Ground Zero

Ground Zero doesn’t simply replicate classic survival horror aesthetics—it builds on them, pushing familiar ideas into new territory without losing their essence. While issues with enemy design and controls hold it back at times, its strong visual and audio presentation, along with solid replay value, make it an appealing experience for classic survival horror fans.

Ground Zero plays its cards very early on, showing you exactly what it wants to do from the get-go. It channels its inspiration from old-school survival horror games that made the PS1 so special, even leaning into pre-rendered backgrounds and offering tank controls. Visuals get blurry in certain areas, and frame rate takes a hit in weird places. Then there's the old-school need to actually conserve your ammunition for boss fights, which can put you in a position where you can't defeat the boss without enough weaponry. Overall, Ground Zero makes for a good time and has a good gameplay loop as long as you know what to expect from it.

Ground Zero is a bit of a weird one. On some levels, it works incredibly well, mostly in the nostalgic feel and wearing its inspirations on its sleeves. On the other hand, it sticks to them too much and doesn’t do anything interesting enough to stand out.

Ground Zero offers a generous amount of content, with large maps and plenty of replay value. However, it often leans toward quantity over quality. While the level design is solid, movement feels clunky and oddly favors tank controls over modern ones. On top of that, its puzzles, enemies, and setting play things too safe, relying heavily on nostalgia.