Info about Zanki Zero: Last Beginning:

Official game description:
God created the world in seven days. It only took one day for humans to destroy the world. Life as we knew it sank to the depths of the sea...until yesterday. We do not yet know the broken world and the reasons left behind there. An earth where ruins drift about. Buildings, houses, light posts. Cars, traffic lights, asphalt... Modern civilization was destroyed, becoming nothing more than debris wading in the sea. New ruins drift one after the other before the protagonist, who lives on one of those decaying islands.  
**Key Features**  
*   8 Clones, 7 Deadly Sins, Infinite Lives - Play from the POV of one of eight protagonists in each chapter and explore the dungeons, towers, and islands to uncover the deadly sins of their past.  
*   Survival of the Fittest - Hunt for materials and food while fending off monsters in real-time battle environments, but don't forget to go to the bathroom (seriously, it's bad for your health and fatal for your party).  
*   Live, Die, Repeat - With only 13 days in one life cycle, each clone's stats, abilities and capabilities differ from youth to old age. Depending on how you die, you can even earn bonus upgrades for your next life cycle. Take advantage of each life cycle to the fullest!

Release date: Apr 9, 2019

Categories: Dungeon Crawler, Survival, Character Progression, Resource Management, Puzzle Solving, Grid-based Combat, Base Building, Multiple Endings

Feature scans:
- Steam Deck: score 50; verdict: Needs Improvement; summary: The analysis of user feedback reveals significant issues with controller support, which is a major concern for many users. Additionally, there are criticisms regarding game mechanics, design, and the ability to exploit the game's difficulty system. These issues collectively impact the user experience negatively.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Engaging Story and Characters (weight 0.97): The game features a deeply engaging story with well-developed characters. The narrative explores themes of trauma, healing, and personal growth, making it emotionally impactful and thought-provoking.
- High-Quality Visuals and Sound (weight 0.67): The game boasts beautiful graphics, attractive character designs, and a captivating soundtrack. The visual and auditory elements enhance the overall atmosphere and immersion.
- Emotional and Thought-Provoking Themes (weight 0.67): The story deals with heavy and emotional themes, making it a deeply thoughtful experience. The narrative is heartfelt and engaging, drawing players in quickly.
- Unique Gameplay Mechanics (weight 0.64): The game introduces unique mechanics such as the Shigabane system, where characters gain positive buffs upon death, making progression easier. This system, along with survival and dungeon-crawling elements, provides a fresh and addictive gameplay experience.
- Well-Written Dialogue (weight 0.5): The dialogue in the game is well-written and quirky, adding to the overall charm and engagement of the story and characters.
- Variable Difficulty Settings (weight 0.48): The game offers flexible difficulty levels, catering to different playstyles. This includes options for those who prefer story over gameplay and various challenge levels.
- Exploration and Crafting (weight 0.47): The game encourages exploration and collection of materials for crafting better equipment and food. This resource management system adds depth and makes the gameplay loop more engaging.
- Engaging Puzzles (weight 0.46): The game offers a variety of puzzles that are challenging and rewarding to solve. These puzzles are integrated well into the dungeon crawling and exploration aspects.
- High Replay Value (weight 0.4): With multiple endings, diverse characters, and a deep narrative, the game offers high replay value. Players can explore different story paths and character interactions.
- High-Quality Localization (weight 0.4): The game features high-quality localization with multiple language options, including Japanese and traditional Chinese. This makes the game accessible to a wider audience.
- Unique Control Scheme (weight 0.32): The game features a unique control scheme that sets it apart from other games in the genre. This adds to the overall uniqueness and appeal of the gameplay.
- Good Value for Price (weight 0.32): The game offers a lot of content and high-quality experiences for its price, making it a good value for players looking for a deep and engaging game.
- Unique Survival Mechanics (weight 0.25): The game includes unique survival mechanics such as aging, encumbrance, stress, and stamina management. These elements add depth and complexity to the gameplay.
- Unique Dungeon Design (weight 0.22): The dungeons are well-designed with complex layouts and puzzles. The maze exploration is grid-based and offers a satisfying experience for fans of dungeon RPGs.
- Interesting Post-Apocalyptic Setting (weight 0.2): The game is set in a post-apocalyptic dungeon environment, which provides a unique and intriguing backdrop for the story and gameplay.
- Challenging and Rewarding Combat (weight 0.14): The combat system is real-time with strategic elements, offering a challenging yet rewarding experience. Mastering the combat mechanics can be highly satisfying for players.
- Unique Death and Rebirth System (weight 0.09): The game features a unique death and rebirth system that ties into the narrative, encouraging players to learn from their deaths and progress through the story.

Common complaints:
- Frustrating and clunky gameplay (weight 0.51): The game features frustrating and clunky combat, poorly designed puzzles, and confusing maze design. Many players found the gameplay mechanics to be poorly executed and the controls to be annoying.
- Repetitive and tedious mechanics (weight 0.31): Players experienced repetitive gameplay loops, tedious item management, and grinding. The dungeons and enemies were often copy-pasted, leading to a lack of variety and enjoyment.
- Poorly explained and confusing mechanics (weight 0.24): The game's mechanics, including the aging process and character needs, were found to be confusing and poorly explained. This led to frustration and a lack of understanding among players.
- Unbalanced and punishing difficulty (weight 0.16): The difficulty settings were poorly balanced, with some difficulties being too easy and others being overly punishing. This led to frequent character deaths and a frustrating experience.
- Technical and performance issues (weight 0.12): Players encountered technical issues, performance problems, and a lack of quality-of-life features. The game's graphics and music were also found to be unimpressive.
- Censorship and localization issues (weight 0.05): The game faced censorship issues in non-Japanese versions, with certain content and CGs being censored. This led to a less enjoyable experience for some players.

Gameplay feedback:
- Dungeon crawling and exploration (weight 0.55): The game combines dungeon crawling with real-time combat and grid-based movement. Players explore large, puzzle-filled dungeons with unique maps and layouts. The gameplay loop involves dungeon exploration, story cutscenes, and tactical battles.
- Character aging and death mechanics (weight 0.54): Characters age and can die, affecting gameplay significantly. The aging process includes different life stages, and death can lead to character revival with stronger stats. The Shigabane system modifies character abilities based on how they died.
- Complex survival and management mechanics (weight 0.52): The game features intricate survival mechanics, including managing food, water, rest, and equipment. Characters age rapidly, affecting gameplay, and require constant monitoring of stamina, stress, and bladder levels. Inventory and weight management are crucial, with a grid-based system for movement and combat.
- Base building and resource management (weight 0.39): Players can expand and upgrade their base through exploration and resource gathering. Base management is a key aspect, involving facility building and resource allocation to support the team's needs.
- Combat and tactical mechanics (weight 0.37): Combat is real-time but grid-based, requiring movement and timing. Players use short and long-range weapons, with charging and positioning mechanics. The combat system is reminiscent of classic games like Legend of Grimrock.
- Character development and interactions (weight 0.34): The game features a character-driven story with unique interactions and development. Characters have backstories and can be customized with different abilities and equipment, affecting their performance in combat and exploration.
- Crafting and material collection (weight 0.32): Players gather materials and craft items to aid in their survival and combat. Crafting is essential for breaking walls, forging weapons, and managing resources effectively.
- Unique control and menu system (weight 0.3): The game features a unique control scheme with multiple menus for managing various aspects of gameplay. Players need to switch between different menus to handle inventory, character needs, and combat effectively.
- Puzzle-solving and maze navigation (weight 0.21): Dungeons are filled with puzzles and traps that require strategic thinking to solve. The grid-based exploration system adds to the challenge, with maze-like layouts and tactical battles.

Performance notes:
- Game crashes and bugs (weight 0.06): The game experiences crashes and bugs that can impact the gameplay experience. However, the auto-save feature helps minimize progress loss when crashes occur.
- Unimpressive graphics (weight 0.02): The graphics of the game are considered unimpressive, especially for a game released in 2019, falling short of expectations.

Recommendations:
- Recommended for story and fans (weight 0.47): The game is highly recommended for its story and characters, especially for fans of survival, dungeon crawlers, and specific genres like Danganronpa and Spike Chunsoft games. It is often suggested to buy the game during a sale due to its price.
- Difficulty and control suggestions (weight 0.09): Players are advised to lower the difficulty for a more enjoyable experience, especially for those interested in the story. It is also suggested to use specific controls like keyboard and mouse or Nintendo Pro Switch Controller for better gameplay.
- Gameplay improvements needed (weight 0.04): Some players suggest specific gameplay improvements such as a quick-switch option for exchanging items between characters, more robust button mapping, and an in-dungeon meter to indicate day shifts.
- Replay for achievements (weight 0.02): Some players plan to replay the game to achieve remaining accomplishments, indicating a level of engagement and interest in completing all aspects of the game.

Other player notes:
- Developer's other games mentioned (weight 0.03): Players referenced other titles created by the same development team. They also discussed the developer's future projects and plans.
- Game perceived as forgotten (weight 0.01): Some players feel that the game has been overlooked or forgotten since its release some time ago.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.34): Players are frustrated by a variety of gameplay issues, including clunky combat mechanics, confusing puzzles, and difficulty spikes. Additionally, poor controls, tedious gameplay mechanics, and excessive difficulty contribute to this frustration. Navigation and map design are also frequently cited as problematic.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.26): Players enjoy the game's unique gameplay mechanics, engaging story, and character development. The atmosphere, exploration, and innovative gameplay design are also highlighted as positive aspects that contribute to the overall enjoyment.
- Disappointment (weight 0.18): Players express disappointment due to the game's lack of depth in mechanics and story, as well as inconsistent art quality and dialogue. The gameplay and combat are often described as tedious and frustrating, falling short of expectations.
- Boredom (weight 0.03): Players find the gameplay and combat repetitive and tedious, leading to boredom. The repetition of similar enemies and environments further exacerbates this feeling.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.03): Players are satisfied with the enjoyable gameplay, manageable difficulty, and unique story elements. The engaging worldview, character design, and resource management system also contribute to their satisfaction.
- Engagement (weight 0.02): Players are engaged by the heartfelt and well-developed story. The gripping narrative keeps them invested in the game.
- Admiration (weight 0.02): Players admire the creative level design, ambitious gameplay, and well-developed story and characters. The unique story and well-designed dungeon elements are also appreciated.
- Discomfort (weight 0.01): Players feel discomfort due to the game's heavy themes, including abuse and trauma. The traumatic and violent content can be unsettling for some players.
- Fear (weight 0.01): Players experience fear due to the game's eerie atmosphere and effective horror elements. The terrifying aspects of the game contribute to this emotion.
- Excitement (weight 0.01): Players are excited by the unique gameplay mechanics and enjoyable story. Anticipation for future releases and plot twists also contribute to this excitement.
- Surprise (weight 0.01): Players are pleasantly surprised by the innovative gameplay mechanics, which differ from their expectations in a positive way.
- Disgust (weight 0.01): Players express disgust due to specific gameplay mechanics that they find particularly unpleasant.
- Fascination (weight 0.01): Players are fascinated by the game's deeply thoughtful and unique elements, which they find intriguing and engaging.
- Curiosity (weight 0.01): Players are curious about the game's philosophical experiment, which piques their interest and engagement.
- Amusement (weight 0.01): Players are amused by the game's darkly funny and uncomfortably real elements, which they find entertaining.
- Stress (weight 0.01): Players feel stressed due to the survival management aspects of the game, which can be overwhelming if they are focused on story pacing.
- Anger (weight 0.01): Players feel anger due to the maze design, which they find too confusing and frustrating.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.01): Players feel nostalgia as they miss the Danganronpa series, which evokes fond memories and a desire for similar experiences.
- Interest (weight 0.01): Players are interested in the game's unique dungeon crawler mechanics, which they find intriguing and engaging.}