Popular Games by Zen Studios
Circus Electrique Switch eShop
Saber Interactive / Zen Studios
- 6th Sep 2022 (UK/EU)
- 6th Sep 2022 (NA)
Reviews of Zen Studios Games
Review Circus Electrique (Switch) - Repetitive Turn-Based Battling In A Gripping Steampunk London
Roll up, roll up
Circus Electrique is quick to pique the interest of any fans of a turn-based tactical RPG, especially those who loved Darkest Dungeon. However, its unique design raises the question of what Darkest Dungeon would be like if it were filled with mechanical mimes and pretentious police officers, all while being set in a gritty,...
Review CastleStorm II (Switch) - A Legitimately Great Game Hobbled By Poor Execution
Storm's coming
Zen Studios has always had a bit of an issue with being typecast as ‘that pinball studio’. To be fair, the studio has done a tremendous job in designing the dozens of tables in its Pinball FX line, but that’s far from the only thing the team works on. The most notable of these ‘other’ projects is Castlestorm, a fusion...
Review Dread Nautical (Switch) - Damp Tactical Action Which Fails To Excite
Cruising for an eldritch bruising
You'd think being trapped on a cruise ship under the influence of some mysterious malevolent entity would engender a sense of urgency, but Dread Nautical seems content to take it easy. It's all very casual stuff. World's collapsing, sure. Lines between realities are bleeding together. Sanity's starting to look like...
Review Operencia: The Stolen Sun (Switch) - A Rich And Satisfying Dungeon Crawler
Dungeon Master
Zen Studios' Operencia: The Stolen Sun doesn't really get off to the brightest of starts on Nintendo Switch. Opening with a prologue that sees you assume control of King Attila and his wife Reka as they attempt to close a portal between their land and the underworld, things kick off here with a ten-minute introduction that highlights...
Review Star Wars Pinball (Switch) - A Silly Yet Authentic Ode To All Things Star Wars
I am a pinball wizard, like my father before me
Do you like Star Wars? Do you like pinball? If your tastes happen to fall into one of these categories, you’re likely to get some enjoyment out of this themed collection of tables from virtual pinball wizards Zen Studios. If you happen to like – nay, love – both, well, you’re about to receive a...
Review CastleStorm (Switch eShop)
Our arrows will blot out the sun
The RTS genre is a tricky one to pull off correctly on consoles due to the limitations imposed by the much smaller number of available buttons on a controller. Still, games like Pikmin have shown that it can be done smartly, and there are ways to infuse RTS elements into another genre, like Tower Defense, as...
Latest Zen Studios News
Thursday15th Feb 2024
News Surprise! System Shock Is The Latest Pinball M & FX DLC Table
It's a pinball Shodan
Zen Studios has teamed up with retro specialists Nightdive Studios to bring us an unexpected collaboration — System Shock Pinball. This is the latest DLC table for Pinball FX and Pinball M on the Switch eShop, and it's available today. The M version will give you the complete gory experience, while the FX table is a little...
Monday28th Aug 2023
News Star Trek: The Next Generation Boldly Bounces Into Pinball FX's New Table DLC
An Enterprising addition
Alongside the launch of the Marvel collection, Pinball FX has now ventured to the final frontier with an all-new DLC package containing Williams' legendary Star Trek: The Next Generation table. The package is now available to download from the Switch eShop fo
Friday11th Aug 2023
News Pinball FX's First Marvel Collection Bounces Onto Switch Later This Month
"You wanted more?'
After being released on other platforms earlier this year, Zen Studios has today announced that 'Marvel Pinball Collection 1' will be ding-ding-dinging its way into Pinball FX on Switch on 24th August. The announcement was made on the official @PinballFX Twitter account and a following 'Pinball Bites' video (above) on the Zen...
Saturday12th Mar 2022
News Pinball FX3's New Indiana Jones DLC Is Now Available, But It's Kind Of Pricey
Dev says it just wants to provide an "authentic experience"
A digital remaster of a classic Indiana Jones pinball table made its debut yesterday in Pinball FX3 and while many appreciate the effort, a lot of the game's community isn't quite as happy about the asking price of this new DLC. For just a single table, fans are being asked to fork out...
Thursday25th Mar 2021
News Zen Studios Announces "Next-Gen" Pinball FX Game For Switch, Introduces New Battle Royale Mode
Will launch this year
Digital pinball experts Zen Studios - known for games like Pinball FX3 and Star Wars Pinball - has announced its next-generation entry in the series Pinball FX will arrive on the Nintendo Switch and multiple other platforms later this year. It's touted as Zen's "most ambitious pinball project to date" and will introduce a new...
Saturday13th Jun 2020
News Zen Studios Is Releasing CastleStorm 2 On The Switch eShop Next Month
Get ready for battle
Earlier today, Zen Studios announced it would be releasing CastleStorm 2 on the Switch and other platforms on 31st July. This is a sequel to the tower-defense title CastleStorm, which was re-released on the Switch eShop in August 2018. It mixes tower defense, castle destruction, and hack 'n' slash gameplay with new real-time...
Tuesday24th Mar 2020
News Pinball Wizard Zen Studios Brings Its Tactical RPG Dread Nautical To Switch This April
Branching out
Zen Studios, best-known during in recent years for games like Pinball FX3, has announced Dread Nautical – a horror-themed strategy RPG that's arriving on Nintendo Switch on 29th April. The game was previously released on Apple Arcade late last year. It's described in full as a tactical, turn-based RPG featuring roguelike elements,...
Thursday17th Oct 2019
News Prepare For Scares When The Universal Monsters Pack Comes To Pinball FX3 On 29th October
Experience two classic tables
More Williams Pinball tables are coming to Pinball FX3 on the Nintendo Switch later this month. To celebrate the spooky season, Zen Studios has revealed the Universal Monsters Pack will arrive on 29th October. It includes two iconic tables: Monster Bash and Creature from the Black Lagoon. Here are the details about...
Friday16th Nov 2018
News Zen Studios Announces Williams Pinball Volume Two Is Coming To Pinball FX3 In December
Three tables included
Zen Studios is wasting no time putting its recently acquired Williams and Bally pinball licence to use. Following the arrival of Williams Pinball Volume One for Pinball FX3 in the first half of October, the developer has now confirmed it will add another three classic tables to the free-to-download game on 4th December. The...
Monday15th Oct 2018
Good intentions
In September, Zen Studios revealed it had acquired the Williams and Bally pinball collection for Pinball FX3. At the time of the announcement, the Managing Director revealed the development team had grown up admiring these pinball machines and were devoted to treating each of the beloved tables with a great level of respect. Since...
Tuesday18th Sep 2018
News Zen Studios Announces Williams Pinball Volume One Is Coming To Pinball FX3 This October
Fish Tales is free
Zen Studios Pinball FX3 arguably offers the definitive digital pinball experience. Following the recent news the developer of the title had acquired the much-loved Williams and Bally pinball licence, it's now been revealed Williams Pinball Volume One will arrive on 9th October. As previously noted, the pack will include Medieval...
Tuesday24th Jul 2018
News Zen Studios Is Releasing Its Tower-Defense Brawler, CastleStorm, On The Switch eShop
Arrives next month
Zen Studios - best known for the Pinball FX series - will be releasing CastleStorm on the Switch eShop next month. Arriving on 16th August, to be exact, it's easy-to-learn and difficult-to-master - with a tongue-in-cheek story filled with plenty of humour and personality. The title was originally released on the...
Tuesday8th May 2018
Event The Results Of The Nintendo Life Pinball FX3 Tournament
Congratulations to gaz5021!
Over the weekend, we held a free tournament on Pinball FX3 to celebrate the launch of the game’s new performance patch, and plenty of you showed up to the digital arcade for a shot at the coveted top spot. Now that the tournament has closed, we've got the top five scores listed, and they pack quite a punch. Just for a...
Friday4th May 2018
Event The First Official Nintendo Life Pinball FX3 Tournament
Wizards, come hither
A few days ago, Zen Studios put out a massive new patch for Pinball FX3 on Nintendo Switch that boosted handheld performance to a whopping 60fps, bumped docked resolution up to 1080p and made a slew of other additions and enhancements to make the game that much more enjoyable to play. In light of this patch, and just for a spot...
Thursday19th Apr 2018
News Hands-On: Checking Out Pinball FX3's Bethesda-Themed Tables
A bundle of joy
In the short timeframe Nintendo Switch has existed, Bethesda has shown an incredible amount of support for the system. It’s already brought across two of its most iconic franchises in the first year, with another one – Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus – expected to arrive in 2018. If you’re eagerly anticipating...
Wednesday14th Mar 2018
News Flipping Heck, That Pinball FX3 Switch Patch Is Coming After All
"The community has spoken... we are listening"
Shortly after its launch last year, it was hinted that Pinball FX3 on Switch would be getting a patch to improve its visuals, which some felt were slightly lacking. Developer Zen Studios backtracked on this recently, stating that the patch was no long
Friday15th Dec 2017
News Zen Studios Working On Pinball FX3 Patch For Switch That Brings 1080p Docked And 60fps Handheld
Update: Zen responds: "To reduce the game down to this feels unfair"
Update: Zen's Mel Kirk has responded to this story stating that the "looks terrible" comment was attributed to a customer service representative and was in relation to a query from a buyer, rather than a reflection on the graphical quality of the game itself. In reflection...
Wednesday22nd Nov 2017
News Zen Studios Shows Off a Clever Twist With Vertical Play in Pinball FX3 on Switch
It's all about balance
Though we need to wait for Pinball FX3 to arrive on Switch in December, having originally been expected on 14th November, it should hopefully be worth the extra development time. Zen Studios outlined one reason for the short delay back in mid-November, stating that it had implemented a smart new way to ensure the system...
Friday11th Aug 2017
News Infinite Minigolf Disappears From North American eShop Due to Ratings Issue
Zen Studios is working on a patch
Anyone looking for Infinite Minigolf on the North American eShop for some weekend play may be a tad baffled at the moment, as the game has been temporarily pulled from the store; Zen Studios, however, is on the case. Oddly it seems to have been caused by a ratings change; Zen Studios initially tweeted surprise,...
Thursday27th Jul 2017
News Infinite Minigolf Confirmed for 28th July Arrival on Switch
We didn't have to wait 'fore' days (sorry)
Update: The game is now live in Europe, priced €14.99 / £13.49. Original Article: Infinite Minigolf is Zen Studios' first title on Switch, but it hit a snag when it failed to land on 25th July as expected. The studio seemed surprised when it happened, and ever since has been reassuring eager fans...
Monday24th Apr 2017
News Infinite Minigolf Will Tee Up on the Nintendo Switch eShop
Zen Studios has the balls to support Nintendo's system
Zen Studios didn't always release every game promptly on the Wii U eShop, but the publisher / developer did back the system longer than most. It's evidently keen to stay on board with Nintendo, too, confirming that Infinite Minigolf will come to the Nintendo Switch eShop alongside equivalent...
Tuesday5th Jan 2016
"We’ll be sure to alert the Wii U community as that changes"
Zen Studios has enjoyed plenty of success with its pinball titles, releasing various versions and DLC across PC, home consoles and smart devices. The Wii U and 3DS have been in on the action too, with the former receiving Zen Pinball 2 with a decent variety of DLC, in addition to Star...
Wednesday22nd Apr 2015
News Avengers: Age of Ultron DLC Rolling Out to Zen Pinball 2 Soon
We're going to show you something... beautiful
Excited cinema goers will be rushing in droves to see the latest instalment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Avengers: Age of Ultron hits the silver screen in Europe later this week. (Sorry North America, you'll have to wait until 1st May). Of course, every cinematic blockbuster such as this has a...
Monday30th Mar 2015
News New Star Wars Rebels Table Announced For Star Wars Pinball
Hopefully, its release date isn’t far, far away
Zen Studios has had a historically spotty release schedule when it comes to its pinball tables on the Wii U. In both Zen Pinball 2 and Star Wars Pinball, tables and packs can usually be expected to arrive either later than all other platforms or not at all. Unfortunately, today’s announcement...
Sunday22nd Feb 2015
News Zen Pinball 2 Set to Hit a New High Score for Number of Tables Available
Wii U release date hopefully coming soon
Zen Pinball 2 is the main pinball experience on Wii U; it's already host to a massive collection of pinball tables, but it looks like a couple more are set to join the list in the near future. Announced via the official Zen Studios Blog, the Iron & Steel Pack has been confirmed to be added into the game...
Tuesday2nd Dec 2014
News South Park Tables Available Soon in Zen Pinball 2 for Wii U
Canadian thrills
Zen Studios have announced that their highly enjoyable Wii U eShop game Zen Pinball 2 will soon have its very own pair of tables modelled after South Park. One of the tables in based around the main programme, and the other is specifically themed around the character Butters. These two tables will be available internationally from...
Tuesday25th Nov 2014
News Spidey’s Arch-Nemesis Venom Is Receiving His Very Own Table In Zen Pinball 2
Releases on the Wii U eShop next month
The ongoing support for the Wii U version of Zen Pinball 2 continues with Zen Studios announcing Spider-Man’s symbiotic nemesis, Venom, will receive his very own themed table. The Marvel Comics-inspired table – also featuring the heroic web slinger Spider-Man, Eddie Brock as the empowered villain, and...
Sunday14th Sep 2014
Hands On Exploring the Four New Tables of Zen Pinball 2
The Walking Dead! Guardians of the Galaxy! Deadpool! Doctor Strange!
It's tough for comic book fans these days – movies based on superhero comics are more popular than ever, but the comic books themselves are often lost in the shuffle. Everyone loved The Dark Knight, but have you been reading Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's fantastic run on...
Thursday21st Aug 2014
Interview Zen Studios Outlines Its Ongoing Support for Wii U
"We are aiming for Wii U parity in the future with updates and new tables"
The Wii U eShop has seen a growing library of games from various publishers and developers since the console launched in November 2012, and among the most supportive studios — in terms of the number of titles released — has been Zen Studios. Zen Pinball 2 is one of very...
News Zen Studios Announces Another Three Tables for Zen Pinball 2
Guardians of the Galaxy, Deadpool and Doctor Strange
Zen Pinball 2 remains a unique app on the Wii U eShop, as it's free to download and then offers a range of packs and individual tables to buy. Fans of the game on Wii U have perhaps been frustrated that a number of new tables released elsewhere have failed to materialise, but following up news of...
Wednesday13th Aug 2014
News The Walking Dead's New Table is Shambling Onto Zen Pinball 2 on 28th August
Yep, that's for the Wii U version
Earlier this week Zen Studios clarified to us that pinball news "is coming soon" for Wii U, as we followed up on some vocal discontent that had been expressed by some Nintendo gamers on the developer's forums. The company has been good on its word, having today confirmed that the latest new table in Zen Pinball 2...
Monday11th Aug 2014
News Zen Studios States That Wii U Pinball News is "Coming Soon"
Tells us it remains "committed to supporting players on Wii U"
Last week we were pointed to the Zen Studios forums, in which a few disgruntled gamers voiced unhappiness at a perceived falling away of support for Wii U, especially with a succession of pinball releases and DLC initially skipping Nintendo's system. An administrator on the thread stated...
Tuesday24th Jun 2014
News KickBeat: Special Edition Wii U eShop Trailer Shows Deadly Rhythm
Fresh footage of X-Type Plus and Master Reboot also released
Zen Studios has undoubtedly been one of the most committed download game publishers on the Wii U eShop, releasing multiple games and some DLC on the store. Occasionally the titles have taken a while and not all DLC has made it, yet considering the limited audience up to this point it'd be...
Thursday5th Jun 2014
Wii U release inconclusive
Fans of The Walking Dead are in for a treat with pinball masters Zen Studios announcing it has partnered with the series creator and writer Robert Kirkman, Skybound, and Telltale Games, to release an all-new digital table for Zen Pinball 2 based on the popular episodic game series of the same name. In a true collaborative...
Monday10th Mar 2014
News Zen Studios DLC For Star Wars Pinball and CastleStorm Landing on the Wii U eShop This Week
That's in North America and Europe
Zen Studios has shown solid support for the Wii U eShop to date, releasing multiple titles and accompanying DLC on Nintendo's system. While there have been slight delays to the arrival of DLC, in particular, it's nevertheless pleasing for Wii U owners to get access to all of the content in some of the developer's...
Tuesday25th Feb 2014
News CastleStorm's First DLC Expansion, Outcast to Savior, Assaults the Wii U eShop This Week
Second add-on "The Warrior Queen" still planned
Update: Mel Kirk of Zen Studios has confirmed that this DLC will cost $2.99 / €2.99 / £2.39. Original Article: The arrival of CastleStorm on the Wii U eShop last year likely delighted Nintendo download gamers that had been eagerly anticipating the Zen Studios title; its blend of tower defence and...
Tuesday21st Jan 2014
News Rhythm Fighting Game KickBeat Gets Rated For Wii U
Blood on the dancefloor
A German rating for the Zen Studios "experimental rhythm game" KickBeat suggests that the downloadable PS3 and PS Vita title is headed to the Wii U eShop. This unique brawler combines music with combat action, and boasts a soundtrack packed with songs by artists such as Pendulum, Marilyn Manson, Celldweller, Blue Stahli,...
Monday16th Dec 2013
News CastleStorm Bringing the Battle to Wii U on 26th December
Includes GamePad-only features
After some delay, Zen Studios has now confirmed — after the official Nintendo game page had suggested as much — that CastleStorm will arrive on the Wii U eShop in Europe and North America on 26th December; it'll cost $9.99 / €9.99. This has certainly had our attention for a good while, blending tower-defence...
Saturday7th Dec 2013
News CastleStorm Gets Closer to Storming the Wii U eShop
"It should be ready to rock soon"
Zen Studios, to date, has been supportive of the Wii U eShop in bringing both Zen Pinball 2 and Star Wars Pinball to the platform, but we were starting to wonder whether the promised CastleStorm would ever make an appearance. The good news is that the title appears to be finally approaching release, with the studio...
Friday18th Oct 2013
News Zen Studios Releases A Patch For Star Wars Pinball On 3DS
Those crashing issues should now be no more
Star Wars Pinball was released on Wii U and 3DS earlier this year but unfortunately the handheld version was liable to crash at certain points. Indeed, as we detailed in our review when you head over to the leaderboards the game simply stalls and throws you to the 3DS menu. It's fair to say we were a tad...
Sunday13th Oct 2013
News Doctor Strange Table on the Way to Zen Pinball 2
Marvel-lous
Zen Pinball 2 is a title that offers plenty of excellent tables on Wii U, with various individual options and sets that can be picked up. That DLC model opens up the possibilities for more content, of course, and it seems that Zen Studios is keen to keep Wii U owners in the loop. The studio has confirmed that it's bringing a Doctor...
Friday13th Sep 2013
News Star Wars Pinball Bringing the Force to 3DS on 19th September
Includes the three original tables
Earlier in the Summer there was a disturbance on the Force, and we discovered that Star Wars Pinball was coming to the 3DS eShop. Zen Studios has now struck down the ratings agencies — though they may come back stronger than can possibly be imagined — and confirmed that the title will indeed arrive on the 3DS...
Tuesday10th Sep 2013
News Zen Studios Confirms Star Wars Pinball: Balance of the Force DLC Pack for Fall
Three new tables included
Zen Studios has released details on more tables to fill some of those empty spaces in Star Wars: Pinball; it's a pack of three tables called Balance of the Force. In its press release the developer has promised that the pack "will integrate seamlessly into existing Star Wars Pinball games and Zen Studios pinball platforms...
Wednesday7th Aug 2013
News German Rating For CastleStorm On Wii U Hints At Impending Release
Ready the siege engines
Zen Studios hinted that CastleStorm would be coming to Nintendo platforms some time ago, with Wii U and 3DS versions seemingly on the cards. That was last year, and since then the company has been very quiet about the game. However, a recent listing for the Wii U version (along
Sunday14th Jul 2013
News Zen Studios Would Love To Make An Indiana Jones Themed Pinball Game
You'd better get running, Indy
Zen Studios released Star Wars Pinball onto the Wii U eShop last week - the latest in its series of pinball titles - and we rather enjoyed it as we explained in our review. The developer is behind such titles as the free to play Zen Pinball 2 for the Wii U eShop and Marvel Pinball 3D
Monday24th Jun 2013
News Star Wars Pinball Bringing the Force to Wii U on 11th July
Patience, padawan
When Zen Pinball 2 was released earlier this year, there was a delay before it landed in North America, while Wii U fans were disappointed to miss out on the Star Wars tables as DLC. It may have taken a while, and they've already been available on every other platform for a good amount of time, but it's been confirmed that Star...
Monday29th Apr 2013
News Zen Studios Working on Star Wars Tables for Zen Pinball 2 on Wii U
Still seeking the Force
Zen Pinball 2 has been available on the Wii U for a good while now, but eager fans will have noticed the absence of the most recent high profile tables to grace rival platforms — those from the Star Wars franchise. The offering on Wii U has a good range, but it's seemed like another piece of DLC that's been left out on...
Thursday14th Mar 2013
News Zen Pinball 2 Launches Into North America on 21st March
The wait is nearly over
Every week with Nintendo Download updates for both North America and Europe, there are games that are eagerly awaited and seem to be perpetually missing. It can be frustrating, but one wait being endured by North American Wii U owners is almost at an end — Zen Studios has confirmed that Zen Pinball 2 will arrive on the Wii...
Monday11th Feb 2013
News Zen Studios Announces New Star Wars Pinball DLC
The force is strong with Wii U
Zen Studios has announced on its blog that it will be bringing new Star Wars themed pinball tables as DLC for Xbox Live Arcade's Pinball FX2 and PSN's Zen Pinball 2. There was no mention of Wii U, but fortunately it seems it will be coming to Nintendo's eShop after all as DLC for Zen Pinball 2. As you would expect,...
Tuesday29th Jan 2013
News Zen Studios Confirms Zen Pinball 2 Launch Tables
25 either bundled or on individual sale
Ahead of its release in Europe this week and its arrival "very soon" in North America, Zen Studios has published the list of day one content for Zen Pinball 2 on the Wii U eShop. As expected, with the format following that seen on other consoles — a free download with demos of tables and DLC packages —...
