THE Z AXIS: CONTINUUM Review on Xbox One

The Z Axis: Continuum is a puzzle game both developed and published by Lazerpants Studios LLC. Like many other puzzle games, there is no story that connects you to the little guy in the puzzle, and the game itself is in 2D. The tutorial to this game is easy to understand. All you have to do is get used to the rotation that is used in the game.

The mechanics and the premise of The Z Axis: Continuum are simple enough to understand. The goal is to get the glowing orb in each level. To do so, you have to open doors and avoid spikes. The mechanics of the game are really interesting because you can rotate the puzzle by 90 degrees. The game uses this feature to its advantage by adding blocks and spheres that can be used to go through teleporters and open doors.

The visuals itself is very simplistic and there is nothing fancy about it. However, the puzzles are actually more on the complex side. I realized that I had to carefully plan out what I was going to do before actually doing it. At times I would panic and rotate the wrong way, which more often than not landed me onto some spikes. One thing that I really like about this game is that you are not only rotating yourself to get to certain places, but also using the blocks/spheres to open up the next section in the puzzle to get to. This means that you have to pay attention to your own character and the blocks/spheres as well.

This positive aspect of The Z Axis: Continuum can also be seen as a negative aspect as well. By having the player have to keep an eye on everything, it can lead to some frustrating deaths. I know a few times I had almost completed the level but then fell into spikes because I focused a little too much on the block/sphere rather than my character. Getting them to go where you want them (especially if there is a cluster of small ones) can get a little irritating as well. I found myself repeating the same rotations at times to make sure they went where I wanted them to go or to get them unstuck from a corner. Simple mistakes can also lead to restarts.

Each level is timed as well, so I actually replayed some levels in order to get a better time. It would have been cool if you were competing against other people (completion timewise); however, the game only has you competing against yourself. I did find myself releasing my inner speedrunner.

Overall while I did find myself getting frustrated at times, which I do on all puzzle games, I did really enjoy playing the game. Like with other puzzle games, having the restart is normal, and with The Z Axis: Continuum I actually found myself restarting more than usual because of that extra challenge of paying attention to everything that moves and avoiding the spikes. It is easy to tell that Lazerpants Studios wanted to create a challenging puzzle game that really forces a player to use their mental skills and perseverance to finish the game. As someone who really enjoys a good story, I do wish they added one to the game.

7.5/10

Check Out THE Z AXIS: CONTINUUM Trailer:
https://youtu.be/vbQqoEY0xRc

THE Z AXIS: CONTINUUM is available for Xbox One and PC via Steam.

Samer Alrayes

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I have always loved playing video games. As a writer, I see them as interactive stories. Just like with books and movies/television, people can become so immersed in a completely different world. I play a wide range of games like: Stardew Valley, The Witcher, Fortnite, and Destiny. I'm just a graduate student that writes stories and plays video games.

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