Table of Contents
About Family Zoo: The Story
I downloaded the game last year. I play the game on my Android smartphone, and I played the game on Facebook sometimes as well. There are two types of levels you can play.
I am on level 109 at the time of writing this review.
Gameplay Review
This Is a Match Three Puzzle Game
You beat levels to collect items to progress in the story. You need to beat each level with a limited number of moves.
This Game Feels Great
Family Zoo: The Story feels nice to play. This game has a powerup system that requires you to move powerups to use them. This system requires a somewhat different strategy.
The Story in the Game Is Boring
So with a name like Family Zoo: The Story, I expect a strong emphasis on story. So far, the story has been pretty uninteresting to me. Maybe I don’t care much about zoos.
All I can say is there has been nothing compelling in this story. Nothing keeps me wanting to come back to find out more.
I play more levels because the game is fun, not because I want to learn more about the story.
I Mostly Ignore the Story
I horde the story progression items until I have a lot, and then I make the story progress. I suppose the game does give you rewards for beating some story segments, so that makes it worthwhile.
There Needs to Be Less Tasks and More Interesting Tasks
If you are going to have players beat levels to complete tasks, then the tasks need to be meaningful. I think this issue can be solved by merging some of the very small tasks into one or not having them, to begin with.
I Like the in Game Events
I like the events in this game. They feel worthwhile, and it feels a lot more fun to play during them. There are multiple event types, and I like this as well.
Presentation Review
I Don’t Like the 3D Models
I am not a fan of 3D models in mobile games. A lot of the times they end be looking very simple and lack the details of 2D graphics.
Family Zoo: The Story looks OK. The models are not too bad, but they don’t look amazing. I imagine this is because of needing to program for many devices and needing the game to look good on them all.
The Play Area Looks Good
The game area looks great. I like fruit pieces and puzzle elements, and the matching animations and powerups also look nice.
The Audio Is This Game Does Not Excite
Family Zoo: The Story feels the same with sounds or without them. The sounds are OK, but they don’t add much to the experience. The music is OK, I guess. I don’t have too strong of an opinion about it.
How Does This Game Get You to Spend Money?
The Game Sells a Currency
There are the usual bundles and in game currency here. You can buy boosters and powerups. You can continue in levels after you lose.
Is This Game Fair for People Who Don’t Spend Money?
You do not need to spend money on this game. Even if you are very stuck on a level, you should have enough free coins or powerups to beat the level eventually.
Family Zoo: The Story is pretty fair about giving you free coins, boosters, and powerups. I mostly only use these resources on the hardest of levels, and things are going well.
Annoyance Level Review
Story Progression Is Slow
The story progresses far too slowly. The game teases you with being able to see lions and other zoo animals, but you first need to beat tens of levels to see them.
If I did care about seeing and taking care of the critters in the game, I would be disappointed at how often you get new ones.
The Game Takes a While to Load for the First Time
One thing I noticed as well is that the game takes a while to load for the first time. I imagine this is because of the 3D elements. It is possible the game loads faster on newer and better phones, and mine is slow.
The Game Makes You Wait to Play It More
I am tired of the life system most games have. I want to choose how long to play a game
Overall Thoughts on Family Zoo: The Story
Family Zoo: The Story is a very fun game to play. I am not a fan of the story, but the game does a lot of things right that other match three games don’t.
Do I Recommend Family Zoo: The Story?
If you like match three games, you probably will like this game. But if you want a game with a more active story, look for other mobile games.
Will I Play Family Zoo: The Story After Reviewing It?
While I am not currently playing this game anymore I do sometimes like to go back to past games I have played to see if I still like them. So maybe.