Gunmetal Arcadia Zero

About

"Gunmetal Arcadia Zero" is a retro-style action-adventure platformer where you play as the young elf Vireo, choosing weapons and allegiances to defend the city of Arcadia from an approaching enemy. The game features six stages with numerous enemies and bosses, as well as NPCs to visit, gear to buy and sell, and an original 8-bit soundtrack. Additional features include speedrun mode, CRT simulation, and customizable controls.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

76%

Audience ScoreBased on 100 reviews

music17 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

The game features a charming retro aesthetic with great pixel art and a nostalgic CRT filter that enhances the experience.
Gameplay is responsive and fun, with a good balance of challenge that appeals to fans of classic platformers like Zelda II and Castlevania.
The game offers a variety of weapons and upgrades, allowing for different playstyles and encouraging exploration of hidden areas.

The story and characters are bland and uninspired, failing to engage players beyond the basic premise.
Level design can feel repetitive and lacks variety, leading to a sense of monotony as players progress through the game.
The controls can be stiff at times, leading to frustrating moments, especially during platforming sections and boss fights.

music
47 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
49%
15%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its catchy chiptune tracks that evoke nostalgia for classic NES games, while others find it repetitive and lacking in memorable melodies. Many appreciate the retro aesthetic and authenticity of the soundtrack, though some criticize the use of tinny sounds and short loops that can become annoying. Overall, the music serves its purpose well, enhancing the gameplay experience for fans of the genre, but may not appeal to everyone.
- “Great game and amazing soundtrack.”
- “Awesome 8-bit soundtrack (gimme more).”
- “The music is wonderful and the game isn't too hard or overly cheap.”
- “The music is simple and repetitive, and the game can be beaten in just a couple of hours.”
- “The main issue with the game at the moment is that despite the music being pretty catchy, the tracks unfortunately seem to be a rather short loop. This can make the music feel a bit repetitive at times.”
- “It sounds like NES music, but just about every song uses that tinny sounding instrument which to me sounds annoying.”
graphics
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
64%
7%
The graphics of Gunmetal Arcadia Zero are designed to evoke a classic NES aesthetic, successfully capturing the charm of retro titles with its 8-bit visuals and CRT filter options. While many players appreciate the nostalgic art style and character designs, some criticize the color grading and occasional graphical glitches, suggesting that the execution could have been improved. Overall, the game is seen as a pleasant homage to the retro gaming era, though opinions vary on its fidelity to the original style.
- “Gunmetal Arcadia Zero visually goes for the classic NES style akin to The Legend of Zelda II, and I really enjoyed the visual art style.”
- “The graphics are beautiful and stay faithful to the early NES titles.”
- “Gunmetal Arcadia Zero offers up some of the most beautiful retro graphics and music on Steam, superb controls, and a game world overflowing with awesome items, colorful characters, and challenging action.”
- “Despite being released in 2016, the game is 4:3 instead of widescreen (could the developer only afford to use a CRT monitor found in a dumpster?) Ugly pixel graphics, lazy 2D gameplay in the 3D era, and a mismatched style as the developer goofed when trying for retro and didn't use retro 'art' on the main menu, which is just an admission that they know they could have done better, but different.”
- “The aesthetic was decently retro, pretty cute soundtrack, but some of the 'cutscene' type pictures were kind of weirdly awful, with lots of bad aliasing that didn't mimic the 'retro' style at all but just looked wonky.”
- “Most new indie games that do that tend to screw up the graphics or music or something so it doesn't feel true to the old tech.”
gameplay
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
52%
11%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players enjoying its nostalgic mechanics reminiscent of classic titles like Castlevania and Zelda II, praising its tight controls and balanced difficulty. However, others found it repetitive and basic, noting that the game is short and lacks depth, with some mechanics feeling under-utilized. Overall, while it offers enjoyable moments and a retro feel, it may not provide enough variety or innovation to warrant replayability for all players.
- “The gameplay is pretty fun; I really enjoyed the right amount of difficulty with bosses and levels themselves, never really felt like it was annoying to go through.”
- “Great physics, responsive gameplay, rewarding, mild exploration, nice CRT emulation, just enough difficulty and not too grindy.”
- “While it doesn’t exactly break any new ground, it’s packed with everything I look for in this kind of game: tight controls, challenging gameplay, hidden areas, and 8-bit, nostalgia-laced fun.”
- “The plot and gameplay are genre basic, the music is simple and repetitive, and the game can be beaten in just a couple of hours.”
- “The game is very short, the lives mechanic is unnecessary and annoying, there are few secrets and what secrets there are are easy to find and contain nothing interesting.”
- “There is nothing that makes me want to go back and play it again as the gameplay certainly wasn't good enough to warrant a replay.”
story
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
70%
15%
The story in the game is widely regarded as bland and uninspired, featuring a basic plot and shallow character development that fails to engage players. While it attempts some worldbuilding, the narrative is linear and lacks depth, serving primarily as a backdrop to the gameplay rather than a compelling element of the experience. Overall, the storytelling is seen as mediocre, with many reviewers noting its simplicity and lack of intrigue.
- “Gunmetal Arcadia Zero is basically a story-based action game with the same basic play mechanics and aesthetics as Gunmetal Arcadia.”
- “It feels like a faithful mashup of Castlevania and Zelda 2, with great mechanics and story/worldbuilding.”
- “The story and game are set in 6 chapters which are more or less 10-15 minutes long.”
- “The plot and gameplay are genre basic, the music is simple and repetitive, and the game can be beaten in just a couple of hours.”
- “The thing is, for the amount of game there is, there's quite a ton of storytelling and it's all just incredibly light and not very interesting.”
- “Unlike the cryptic and somber 'win the game' narrative, this game's story is linear and shallow.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find "Gunmetal Arcadia Zero" enjoyable for short sessions, but note that extended play can lead to repetitive and tedious grinding. While the game features rewarding gameplay and mild exploration, some users appreciate that it strikes a balance by not being overly grindy.
- “Gunmetal Arcadia Zero overall, however, is a fun game to play, yet sometimes repetitive and it does get boring and tedious if played for a long time.”
- “If you have time, just keep grinding to buy out the first main store.”
- “Great physics, responsive gameplay, rewarding, mild exploration, nice CRT emulation, just enough difficulty and not too grindy.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
While some players find the pacing of Gunmetal Arcadia Zero to be slow, which diminishes its replay value, the inclusion of a New Game+ mode and a speedrun option enhances its replayability for those seeking additional challenges.
- “The fact that there's a New Game+ mode, along with a speedrun mode, makes it replayable even after you beat it.”
- “Honestly, I feel like the pacing of Gunmetal Arcadia Zero was too slow, and the game has very little replay value because of it.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game features appealing graphics, but users have reported occasional glitches that affect stability. Overall, it remains a pleasant experience despite these issues.
- “The game offers some nice graphics, although there are some ugly glitches here and there, which detracts from the overall experience.”
- “I frequently encounter crashes that disrupt my gameplay, making it hard to enjoy the game.”
- “The stability issues are frustrating; I often find myself dealing with lag and unexpected freezes.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The atmosphere of the game is praised for its nostalgic charm, combining challenging gameplay with appealing aesthetics, immersive music, and captivating visuals.
- “The atmosphere is incredibly immersive, with stunning visuals and a haunting soundtrack that perfectly complements the gameplay.”
- “The game's aesthetic creates a unique atmosphere that draws you in and keeps you engaged throughout.”
- “The combination of difficulty, atmosphere, and music creates a captivating experience that is hard to forget.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is noted for being both effective and brief, contributing to a lighthearted experience.
- “It's also hilariously short.”

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2h Median play time

2h Average play time

2-2h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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