Zoonomaly is a puzzle-based horror game that takes place within the grounds of a zoo where strange events have occurred. The player enters this closed environment to investigate the sudden appearance of hostile creatures and uncover the source of their presence. Progress in the game depends on solving puzzles located in various animal enclosures. Each completed puzzle rewards the player with a key shard, and collecting all of them allows access to the final area, where the origin of the anomalies can be revealed.
Exploration And Environment
The zoo is presented as an open-world area where the player is free to move in any direction and approach the objectives in a nonlinear order. Each section of the zoo contains different enclosures, structures, and roaming threats. While navigating the space, players must pay close attention to visual cues and unusual behavior in the environment. Monsters roam freely and are not bound to specific zones, which makes every encounter unpredictable. Strategic planning and careful movement are required to avoid detection.
Tools, Threats, And Progression
The player has access to several key features:
· A Bloom O’Bang device that reveals hidden monster presence
· Maze-like animal enclosures with puzzle-based progression
· Roaming monsters that cannot be eliminated
· A master key that must be assembled from shards
· A non-linear path structure encouraging open exploration
Each of these tools and systems plays a role in completing the overall objective while avoiding direct confrontation.
Puzzle Structure And Key Shards
Inside each enclosure, the player must complete a puzzle to earn a key shard. These puzzles vary in style and complexity, often requiring attention to detail or the manipulation of environmental objects. Some involve pattern recognition or object placement, while others require logical reasoning. The key shards are not hidden arbitrarily but are locked behind problem-solving tasks. Solving every puzzle is essential to unlocking the final encounter area, where the game reaches its conclusion.
Zoonomaly offers a structured mix of exploration, avoidance-based horror, and problem-solving. Its lack of linearity allows players to tackle challenges in the order they choose, adding replay value and encouraging experimentation. With permanent threats, limited tools, and an emphasis on discovery, the game focuses on maintaining tension through isolation and unpredictability. The result is a contained but flexible experience built around movement, puzzles, and decision-making inside a space that was never meant to be safe.
