Let’s Build A Zoo Review for Steam

Let’s Build a Zoo is a fun strategy game, by developer Springloaded and publisher No More Robots, where you work to build your own Zoo. You play as the owner of a brand new zoo that you get to name, it’s your job to manage and run the property the best you can. From researching new things to put into the zoo, to discovering new animals, there are a variety of ways to play and set up. It’s also your job to higher staff and manage the prices of tickets and food, really immersing you in the fact that pretty much every aspect of this zoo is relying on you to run, which can and will get hectic at times. Overall there is a lot to do and discover in this game.

When you first start the Let’s Build a Zoo, you get to name the zoo you are building; from there the tutorial tells you how to complete tasks, as well as how to build enclosures and get animals for the zoo. Early on after you get your first animals and everything, you get introduced to a research system where you can unlock a variety of things to help the park run, from decorations, to food and gift stands, and even farms to grow your own food for the animals. On top of that, as you go, more animals will appear in the shelter where you can buy them for the zoo, as well as other zoos around the world that you can trade with to get new animals. All in all, one of the main things I can say about Let’s Build a Zoo is that it has so many things you can do and discover, so many animals, research, decorations, transportation, and even a gene splicer where you can create entirely new animals. It makes it so that not only can you spend hours on one game but so that you can replay it differently every time, from how you set it up, to the morality of it all. Speaking of which, one of my favorite mechanics is morality, you’ll be given prompts where you decide whether to take the morally wrong option or the right one, which will change how your zoo runs. It’s a very interesting mechanic.

This game, while has a lot of stuff to do, gets cluttered and hectic quickly. The tutorial is quick but also doesn’t give enough information, to where especially in the earlier stages I was just clicking around unsure of what I was supposed to do. One of the most annoying mechanics is the feeding mechanic of the animals, for one you have to hire zookeepers and zone them to different enclosures, from there you have to stock the storehouse with all the food for them, then the zookeepers will bring the food to the enclosures. By itself seems pretty straightforward but not only are the zookeepers really slow about their jobs, you can only have one storehouse, which becomes problematic as your park grows because of how long it will take zookeepers to get to the enclosures from the storehouse.

There are also a few bugs especially with the placement and use of objects. Sometimes, the zookeepers will get stuck or can’t find their way to the enclosure even if there’s nothing actually blocking them. Also, at times, something that is already placed will start flashing as though it’s overlapping something when there is nothing there. The  game is still fun and exciting but had its moments where it was just frustrating.

Let’s Build a Zoo is a fun and hectic strategy and simulation game where you are the manager of a new Zoo. There is a lot to do and discover in this game, from animals, to stands, to decoration, and even choices to make that will impact the way your park runs. While there is a lot to do in the game, there are some aspects that can be annoying and frustrating, like the feeding mechanic for the animals, and the placement of objects. I’m rating Let’s Build a Zoo an 8 out of 10 for its playability and variety, even if it has a few frustrating aspects, it’s still a very fun and interesting game.

Check Out the Let’s Build A Zoo Trailer: 

Let’s Build a Zoo is now available on Steam and Epic Games Store. For more information, visit: letsbuildazoo.com

Brianna Keller

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I enjoy a wide variety of games from intricate survival/adventure games to simple platformers. I am also a sucker for a good story game.

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