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 roguelite genre, allowing players to control multiple units in a chaotic and fun environment.
- It features a charming aesthetic with a humorous take on the War of the Worlds theme, set in a Finnish backdrop.
- The gameplay is fast-paced and engaging, providing a satisfying experience for players looking for casual fun.
- The game suffers from repetitiveness and lacks depth, leading to a grindy experience with limited enemy variety.
- Many players find the gameplay chaotic to the point of being overwhelming, making it difficult to track actions on screen.
- There is a lack of meaningful progression and strategy, with some players feeling that the game does not offer enough challenge or variety.
- gameplay14 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this arena survival game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the concept of managing a larger group of soldiers and the beautiful graphics, while others criticize it for being dull and repetitive, with slow progression and limited enemy variety. Although the controls are smooth and the atmosphere engaging, many find the gameplay lacks depth and excitement, leading to a tedious experience overall. The availability of a demo allows players to test the gameplay before committing, but the overall sentiment leans towards disappointment in the game's execution.
“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.”
- graphics5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- -20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % 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, contributing to its charm and overall enjoyment.
“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.”
“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.”
“The graphics are simple, but it hits that Minesweeper bone.”
“It's graphics and strategy lite, and the maps are on the small side.”
“Vampire Survivors with the aesthetic and gameplay loop of Risk of Rain 2.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, characterized by chaotic gameplay and a lack of engaging content. Unlocking new units and items requires extensive grinding and in-game currency expenditure, leading to a monotonous experience with minimal rewards beyond basic stat increases.
“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.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its solid sense of humor, featuring clever references such as humorous IKEA-inspired names for units, which adds to its charm. Players appreciate the unique theme and the comedic elements intertwined with the alien-killing gameplay.
“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 :)”
- optimization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is highly praised, with users noting that it runs smoothly even under heavy stress, outperforming its predecessor, Risk of Rain 2. Despite being developed by a single developer, it maintains a stable performance, ensuring that players can push the limits without significant drops in frame rate.
“Better than ROR2 (no oneshots:)), from a single developer, and optimized so well that it runs at 20fps no matter how hard you try to break this game; your PC will die first (and it takes a lot, thanks to optimization).”
“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).”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its engaging atmosphere, which enhances the overall gameplay experience and encourages replayability. However, some users have noted certain aspects of the atmosphere that remain unclear or problematic.
“The game has a nice atmosphere, although there are some issues I still don't understand, as I outlined in my video.”
“Really fun game with great atmosphere and gameplay; it keeps you coming back to play again and again.”
- music2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with players praising its quality and fit for the gameplay. However, there are suggestions for future updates to expand the soundtrack and introduce more variety in game modes and challenges to enhance the overall experience.
“Some updates in the future could really make it shine, like a broader soundtrack, more varieties of game modes, and challenges.”
“Pretty cool, the boss is hard, and the music is great.”
“The music is repetitive and lacks variety, making it hard to stay engaged during gameplay.”
“I found the soundtrack to be quite dull and uninspired, which detracted from the overall experience.”
“The limited selection of tracks really hampers the game's atmosphere and makes it feel monotonous.”
- story1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % 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.
“The story is filled with unexpected twists and turns that keep you engaged from start to finish.”
“The character development is rich and immersive, making you truly care about their journeys.”
“The narrative weaves together various plotlines seamlessly, creating a captivating experience.”
“The story feels disjointed and lacks a coherent narrative, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“Character development is shallow, leaving players unable to connect with the protagonists.”
“The plot twists are predictable and fail to deliver any real surprises or excitement.”
