ARRIVAL: ZERO EARTH
- January 12, 2024
- jounitus
- 25h median play time
Get on Steam"Arrival: Zero Earth" is a real-time strategy game where players must defend Earth from an alien invasion. Utilize advanced technology, military forces, and strategic planning to fend off the extraterrestrial threat and save humanity. Experience intense battles, dynamic environments, and diverse challenges in this immersive and thrilling adventure.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a unique twist on the arena shooter genre, allowing players to control multiple units and strategize against alien invaders in a Finnish setting.
- It provides a fun and chaotic gameplay experience with colorful explosions and a humorous theme, making it enjoyable for casual gaming sessions.
- The price-to-playtime ratio is excellent, offering a significant amount of entertainment for a low cost.
- Gameplay can become repetitive and grindy, with limited enemy variety and a lack of depth in mechanics, leading to a dull experience over time.
- The controls can feel sluggish, and the chaotic screen effects may overwhelm players, making it difficult to track actions and avoid damage.
- There is a lack of meaningful progression and variety in gameplay, which can result in a sense of stagnation after a few runs.
- gameplay28 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the concept of managing a large group of soldiers and the smooth controls, while others criticize it for being dull and repetitive, with a lack of variety in mechanics and enemy types. Despite the beautiful graphics and engaging atmosphere, many find the gameplay grindy and not enjoyable enough to warrant extended play. The game offers a demo to help players gauge their interest, but overall, it struggles to balance complexity and engagement.
“For a small price of £4.99, the game offers a massive amount of gameplay for the price.”
“The controls work perfectly, the graphics are beautiful, and gameplay is smooth with well-made units.”
“Really fun game with great atmosphere and gameplay, keeps you coming back to play again and again.”
“This is by far the most dull, boring, and sleep-inducing arena survival game I have ever played, complete with absurdly bullet-sponge enemies, excruciatingly slow grind, and next to no variety in enemies and gameplay other than 'don't stand in damage puddles.'”
“There's not much variety in the mechanics either, so it's just a long and boring fight.”
“Even with the little demo progress I had that got transferred to this version of the game, buying even a few new upgrades costs a lot and requires so much repetitive gameplay.”
- graphics10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The graphics are praised for their beautiful design and excellent art style, blending 50's alien sci-fi with Finnish culture. While the visuals are simple and the maps small, they effectively capture the essence of the game, providing a charming and enjoyable experience that resonates with players. Overall, the graphics contribute significantly to the game's appeal, making it a standout title in its genre.
“The beautifully designed graphics are pleasant to look at.”
“The art style is excellent; the mixture of 50's style alien sci-fi and Finnish culture works incredibly well, and it's definitely one of the most fun titles of this kind out there right now.”
“The graphics are simple, but it hits that minesweeper bone.”
“It's graphics and strategy lite, and the maps are on the small side, but it's got a lot of heart and ticks all of the right boxes.”
“Vampire Survivors with the aesthetic and gameplay loop of Risk of Rain 2.”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its solid sense of humor, featuring amusing elements such as quirky Finnish humor and clever IKEA-inspired names for units. This comedic approach enhances the overall experience, making it a standout in the war of the worlds genre.
“It's also got a great theme (we rarely see War of the Worlds type games), a solid sense of humor, and alien-killing galore.”
“Funny Finnish game.”
“+1 for funny IKEA names for units :)”
- grinding5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is heavily criticized for being tedious and repetitive, requiring players to engage in endless grinding to unlock new units and items that lack meaningful variety. The chaotic gameplay and uninspiring rewards contribute to a frustrating experience, making it difficult for players to find enjoyment in the grind.
“The game is grindy, samey, chaotic (in a bad way), and tough to look at.”
“You only start with a selection of randomly obtained 5 units and some 10 items, and need to unlock the rest through endless grinding and spending of in-game currency, making actually seeing new things a mind-numbing process. The new items and units aren't particularly engaging either, mostly just flat stat ups and characters that shoot different flavored DPS.”
“From then on it just becomes a tedious 'dodge the purple MMO circles and lines on the ground.'”
- optimization4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is highly praised, with users noting that it runs smoothly at 20fps even under extreme stress, showcasing impressive performance for a title developed by a single individual. Comparisons to "Risk of Rain 2" highlight its superior handling of system resources, making it resilient against attempts to push the game to its limits.
“Better than ROR2 (no oneshots:)), from a single developer, and optimized so well that it runs on 20fps no matter how bad you try to break this game; your PC will die first (and it takes a lot, thanks to optimization).”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its enjoyable atmosphere, which enhances the overall gameplay experience and encourages replayability. However, some players have noted that there are certain aspects of the atmosphere that remain unclear or problematic.
“Really fun game with great atmosphere and gameplay, keeps you coming back to play again and again.”
- music4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with players praising its quality and fit for the gameplay. However, there is a desire for a broader soundtrack and more variety in game modes and challenges to enhance the overall experience.
“Pretty cool, the boss is hard, and the music is great.”
- story1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -300 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The story features metal dragons engaging in aerial missions, posing a significant threat as they can quickly eliminate characters with their fiery attacks.
“Metal dragons going on fly-by missions, instantly roasting your guys?”
“The story feels disjointed and lacks a coherent narrative flow.”
“Character development is shallow, making it hard to connect with anyone.”
“The plot twists are predictable and fail to deliver any real surprises.”
