Ground Zero

About

Ground Zero is a single player survival shooter game with horror, post-apocalyptic and science fiction themes. It received positive reviews from players.

Ground Zero is a retro survival horror set in post-apocalyptic South Korea. A devastating meteor impact has wiped out South Korea. 2 months later as the dust and lightning storms settle and the air becomes breathable, an elite Korean operative and her Canadian partner are sent to investigate. What waits for them in the foggy remains is more terrifying than they ever could have imagined… F…

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86%

Audience ScoreBased on 107 reviews

gameplay5 positive mentions

humor3 negative mentions

Authentic and loving homage to classic 90s survival horror games like Resident Evil and Dino Crisis with fixed camera angles and tank controls.
Strong atmosphere, detailed environments, sound design, and engaging combat mechanics including parrying and a rewarding critical shot system.
High replay value due to branching paths, multiple difficulties, unlockables, and extra gameplay modes, offering many hours of gameplay.

Significant optimization issues causing extremely high GPU usage, frame drops, crashes, and performance problems on various systems.
Camera angles and animations are often awkward or janky, leading to frustrating enemy encounters and immersion-breaking moments.
Combat mechanics, including aiming and parrying, can feel cumbersome and unpolished, with some systems like inventory management and puzzles being poorly designed or unintuitive.

gameplay
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
82%
7%
The gameplay is a nostalgic blend reminiscent of classic survival horror like Resident Evil, featuring strategic timing-based mechanics such as parrying, critical shots, and a risk/reward aiming system that add depth but can feel unbalanced or underutilized. While praised for its atmospheric design, combat options, and replay value, some find the mechanics occasionally clunky, overly complex, or lacking proper tutorials, which may frustrate players not adept at precise timing or parrying. Overall, it offers solid, engaging gameplay with a retro feel, though certain pacing and enemy variety issues hold it back from perfection.
- “This is a really solid game that brings new mechanics to the classic fixed-camera survival horror style.”
- “But in addition to that you also have a critical aim mechanic, a timing based mechanic (think of active reload from a lot of shooters) that lets you take some time to focus your aim and then if you do the mechanic successfully you actually one shot kill enemies with it which I found to be a very fun addition due to its risk/reward nature but it certainly isn't without its balance issues and timing based mechanics aren't everyone's cup of tea.”
- “Ground Zero was one of those cases where I didn't really know what to expect as indie survival horror tends to be very hit or miss but after beating the game on hard difficulty (combat/puzzles) I'm happy to say this was a very positive surprise, one that in some ways reminded me of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis not only because of the outbreak in a city type of setup but because the combat is slightly more faster/active and because there are choices during the gameplay that determine which areas you explore.”
- “The parry mechanic leaves much to be desired - it feels like nothing more than a safe way to conserve ammunition at the cost of taking a full moon cycle to finally kill a mob.”
- “And somehow, emulating the old PS1 style of gameplay and camera with its old/basic graphics, it's terribly unoptimized.”
- “Game is really good if you don't mind the padded pacing, weak dialogue, clunky menus and their lackluster design (e.g. if you pause next to a door and then resume, the game thinks you want to use the door again), a map that has no legend nor options to toggle floors and many issues like bloated mechanics at your disposal but only one of them actually rules all.”
graphics
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
42%
12%
The graphics effectively capture a nostalgic, retro survival horror aesthetic reminiscent of classic Resident Evil and Dino Crisis games, with detailed pre-rendered backgrounds and well-executed fixed camera angles. While the art style and visual atmosphere are highly praised for authenticity and charm, the game suffers from occasional minor graphical glitches and notably poor optimization, lacking basic graphics settings like vsync and framerate limiters, which leads to high GPU usage and performance issues.
- “Visuals are beautiful, especially the cityscapes that are reminiscent of PE2, and I often caught myself smiling at the cheesiness of it all.”
- “The visuals are amazing, the camera angles are chef's kiss and even the character design of Seo-Yeon is a reference to old survival horror classics (Dino Crisis and Resident Evil); her outfit is a mix of colors from the Korean flag.”
- “The atmosphere, gameplay, visuals... the dev nailed all of them!”
- “Graphical anomalies appear for a split second when switching between cameras while moving.”
- “The game is terribly unoptimized despite its basic PS1-style graphics and old-school gameplay.”
- “GPU utilization reaches 100% with high power usage despite graphics that shouldn't demand that much.”
optimization
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
74%
13%
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, including high GPU usage, FPS drops, and crashes, which detract from the experience despite its fun gameplay. While some players report minimal problems, many encounter severe performance bugs and technical flaws that suggest the game needs further polishing and optimization updates. Developers appear to be working on fixes, but current optimization remains a major concern.
- “There are a few minor optimization issues, but nothing too serious, and the developers are actively working on them.”
- “On the topic of performance, I only had one crash in my 20+ hour playthrough, and only noticed some FPS issues on a couple screens that tried for some unorthodox moving camera angles.”
- “Despite some performance problems, it's pretty amazing!”
- “Sadly this game is not only very buggy with enemies getting stuck or corpses floating up into the sky but it also suffers from poor optimization and a whole bunch of baffling design choices.”
- “After playing the release version, my conclusion is simple: this needed more time for polish, optimization, animation work, camera refinement, and input fixes.”
- “There are severe optimization issues preventing me from continuing with the game.”
story
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
41%
18%
The story is generally praised for its engaging characters, intriguing plot, and atmospheric setting, with many noting strong voice acting and meaningful gameplay choices that impact the narrative. While not overly complex, the story offers good replay value through branching paths and varied story beats. Some players found minor frustrations but overall appreciated the balance of storytelling with gameplay, making it a compelling experience within the survival horror genre.
- “Fantastic story, awesome voice acting, phenomenal gameplay choices.”
- “The branching left/right choices aren't just cosmetic — each path gives you an entirely different area with its own layout, puzzles, and story beats, something you almost never see in any game.”
- “The characters all ended up growing on me more than I expected, and I liked the plot more than I anticipated!”
- “I personally didn't want to play the game for the story anyway but since it's so insistent on telling me one I feel compelled to judge it. You can thankfully skip them but why would you skip cutscenes on your first playthrough?”
- “At this point I don't even care what the story in this game wants to tell and put in my request for a refund.”
- “The plot wasn't overly complex, but I was surprised at how much I came to like the twin protagonists.”
atmosphere
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
47%
6%
The atmosphere is widely praised for its authentic retro survival horror feel, combining eerie sound design, effective music, and detailed environments with classic fixed camera angles. Players appreciate the immersive world, nostalgic art style, and well-crafted mood that evoke 90s horror games while incorporating modern enhancements. Some minor critiques mention occasional immersion-breaking effects, but overall the atmosphere is regarded as a standout feature.
- “The soundtrack is great and nails the atmosphere of whatever moment you are in (the save room music is chef’s kiss).”
- “Ground zero delivers something rare in today's market: fixed cameras, a genuinely eerie atmosphere, a massive world packed with detail, and characters you actually grow attached to over time.”
- “The atmosphere in this is top notch, easily an instant classic fixed camera horror title.”
- “In a game that leans this hard on atmosphere and cutscenes, that inconsistency hurts immersion more than it should.”
replayability
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
73%
The game offers excellent replayability through its lengthy campaign, branching paths, multiple difficulty levels, and numerous unlockables including costumes, weapons, and extra modes. Players can experience different routes and challenges on subsequent playthroughs, enhancing long-term engagement. Overall, the variety of choices and content ensures sustained interest beyond the initial run.
- “Unlockable costumes and weapons, New Game+, and an extra mode along with branching routes give this game a lot of replay value.”
- “All in all, I really enjoyed my first playthrough of the game: good-sized campaign, story and characters were entertaining, and the replay value is there not only in the form of choices that take you to different locations in the campaign but also plenty of unlockables after beating the game, new difficulty modes to tackle, as well as an extra gameplay mode to sink some time in.”
- “I loved the concept of choosing which locations you want to visit, which alters the path you take, adding to the already ample replay value!”
music
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
11%
33%
The music in the game is praised for its great soundtrack and atmospheric sound effects, effectively capturing the mood of various moments, especially the save room theme. While the sound design, including enemy and gun effects, is well-executed, some feel the music falls short in building tension crucial to the horror genre. Overall, the soundtrack is enjoyable and enhances the zombie survival experience.
- “The soundtrack is great and nails the atmosphere of whatever moment you are in (the save room music is chef’s kiss).”
- “I think this is one of those games where you open a music playlist and just enjoy zombie survival horror fun.”
- “Sounds - simple atmospheric music and standard boss music you'd expect to hear in a game like this, with good sound effects for enemies, guns, and characters.”
- “Ambient details like rain and environmental noise are present, but the music itself has done very little to build tension so far.”
- “In a genre where soundtrack and sound design are crucial to dread, that matters.”
- “Sounds - simple atmospheric music/standard boss music you'd expect to hear in a game like this, good sfx for enemies/guns/characters.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
The game's humor attempts, primarily through dialogue, are widely seen as awkward and unfunny, often detracting from character likability and overall enjoyment. While some comedic moments and cutscenes exist, many players find the humor ineffective and the serious dialogue overly heavy and dull.
- “All in all though I really enjoyed my first playthrough of the game: good sized campaign, story and characters while nothing special (let's be honest survival horror isn't exactly the genre known for incredible stories) were entertaining along with a few funny lines of dialogue and the replay value is also there not only in form of choices that take you to different locations in the campaign but there are also plenty of unlockables after beating the game, new difficulty modes to tackle as well as an extra gameplay mode to sink some time in.”
- “Some cutscenes take too long, but I especially enjoyed the funny ones and appreciate the production value a lot. Great game, pretty meaty and lots to uncover.”
- “Also, the dialogue is very poor honestly. It's voice acted well enough, but it feels like a Redditor wrote it with its unfunny failed attempts at humor. They try to make the characters likeable and give the impression of chemistry between the dude and the chick, but it had the opposite effect and made me dislike them.”
- “The humor fails to land and often feels forced, detracting from the overall experience.”
- “Attempts at humor come across as awkward and uninspired, failing to add any charm to the characters or story.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users find the game emotionally wholesome and enjoyable, appreciating its charming and satisfying gameplay elements that create a warm, engaging experience.
- “Game is wholesome awesome!”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is inconsistent, with some players experiencing significant bugs and optimization issues, while others report a smooth, glitch-free playthrough. Overall, stability appears variable depending on the user.
- “Sadly, this game is not only very buggy with enemies getting stuck or corpses floating up into the sky, but it also suffers from poor optimization and a whole bunch of baffling design choices.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The character development is highlighted by thoughtful design choices, with Seo-yeon's appearance paying homage to classic survival horror games and incorporating meaningful cultural elements like the colors of the Korean flag. This reflects a strong visual and thematic depth in the character's presentation.
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is generally perceived as tedious and annoying, detracting from the overall experience.
- “It felt tedious and annoying.”