Latest 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...
Review Disco Dodgeball - REMIX (Switch eShop)
If you can dodge a wrench
Breaking away from its custom of pumping out pinball titles at an impressive rate, Zen Studios has decided to bring Robot Roller-Derby Disco Dodgeball back to life but with a much snappier name. The first iteration saw release on PC three years ago and now Switch owners can join in with minimal differences from...
Review Pinball FX3 (Switch eShop)
The definitive pinball title
The free-to-download series Pinball FX has gone from strength to strength over the years, acquiring many famous licenses at an increased rate while slowly refining the overall quality of the experience as each new entry is released. As old-fashioned as pinball now is in the 21st century, the effort Zen Studios...
Review Infinite Minigolf (Switch eShop)
Better than par?
Zen Studios is undoubtedly best known for its pinball games and 'platforms', honing online systems and gameplay over the years. It's a company with an eye for stylish representations of some of the most simple but addictive pastimes, and its latest effort is Infinite Minigolf. Thankfully the name isn't suggesting questionable...
Review KickBeat: Special Edition (Wii U eShop)
The first Wii U title to feature Papa Roach!
After reviewing the newest tables for its meticulously-detailed Zen Pinball 2, we were in for a totally different experience from Budapest-based Zen Studios when KickBeat: Special Edition hit the eShop. Rather than a realistic recreation of a real-life activity, KickBeat is a zany martial arts rhythm
Latest Zen Studios Articles
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...
News Star Trek: The Next Generation Boldly Bounces Into Pinball FX's New Table DLC
An Enterprising addition
[video: The music in this trailer is some generic Trek-like fare, but don't worry — the proper TNG theme is present and correct in the game itself. 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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
"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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
News Star Trek: The Next Generation Boldly Bounces Into Pinball FX's New Table DLC
An Enterprising addition
[video: The music in this trailer is some generic Trek-like fare, but don't worry — the proper TNG theme is present and correct in the game itself. 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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
"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...
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...
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...
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...