[b][quote][url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asset_flip]Warning: Asset Flip![/url][/quote][/b]
Zig Zag Jump: Fantasy Challenge is a Unity Asset flip, what Valve calls a "fake game". The "developer", Lucas Inojosa, took the [url=https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/3d/characters/zigzag-endless-runner-complete-game-template-54018]ZigZag Endless Runner [/url] Unity Store game assets from the real developers, Mario Ostwald, changed the name, and dumped the result onto Steam. The only minor differences is that he changed one or two assets and added a "jump" mechanic and some hoops... that's it. They're attempting to scam people into buying this, so they can get your money for someone else's work.
It gets worse... "ZigZag Endless Runner " has also been shamelessly dumped on Steam by other asset flippers apart from Lucas Inojosa:
[list]
[*] "[url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/1623220]Ball Twist[/url]", asset flipped by QuickBobber
[/list]
Take a look for yourself... it's [i]exactly the same game![/i]
The products that result from asset flips aren't "real" games. They lack depth and content, because they're just simplistic copies of demos or tutorials. In this case, "ZigZag Endless Runner " is just a Unity asset pack for a minimalist endless runner mobile app, and doesn't have any merit as a proper, fully fledged PC game, so this copy+paste of it can't be recommended.
Asset flips don't involve any professional game development. Sure, sometimes they may change a few cosmetic things, swap out different assets etc, but at heart it's functionally identical to the asset they're ripping off.
Asset flips like this are harmful to the gaming industry and to Steam because they reduce the visibility that sincerely made indie games should have, and make it harder for gamers to find real games from genuine developers.
Don't reward this morally bankrupt, unethical behaviour from Lucas Inojosa.
[quote][b][url=https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/marketing/profile]Profile Features Limited![/url][/b]
Valve have marked this game as "Profile Features Limited" at the time of this review. This is usually caused by poor sales figures and low community acceptance for the game (to date). Until this status changes, this game will not give you +1 to your Game Collector badge count, appear in profile achievements or any other Steam meta-accomplishments, nor can it be displayed in some profile showcases. If these factors are important to you, it may be worth holding off before buying this game.[/quote]
[quote][url=https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/reviews]Developer Response![/url][/quote]The developer has weighed in to inform everyone they didn't read the [url=https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/reviews]Developer Usage Rules[/url] for Steam "partners", or they deliberately ignored the part where Valve says:
[quote]Though it may be tempting, not every review needs to be responded to. A developer response will frequently draw more attention than the original statement, potentially turning a small issue into a much larger community discussion. It's also not a good idea to use this feature to refute customer opinions. Your direct attention can be seen as validation or a defensive attempt to silence your customers.[/quote]
So this must be some kind of joke or something... the developer demands that he didn't follow anyone else's code samples, tutorials, or just, you know, rip the entire Unity asset and slap his own name on it, instead he worked very hard and came up with something that is purely co-incidentally 1:1 identical to a Unity asset, just by pure random chance. Smells a lot like bullcrap to me.
And here's the thing... since the developer decided he felt like breaching Valve guidelines to protest his innocence (far too much, but that's what a guilty conscience will do), I took at look at the developers other "game", and wow... just wow. We're supposed to expect this guy who can barely come up with a 2D iso one button zig-zagger is also an accomplished 3D professional modeler who created realistic gun models and built his own FPS engine and assets from scratch... hahaha, I can't even keep a straight face. One look at "Project 1337" and it's obvious we're dealing with an asset flipper.
These asset flippers can't stop themselves from self-incriminating. Why? Who knows, greed probably, or badly malfunctioning egos.
Regardless, what's important is that you, the gamer, gets informed about these kinds of things, and you can clearly see the developer is simply full of crap. Take a look at the ZigZag Endless Runner asset pack and this train wreck of an asset flip, compare that to the obviously dishonest and false representations from this "developer", and it's easy to see for yourself why you wouldn't ever want to buy any of his asset flips.
Nothing in the developers pointless breach of Valve guidelines changes any of the objective facts of my review. My review stands unaltered. I cannot recommend this asset flip to anyone.
