fan of Syfy Gabe's with a good story and decent puzzles this'll be a good fit for you, but if you after a fast-paced space shooter I'd say you'll be disappointed.

Paul Manchester (iPhone SE)

I found this game hard to stick with, the pacing was slow and the controls often hindered my puzzle solving. I haven't finished the game yet, but up to this point the puzzles have been pretty simple and easy to complete.

Due to this I found the game fairly boring. The story was the saving grace in keeping the game moving along.

Overall, it's a competent puzzler but there are better examples available.

Dries Pretorius (iPad Air)

Returner Zhero seems like a benchmark of the processing power of the latest generation of mobile devices.

It is really pretty, but if you suffer the disposition of an older device it is really top-heavy, it compromises its shine but not quite enough to run smoothly. This places more emphasis on the game's substance for me: an immersive puzzler of exploration and manipulation.

The first other game this evoked was The Room, Returner's puzzles feel leek the aspects of puzzles in The Room, but without the play of perspective where those puzzles fit into larger ones.

The second evocation is Morphite, which I confess I did not enjoy, and it is the vacuous universe of existential isolation that is evoked.

The Third Title is The Witness, which has successfully mixed immersive puzzlers in a sci-fi setting, and simplified its visuals enough to perform on older devices.

Returner feels like a game that has sacrificed substance for style, and is not really bringing innovative gameplay or puzzle design to a table where titles like The Room and The Witness have pushed the envelope so far.

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