Zeno Clash is...weird. Weird in a good way, a great way, a wonderful way. The look, the feel, the places you go and see, the characters you encounter are truly the highlight of this game. The combat however was less enjoyable than it should have been.
The game is simple. You play as Ghat, you killed your Father-Mother, and as a result your brothers and sisters are chasing after you. Also you have a nice looking and determined lady friend, Deadra, running with you. Simple right? Actually I still maintain that assertion because this world seems steeped in an ancient way of doing things. Simple machines, simple weapons, simple people, simple conflicts. After all this a classic tale of familial revenge told for millennia, except that it's from the other side. Also hermaphroditic bird monsters and animal-men.
Before I get to the good stuff I want to talk about the big let down for me. The melee action isn't the problem because the system is there and it works great. And when it works and you're responsible for making it work, the feeling of satisfaction is as it should be. There were occasional moments in the game where I truly felt in control and was kicking ass. However most of the time the combat felt like a chore because the defense mechanic was kinda shoddy. Making dodging a directional modifier of blocking was a mistake. This weird truncation never felt right and brought down the offensive part of the combat as well. After all if you're stucking fumbling with blocks and dodges, you're not really throwing out the punches so much. More time was spent recovering from enemy hits and getting my head around the defensive controls than actually enjoying the combat. Which is a shame because the offense is truly satisfying. Getting one over those mutha fuckas feels as good as saying mutha fuckas while punching one.
In keeping with this "defense needs some work" theme, another thing that might have helped if not save the combat was better attack indicators. This mechanic was nearly perfected by Batman Arkham Asylum and it would have been a welcome addition. Somewhat shoddy defense with inconsistent enemy attack timing meant I got my ass beat when I felt it shouldn't. The other half of the combat is much simpler and by default less frustrating. Actually shooting those bizarre weapons was hell of a lot of fun when wrapped in that beautiful art style. Far too simple to have been the main gameplay but still a very nice addition. However the reload time leaves you so vulnerable that it's not even worth it when fighting against enemies. After emptying a clip just toss the weapon and throw down because if they pick it up, they'll automatically reload it and you can just pick it up soon after and shoot once again. Unfortunately I didn't learn this crucial fact until my time was done with this game, but man what time it was.
Now for the good bits. The great bits. The bits that coupled with a not totally frustrating or boring combat mechanic, makes this game fucking awe-inspiring. Yes it got to that level at one point. There's an ethereal and almost mythological element to this world that feels ancient. Like if we took all those pre-historic ideas about the mysteries of the world and mixed them right in with how that world physically looked. As a result you get that pre-historic bone style but also a cosmic slurry at the end of the world. Not apocalypse but falling off the edge if you go too far end of the world. There's a dreamlike quality to certain sequences that feel like at any moment the personification of life, death, sleep, or time could show up. They never did but evoking a sort of classical wonderment is this game's well deserved achievement. The characters aren't just cavemen either, motivating the blood feud and running away rather nicely. Ghat is a former Cormid, basically a beast/heathen tribe who do things as they do for reason they feel they must do. If that means killing, eating, or dieing so be it and all the other Cormids accept this. We're lucky that Ghat didn't feel like it anymore and decided to address the problem of Father-Mother and his/her secret he can't let go. He must stop Father-Mother for doing what she/he does despite never telling anyone why. Deadra is a good companion, who asks realistic questions and isn't just some weirdo freak. In fact all of the character operate on a consistent logic that gives the world some sense despite the chaos that it may look like.
The game looks and feels great but the gameplay was unfortunately more of a tolerance than it should have been. Despite the clunky letdowns here and there from the combat, I can't deny how good everything else is. I would definitely recommend a playthrough, especially if you don't run into the same defense issue I did. However I wouldn't say it's worth playing any more than it needs to be.