ZOE Begone!

ZOE Begone!

Released Sep 2025

A frenetic hand-drawn bullet hell shooter, blending run-and-gun mechanics with classic shmup action in looping arenas. Inspired by drawn-on-film animation of the 1930's - shoot, dash and pound your way through the Animator's creations.

99% positive · 148 reviews
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence

Where to buy

Steam $9.99
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Evaluation

ZOE Begone! launched on September 17, 2025 after years of solo development by Retchy Games. As far back as May 31, 2024, developer Graeme posted that he was "pretty much done with development," signaling the game was being finished as a complete package rather than an evolving live product. The game released with 5 stages, 3 modes, and 3 difficulty settings — a well-defined, self-contained feature set. A small bug-fix patch followed on September 23, 2025, addressing minor post-launch issues. The only DLC listed is a soundtrack, which released alongside the game on September 17, 2025. There are no unreleased DLC entries, no announced future expansions or updates, and no roadmap for additional content. The developer has not communicated any plans for post-launch content additions beyond what shipped at launch.
Evidence
Game launched on September 17, 2025 with 5 stages, 3 modes, and 3 difficulty settings — presented as a complete release.
news post · Sep 17, 2025 source content shipped
high
Developer stated he was 'pretty much done with development' while announcing new key art, signaling the game was being wrapped up as a finished product.
news post · May 31, 2024 source development ending
high

Content

1 of 1 released · no outstanding content
Released
Sep 2025

Media

Details

Developer
Publisher
PM Studios, Inc.
Achievements
55
Platform
Windows
Controller
full support
Steam Deck
Verified
Players
Single-player

About this game

ZOE Begone! is a frenetic hand-drawn bullet hell arcade shooter, blending run-and-gun mechanics with classic shmup action in looping arenas. Inspired by drawn-on-film animation of the 1930s - shoot, dash and pound your way through the Animator's creations.

All Zoe wants is some peace and quiet, but she's gonna have to deal with the pesky animator before she'll be able to get some rest.

Destroy the animator's tools, blast their creations to bits, collect Apples to spend on Power Ups, rack up your multiplier, and reclaim your serene surroundings to help Zoe get back to normality as fast as you can (and bag yourself a high score in the process)!

  • Single Player shmup action!

  • 3 game modes.

  • 3 difficulty settings.

  • Online Leaderboards!

  • Power ups and upgrades!

  • Enemy chain scoring system.

  • Unique art styles and enemy designs for each level.

  • Loads of hand animated enemies!

  • Awesome Boogie soundtrack!

  • Gamepad / Keyboard support.

  • Twin stick style controls.

Shoot, dash and pound your way to the end of each level and take out the Animator's tools!

  • Kill the Animator's enemies as quickly as you can to advance each level.

  • Collect Apples from fallen foes to spend on upgrades and weapons in between reels.

  • Pop the dots to refill your energy so you can keep on dashing.

Race against the clock to beat the Animator within the time limit!

  • Dash and pound through chains of enemies to spawn extra time tokens.

  • Complete the mini boss challenges to gain extra seconds.

  • There's no time for the Shop - pop the item bubbles instead to power up!

Fight off everything the animator has to throw at you in an extended boss rush!

  • Take on the ultimate challenge and defeat the Animator once and for all.

  • All the boss attacks mixed up into one epic fight.

Compete for the high scores on the online leaderboards!

  • Online and local leaderboards for each mode and difficulty.

  • Be aggressive with your dash and pound attacks to gain higher scores.

  • Build up your chain multiplier by taking out enemies in quick succession.

  • Fly, dash and pound your way to the next enemy to maintain the multiplier chain.

  • Reclaim territory and take out the boss as quickly as possible for end of level bonus points.

Collect Apples and spend them in the power up shops that pop up between reels!

  • Upgrade your base gun to permanently power up your shots for the run.

  • Special weapons improve your chances, but make sure to keep your ammo topped up.

  • Level up your speed to get to enemies quicker.

  • Buy a shield for some extra hit points.

  • Upgrade your apple suck range so you can buy more stuff!

55 Steam achievements to unlock!

  • Challenge yourself to accomplish some of the game's toughest feats.

Last evaluated Jun 25, 2026
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