A New Journey Begins
Zid Journey is a casual point-and-click adventure with dinosaurs which by default makes it pretty awesome in my books. This is the sequel to Zniw Adventure which I reviewed last year if you fancy checking out that little gem. Zid Journey is looking to continue the relaxed formula whilst adding a few new tricks of its own. A free demo is available right now on Steam and I’m here to share my thoughts on this charming dino adventure.
A New Journey Begins
The plot puts you in the dino feet of Zid, a dinosaur that I initially mistook for the protagonist from the first game. Zid is having a casual stroll in the forest when he comes across an egg lying on some rocks in the riverbank.
After failing to find the parents Zid takes the egg to a friend only to have it hatch into a young T-Rex looking, muncher. A predator that’s not welcome by the local dinosaurs in the area. Hiding the little charmer in a spiffing backpack Zid begins his adventure to find the parents. The demo covers a small introduction to the story and a segment where you need to figure out how to get access to a boat to cross the sea.
The graphics are hand-drawn sprites, nicely animated on hand-drawn backgrounds. There is certainly a 90s feel to its design which is comical and warm for all audiences. You’re never too old to be a dinosaur fan. Occasionally you’ll be treated to fully animated cutscenes which bring the characters more to life. The story is presented in text boxes only with no voice acting. So, if you’re a parent be prepared to put on the silly voices if you decide to play this with your younglings.
Help From a New Friend
The demo is a short but sweet taste of the gameplay and what to expect from the full product. Unlike some point-and-click adventures, Zid Journey goes for a much more relaxed approach to its puzzle-solving. Controls are easy to use, requiring only the mouse to move your character and interact with the environment and NPCs.
Throughout the entire demo, I never encountered any walls where I found myself totally stuck. If you do happen to be a little lost your new dinosaur buddy will actually give you mild hints on puzzles to point you in the right direction.
During the demo, you mostly play as Zid. There are a decent amount of dinosaur NPCs to chat to. Some were pleasant and others were rather grumpy. If you want to learn a little more about the dinosaurs, you encounter you can open a codex which provides some pretty detailed descriptions.
A new feature is an ability to control your new dinosaur pal. Near the end of the demo, you take control of the little cutie in an attempt to solve a small puzzle. Unlike Zid you can only carry a single object at one time in your mouth. This was probably the only part of the demo where I had to put some thought into the puzzle solving and it felt like a refreshing break from the Zid sections.
Casual Walk in the Prehistoric Woods
The main strength of this title is its casual family-friendly feel. This is not a game designed to frustrate or stress you out, which will likely be appreciated by the casual gamer crowd. My son is a little too young at the moment for gaming but when he gets older, I can see this being a lovely title to play together in short bursts. If this all sounds good to you then be sure to keep an eye out for Zid Journey and consider checking out the previous game Zniw Adventure which was also pretty great.
Zid Journey has a free demo to try on Steam right now. The game also has a Kickstarter going if you want to help fund the project. If not be sure to Wish list the game as that also helps out the indie developers. A game with dinosaurs what’s not to love?