Zoo Keeper Battle is a highly addictive tile-sliding puzzle game available for Android and iPhone. Players must match 3 of the same tiles, which take on the form of various animals, to eliminate them from the board. Removing animals from the board contributes towards your Attack and Defense points, which are used to battle your opponent until only one Zoo Keeper is left standing.
The game couldn’t be any easier to play but I have been reading some user reviews from the Google Play Store and I have come across a series of complaints that would cripple the game to its knees if the developer decided to succumb to the pressure.
Losing Too Easily
Zoo Keeper Battle relies on experience, an eager eye and a quick trigger finger. It is possible to beat your opponent in one round without taking any damage. From the loser’s perspective this looks as if the other player is cheating or has a board of tiles where the animals are grouped closer together.
This is not the case. Both players are given the exact same board of tiles. That’s as fair as Zoo Keeper Battle can get. There are special item panels that appear at random that can give one player the upper-hand, but this is entirely coincidental and not cheating.
So if you lose too easily it’s because you’re not using the item panels effectively or you’re not as experienced/quick as your competition.
Paying For Power Bottles
Zoo Keeper Battle is free to download and play but it does have its restrictions. Players can play the ‘Vs’ mode twice before they have to wait for up to ten minutes before they can play another two games. Alternatively, you can buy Power Bottles which will give you up to six games.
This is because Zoo Keeper Battle operates on a freemium business model. If you want to play for free you are restricted by a time limit and a total of available plays. If you are impatient you can make micro-transactions to skip the time restrictions and get an extra four plays.
Paying for Power Bottles is how you get the most out of the game. The developer isn’t going to give you unlimited access for free. You’re a consumer, not their spouse.
The Screen Going Grey
Every game has its added little bonuses that people can use to their advantage. Zoo Keeper Battle is no different. I mentioned the special item panels above. One of these is a bucket of mud that turns your opponent’s screen completely grey for a few seconds of gameplay.
I hate being ‘greyed’ but at least I understand its purpose. The idea of these special item panels is to aid you in your conquest, but they can also hinder your victory because your enemy can also use special item panels. It adds ease and difficulty at the same time.
I can’t stress enough that Zoo Keeper Battle is a freemium game. Players have the option to buy brushes to sweep off the mud in an instant. You can wait it out and lose precious seconds, or you can help fund the game by actually paying for it and using that to your advantage.
Spamming Menu Screens
When you first open up the Zoo Keeper Battle app you’re bombarded by notifications that inform the player of current tournaments, promotions and special events.
Complaining about this is the most pompous complaint of all. It literally takes three seconds to click the big ‘OK’ button. Click, click, click, done! Menu screens over.
It’s not even spam. As far as the game is concerned you haven’t connected to the server yet, so these pop-up menu notifications are for your own benefit. They’re like news bulletins that inform the gamer of what’s going on.
I don’t even read them. You can view the event screens whenever you want from the main menu so I suppose they serve as little purpose, but they are so insignificant to the game that it’s not even worth complaining about.
– Lee Chesnalavage