Zoominoes is the latest indie deckbuilder to build momentum with its promise of tight strategy and a progressively emerging challenge, and we spent some time with it prior to release to give our initial impressions of the game.
Is this likely to be the next hot deckbuilder craze, and is the game really built to last? Read on to find out.
Zoomies gameplay and setup, explained
Gameplay in Zoominoes is easy enough to understand, so much so that most players should be able to jump in with minimal instruction. Players wield a “deck” made up of animals that each have different scores and attributes. Animals from this deck must be played to total up a set score within a limited number of turns.
Animals are played onto a grid, generally starting from the center. This grid starts by featuring a few bonus positions spread across its surface, and these positions may change and evolve over the course of the game. Animals must typically played in connection to another sufficiently similar animal, thus the titular connection to dominoes, a classic game that makes use of a similar mechanic.
These connections are established through the animals’ types. Colors and origin are the main types. There are several base colors in the game, plus a couple of niche colors that may pop up as games progress. Origin types simply split animals between land, sea, and air, with an icon identifying each.
With each round won, players are given the opportunity to add new animals to their deck, as well as use coins gained from play to purchase items that directly improve their deck and playing strategy.
This process of accruing new animals and making changes to one’s deck, and to the general state of the game, is at the heart of Zoominoes. It should be immediately familiar to roguelike players of all stripes, not just deckbuilder fans. Decks and boards must be improved in order to tackle the increasingly demanding point total goals of subsequent rounds of play.
Assembling a strong deck that can really hit its stride and produce big numbers is immediately fun, but it can also feel inconsistent. The same goes for the game’s items, which are split into two categories: souvenirs and snacks.
Souvenirs confer persistent benefits to the player, while snacks are one-time use items that directly affect animals. Some items feel so useful as to immediately and dramatically improve a deck’s outlook, while many others seem marginal at best.
The field of play sometimes changes all on its own, presenting varied challenges in doing so. These break up the typical play loop nicely, though they weren’t all necessarily as fun as the basic playing board.
Zoominoes presents as a cute and challenging new deckbuilder
The challenge imposed by the ramping points demands in Zoominoes is no joke. Numbers are low early on, but can ramp up dramatically later in a way that reminds us of Balatro. And similar to that game, seemingly overpowered combos will eventually prove downright necessary to best the game’s stiffest tests.
How this challenge holds up in the final release of the game remains to be seen. We were able to secure a victory in just our second attempt, though the new difficult level we unlocked with that win was immediately more challenging. Maintaining this bridge of difficulty without making things so tight as to be frustrating will be important for Zoominoes to hold up to extended play, and is something beyond what our initial impressions could deduce.
The game’s presentation isn’t anything elaborate, as the animals are all represented by static art and sound effects are minimal. The game is still quite cute, however, with charming art and a generally welcoming vibe that’s inspired by its jaunty music and colorful playing field. Everything feels nice and snappy, and it’s easy to see the game welcoming a long play session if the gameplay can justify it.
Zoominoes is set for a July 30, 2026 release date, and its demo is available now on Steam.
