Reviewing (mostly) every game (or DLC) in my library, part 663:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆☆☆☆ (6/10)
[i]Quarantine Zone: The Last Check[/i] ("QZ") ain't [i]Papers, Please[/i], nor is it even [i]Contraband Police[/i]. But it is a casual, fun, well-paced checkpoint simulation with plenty of tools to fiddle around with. (And it runs pretty well on Steam Deck!) Sure, the base-building is on the easy side, the tower defense aspect is a bit puzzling, and the voice lines and character appearances repeat, but I had a solid ~10 hours of fun (ignore the weird playtime). I was ready to give the game an 8/10 except ... the more I played, the more I noticed something. Bugs and glitches slowly crept in. 🤔 Little things, like characters getting stuck or rats glitching out, which I could ignore. But for some reason, whenever I switched to the X-ray scanner—a tool you're given—I got softlocked because I couldn't interact with [i]anything.[/i] The game refused to recognize any buttons I pressed, even though I could still use my joysticks to move around. Most bugs are solved by restarting the day, but that removes your progress. Still, I pushed through until this soft-locking issue happened randomly again for a second time—then a third time. As you progress through the game, the days get more complex and longer, so I got too frustrated to continue at Day 21.
[b][h2]Pros:[/h2][/b]
✅ [b]Wide variety of tools.[/b] Let's see, you get a Scanner, UV Light, Thermopulsometer, Reflex Hammer, X-ray, Matteoscope, and, of course, a pistol. Each tool will have 3-5 symptoms you're required to classify, as well as about a dozen facial or bodily deformities you can spot. And even one symptom can be a sign of a zombie!
✅ [b]Good pacing and difficulty.[/b] I liked how the game gradually introduced new rules, tools, and complications instead of dumping everything on you at once. The first few days are pretty simple, but things slowly get more involved as you learn the ropes. By the later days, there's a lot more to keep track of, but I never felt like the game was deliberately screwing me over. (Well, except for the bugs.)
✅ [b]Runs well on Steam Deck.[/b] I played most of QZ on Steam Deck and, thankfully, had no real performance complaints. I got about 30 FPS with a mixture of Medium to High settings.
✅ [b]Playing judge, jury, and executioner.[/b] Look, there's something really fun about being the person who gets to decide who does and doesn't get through the checkpoint. I must admit I get a little sadistic thrill going "Quarantine! Liquidation! Lab! Survivor!" whilst people are begging me for their freedom. Hell, I'll shoot the poor bastard myself. Sure, sometimes it's obvious who's shady, but other times you actually have to pay attention and make a judgment call. It's a simple premise, but it's satisfying!
✅ [b]Good length.[/b] I got around 10 hours out of QZ, which felt like a pretty good amount of time for the game. There's enough here for the checkpoint mechanics to get progressively more complicated without the game dragging on forever. Honestly, I probably would've been pretty happy with the length if I hadn't stopped at Day 21 because of the bugs.
[b][h2]Mixed:[/h2][/b]
🟨 [b]Base-building.[/b] The base-building is a nice idea in theory, but it's very simple compared to the checkpoint gameplay. You can spend resources on various helpful upgrades and improvements, such as being able to Quarantine a larger number of prisoners—er, people—or your Checkpoint alerting you to contraband. But honestly, it mostly feels like a secondary progression system rather than a substantial part of the game. I never worried about money, thanks to the QZ giving you a generous salary for doing your job, and I didn't mind having it, but I also never found myself particularly excited to return to it.
🟨 [b]Tower defense mini-game.[/b] This was a bit of a strange addition. I don't necessarily mind the idea of having something that breaks up the checkpoint gameplay every so often, but having to fight off two waves of zombies with missiles, bombs, machine guns, a drone, and an RPG was a bit immersion-breaking, I must admit.
[b][h2]Cons:[/h2][/b]
🟥 [b]🐛🐛🐛.[/b] As I said, I had some weird bugs and eventual soft locks. Characters would fall to the ground and not get back up when hit (a gunshot to the temple would solve this). The scanner wouldn't work until I stepped back, then forward. Rats would clump together, scurry on the floor, before glitching out, jerking to a complete stop. And, of course, the softlock mentioned.
🟥 [b]Some reused assets.[/b] Not a huge issue on its own, but character appearances and voice lines repeat frequently enough that it becomes more noticeable the longer you play.
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If you enjoyed this review, please check out my curator page to find more: [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45814768-Verdict-Play-or-Pass/]Verdict: Play or Pass.[/url] Also, please leave a like and visit [url=https://steamcommunity.com/groups/Indie_Gems]IndieGems[/url] and our [url=https://www.youtube.com/@IndieGems2]YouTube channel[/url] for more reviews like this one.
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