The evolution of survival horror, while varied, has ultimately always ended up at the same point. From the more action-focused spectacle to the first-person hide and seek. The genre is seemingly always in flux in one way or another. But no matter what, it also comes back to fixed camera angles and debates over tank controls.
Ground Zero is very much a modern game, forged in the belly of the ‘old school.’ While the temptation is always lurking to call it simply a ‘Resident Evil-like’ game, it would be unfair to overlook what the game is offering…and the fact that it feels closer to Dino Crisis in its own weird way.
Set in South Korea, players are dropped into a city in ruin after being struck by a meteorite 2 months prior. Rather than destroying all life, the effects of this meteorite seem to have given birth to its own form of life, and it’s not exactly welcoming.
Protagonist Seo-Yeon’s journey into the events surrounding the meteorite’s impact and the subsequent aftermath provides a fairly solid frame, taking her to several locations around the city. It’s here that Ground Zero starts to nudge about how it’s here, not just to be ‘another’ love letter to the house of Capcom. There’s good use of the environment to build tension and deliver the odd jump scare. It never feels gimmicky, nor too indulgent, though there is the occasional ‘remember this from X and Y’ moment, but it’s always earned.
The optics of reviewing titles that lean heavily into established genre pieces are always a little tricky. You know what to expect. Low ammo, limited health items, weird aiming. Ground Zero has all that, but offers a little more flavor. The health system can be split into two forms: general healing items (e.g., first aid) and a syringe that can be filled with multiple liquids. Injecting fluids into the syringe fills a section, allowing players to mix and match to create a custom booster shot. Simple healing, reducing damage taken, and other effects provide a nice platform for some player input, but also a genuinely good mechanic that takes the typical combining of plants to create items to a new level.
Speaking of cool things Ground Zero does, focus aiming is a swish mechanic that bakes a lick of risk and reward, at times coming with a dose of pure tension. Holding your aim on a target with the addition of a button press prompts Seo-Yeon to take a slow rising aim, starting a mini timing mini game. Hitting a button/key while the ticker is in the red unleashed a shot that, if aimed at a target, hits with critical damage. It’s a wonderful means to save ammo, or as a last-second Hail Mary roll of the dice when things are getting a bit hairy.
Upon killing a foe, Seo-Yeon can scan bodies to acquire Genomes, with the amount rewarded depending on how much damage the enemy took in the process of dying. Genomes can be used to purchase items, crafting a whole extra level of thought around how the player chooses to engage with enemies. Kill them to farm Genomes? Or avoid them to preserve your health.
A surprise inclusion within the heart of Ground Zero is a parry mechanic. Whether it’s down to the conditioning of other genres, it felt a bit odd to see the tutorial pop-up…but it quickly begins to make sense. There’s an element of aggression present with Ground Zero that isn’t typically seen in its peers. Pressing the block button before a foe attacks allows Seo-Yeon to push the attacker back. This allows for retreat, repositioning, attacking, or countering. The latter is essentially a stun, opening up enemies to further attacks, including a brutal blade-in-boot finisher. It’s a celebration of gore that adds a little garnish to proceedings.
More often than not, titles so clearly inspired by classics tend to fall into the curse of being firmly in the shadow of their inspirations. With fixed camera angles, beautiful pre-rendered backgrounds, (optional) tank controls, plus all the fresh additions to health and combat, Ground Zero is its own game while still being very much a love letter to the survival horrors of the 90s.
If there is one weakness Ground Zero has, it’s the puzzles on offer. While not bad by any means, the creativity shown in the other aspects of the game isn’t really on display here. Whether or not this is to ‘protect the spirit of old-school survival horrors’ or not is up for debate. Puzzles do pop up in an unexpected form, and the most terrifying…math tests. Storage boxes dotted around the game can be accessed by either solving math puzzles or by blowing them up with an item. As someone who struggles with maths, this may have been the scariest part of the game!
Ground Zero is a wonderfully crafted, enjoyable tribute to survival horror that does more than enough to stand tall as a gam on its own merits. The level of confidence seeping through, the craft and care taken to produce something visceral, rewarding, and dripping with character. Joining the likes of Crow Country, Ground Zero could be the perfect entry point into old-school survival horrors for a new generation.
With the odd switch of protagonist here and there, great combat, decent puzzles, genuinely well-made levels, and a ton of extras to unlock, along with a bevy of optional modes/control styles, difficulty settings, and filters, it’s hard to say anything but good things about Ground Zero. Add to that reply value in the shape of alternative paths, and once again, it’s another major plus point in the game’s favor.
Good
The Final Word
Ground Zero is a fantastic example of how to take the things that inspire you, make something great, while maintaining the core DNA, and add your own twist.
