Zoe Begone

Zoe Begone is a fast-action shooting game set in a cartoon world where you battle the animator for a bit of peace and quiet. To play you run around the level, shooting enemies and dodging the hundreds of bullets they shoot back. It stands out for its wholesome cartoon aesthetic unusually combined with hard-core bullet-hell dodging and run-and-gun shooting.

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You play Zoe, who just wants some rest but has to battle her cartoon creator who keeps painting enemies and being generally annoying. It's a frantic experience that combines the run-and-gun mechanics of Metal Slug with the infinite loops and shmup-ing of Resogun.

As you progress you learn how to slow the animator by destroying their tools, blasting their creations and collecting power-ups. Using one stick to aim and the other to move, you reclaim your serene surroundings and help Zoe get back to normality. It's not easy but as you build expertise you can chain multipliers by taking out enemies in quick succession, reclaim territory for more bonuses and find the best weapons for your style of play.

The result is a game that looks cute but plays hard. It offers a challenge for seasoned players, but also a nice way into what can be an intimidating game style to get used to.

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Our examiner, Andy Robertson, first checked Zoe Begone 6 months ago. It was re-examined by Jo Robertson and updated 3 weeks ago.