
USSR, 1986. A girl goes missing in the closed city of Vorkuta-5, yet not a soul seems to be concerned. Uncover the mystery behind her disappearance and transmit your signal to the universe.
Revenue comes from in-game items and microtransactions, which our price-based model doesn't estimate. The player count below is how many people own it, not what they spent.
About
USSR, 1986. When Ira Grachevskaya goes missing in the closed city of Vorkuta-5, not a soul seems to be concerned – except for the quiet outcast Asya Shubina, that is. Uncover the mystery behind Ira’s disappearance, transmit your radio signal to the universe and learn why a bird flies past the window.
Meet the cast.

A problem child and a truant, Ira doesn't have the best reputation. Her standoffish demeanor makes her difficult to talk to, especially for someone as meek as you. There is a rumour she's been meeting with an older man.

Marina's carefree personality makes her quite popular among her classmates. Adults don't seem to like her very much, probably due to poor grades. Despite the girl's outgoing nature, her worldview is rather cynical.

A boy with an unpleasant sense of humour. Likes picking on people weaker than him, namely you. His family has been a little out of it the past few weeks.

You. Not worth writing about.
Z.A.T.O. is a linear visual novel with roughly 7-8 hours of playtime. There are no choices. The ending is predetermined. Sit back and enjoy your time in a town that doesn't exist.
DISCLAIMER: the game contains strong language, loud noises and flickering images.
Genres
Stats
Languages: English
Engagement
Reviews
Themes across 1912 recent reviews and how positive each mention is. A keyword signal, not full sentiment analysis.
Reviews
神作,甚至免费
Не умею я нормально писать отзывы. Скажем просто. Игра стоит потраченного времени. Если есть время, советую попробовать тем, кто еще не пробовал. [spoiler] Момент с Кодом мне норм, я довольно открыт к фантастике. Не очень понимаю претензии к нему. [/spoiler]
Great game, felt like it had something to say and get off its chest (haha) as opposed to a lot of modern indie titles which feel made for the sake of profit and popularity. Felt like I was a kid again reading books in the library, looking up things I didn't know (learnt a lot about Pavlichenko, very interesting story), and enjoyed some of the more poignant metaphors offered, like [spoiler]the American movie and the frosted living room doors.[/spoiler] [spoiler]I enjoyed the vagueness of the bird; I interpreted it as a measurement of progress being made by the research team, though it may just correlate with Asya herself. "A bird flies past the window three times" really sent a chill up my spine; it really nailed home that it wasn't all in her head after all.[/spoiler] The music may have been royalty free but it was fantastic and suited the mood really well. That combined with the simple, blunt, yet elegant white font, the fitting black borders reminiscent of the polar night, and the posterized (not quite) monocolour photos really created a perfect atmosphere to step into Asya's shoes. :steamhappy:
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Hours played at review time, across 1.9K reviews with recorded playtime.
positive critical· bar length = how often the theme comes up
я люблю z.a.t.o. и всё в ней
me encanto la historia, encima gratis. 10/10
gino bading
Third act gets a bit too literalist denpa but i really like the characters and ending, for a short free VN its something ill be thinking about for a while
"This world is way too gentle. It's been too kind to an ungrateful brat like me," This is the best game I've ever played. It's free. It's six hours. I beg anyone who's reading this and hasn't played the game to give it a chance. I cannot recommend it enough. I love the world and everything in it.
ive never felt this represented in my entirte life asya is literally me in ways you cant desdcribe ikm going to envelop everyone i am the sun i am the sun i am the sun im chuunibyouing OUT ily asya ur so amazing
A true labor of love with beautiful art and unique style. I love this game and everything in it, and I can't believe it's free.
Active players
Estimated daily and monthly active players (DAU/MAU) modeled from peak concurrency.
Players by region
Where this game's players are, estimated from review languages.
Players also reviewed
The games this title's players most often review too — audience affinity.
Related
| Game | Estimated lifetime revenue | Reviews | Review score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2.8M | 6.7K | 95% | $24.99 | |
| — | 0 | — | — | |
| $0 | 275 | 98% | Free | |
| — | 0 | — | $4.24 | |
| $135.9K | 1.1K | 98% | $7.99 | |
| $94K | 908 | 92% | $7.99 |