Sublevel Zero Redux

86%
Game Brain Score Based on 373 reviews
  • graphics
  • gameplay
  • music
Sublevel Zero Redux Game Cover
Sublevel Zero Redux brings something new to the FPS genre. Despite it's minor oddities, it's a well-rounded game that deserves to be in everyone's library.
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"Sublevel Zero Redux" is a roguelite 6-degrees-of-freedom shooter set in a procedurally generated underground facility. The Redux expansion introduces a restructured campaign, new enemies, difficulty modes, starting classes, and VR support for Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. It is recommended to use a traditional game controller for the VR mode, as VR controllers are not compatible.

  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Play Modes

Reviews

86%
Audience ScoreBased on 373 reviews
graphics52 positive mentions
grinding6 negative mentions
  • Captures the nostalgic feel of the classic Descent series with smooth 6DOF controls and engaging gameplay.
  • Procedurally generated levels provide a fresh experience with each run, enhancing replayability.
  • Crafting system allows for customization of weapons and ship components, adding depth to gameplay.
  • Can feel repetitive after a few runs due to limited enemy variety and level design.
  • Permadeath mechanic can be frustrating, as dying means starting over without retaining progress.
  • Some players may find the HUD cluttered and difficult to read, impacting situational awareness.
  • graphics132 mentions

    The graphics of the game are characterized by a unique blend of retro and modern aesthetics, featuring vibrant colors, pixelated textures, and low-poly models that create a visually appealing experience. While many players appreciate the crisp visuals and charming art style, some criticize the repetitiveness and simplicity of the graphics, which can detract from gameplay immersion. Overall, the graphics are generally well-received, with a strong emphasis on style and atmosphere that complements the game's mechanics.

    • “The visuals are very pretty and manage to pull off pixelated-yet-polished 3D very well.”
    • “Simply put, the visuals are really crisp with colors that pop, the audio complements with good chip-like tunes and old-style sound effects, and flying around the caves feels good overall.”
    • “The graphics have a retro 'pixelated texture' quality to them, but they are simultaneously crisp with all the modern particles and lighting effects you could ask for.”
    • “The setting is post-apocalyptic, but the art and graphics are all very pastel and cheery.”
    • “While this one is a bit less expensive, it feels like a cut-rate experience with pixelated graphics, uninspired enemy designs, and limited levels.”
    • “Cons: graphics are unnecessarily low res; I hope a mod allows some serious retexturing because it hurts the eye to have such bland big pixels.”
  • gameplay118 mentions

    The gameplay is a well-executed blend of classic 6DOF mechanics reminiscent of the Descent series, enhanced by roguelike elements such as procedural level generation and crafting systems. While the controls are generally smooth and satisfying, some players note issues with cramped environments and a lack of variety in gameplay, which can detract from the overall experience. Despite these minor flaws, the game offers a compelling and addictive loop that appeals to fans of the genre, particularly in VR.

    • “The gameplay is smooth as butter.”
    • “Overall—and most importantly—the game is just downright fun; flying around and blowing up bots is just immensely satisfying and the gameplay is just all around extremely fun.”
    • “A fantastic 6-dof roguelite shooter with great movement and combat mechanics, wonderful procedurally generated level design, great mix of looting, crafting and inventory management, all with a tremendous arsenal of unique and powerful weapons to fight a very well varied set of enemies.”
    • “One notable downside to gameplay is how cramped the caverns can often be and how that affects your freedom of movement.”
    • “It plays surprisingly smooth with controller but it's basically a step back compared to Descent as far as gameplay is concerned.”
    • “As of right now, with its slim amount of content, minimal replayability, and glaring gameplay unbalances, I can't recommend it at a price of $15; it simply isn't worth that when I know I could probably have a similar amount of fun playing a very good flash game for free.”
  • music104 mentions

    The music in the game has received a mixed but generally positive reception, with many praising its dynamic nature that adapts to gameplay situations, enhancing the overall experience. Composed by Will Bedford, the soundtrack blends chiptune and orchestral elements, creating an engaging atmosphere that complements the game's visuals. While some players found the music enjoyable and fitting, others felt it could become repetitive over time, suggesting a preference for personal playlists during extended play sessions.

    • “The music and movement speed and projectile dodging gives a dance-like feel, a ballet of bullets and missiles and beams where the only thing preventing you from escaping every attack is your own skill and some degree of enemy knowledge.”
    • “The in-game soundtrack is also dynamic and changes whenever you are in one of four areas - industrial, lava cave, crystal cave, research - and if you're in a dogfight or not and how many enemies there are.”
    • “I dare say that the music is as three-dimensional as the environments you fly in -- as changing environments will augment the current song on the fly; entering caverns will make the music become more subdued, getting into a big fight will ramp up the drums and bass, etc.”
    • “The game is somewhat lacking in atmosphere, the music doesn't feel very fitting, and the levels can be a bit bland and linear.”
    • “While the music was one of the highlights of the Descent series, the music for Sublevel Zero does not evoke as much of a connection although it does complement the retro-like visuals well.”
    • “The only thing so far that I don't really like is the soundtrack.”
  • replayability38 mentions

    The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with many players praising the roguelike mechanics and procedural generation that offer a variety of experiences and unlockable content. However, some reviewers noted that the repetitive level design and lack of significant differences between playthroughs can diminish long-term engagement. Overall, while there is potential for high replay value, it may not be enough to sustain interest for all players.

    • “Plays very similar to Descent, but the roguelike mechanics make for great replayability.”
    • “With the ability to craft stuff and the procedurally generated levels, the replay value is nearly endless.”
    • “Infinite replayability and looting system; yep, Descent and Diablo had a baby and it's coming for your soul... and your free time.”
    • “The only downside is that the incentives for replaying (new hulls, new crafting, seeing more enemies, possibly getting more logs) don't really make up for the sameness of the procedurally-generated levels and spare visuals, so for me there wasn't much replayability.”
    • “Unfortunately, randomizing the layouts of the game after each player death doesn't, in my book, make up for what feels to me like the lack of replayability due to the permadeath.”
    • “On top of that, the maps quickly feel very similar (if not identical) and blur into one contiguous texture of the same dozen spaceship interiors, lava caves, and crystal caves over and over again, despite the procedural map generation, making this the first time I’ve ever seen procedural/dynamic level generation fail to add replayability to a game.”
  • story24 mentions

    The game's story is set in a dark, intriguing futuristic apocalypse where wormholes disrupt known space, but it is primarily delivered through collectible datalogs that some players find repetitive and lacking depth. While the narrative has moments of interest and nostalgia, many reviewers feel it is overshadowed by the gameplay, with the plot often described as thin or negligible. Overall, the story serves more as a backdrop to the mission-based gameplay rather than a central focus.

    • “The background story is dark and intriguing, featuring a shattered futuristic apocalypse universe where wormholes open up randomly across known space and steal bits of worlds.”
    • “A decently written story and equal parts nostalgic and modern soundtrack make this a game I can't put down.”
    • “The piecemeal unlocking of new blueprints for weapons and modules combined with a (admittedly cliched so far) story unfolding over dozens of text logs makes for good replayability.”
    • “There's a story somewhere in there apparently, but it forgot to exist about five minutes into the game.”
    • “- The story is paper thin and the collectible text diaries repeat often.”
    • “The story/plot/backstory/whatever is pretty much negligible; so much so that I nearly forgot to write anything about it in this review.”
  • atmosphere10 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is largely praised for its nostalgic old-school design, featuring pixel graphics and an impressive soundtrack that blends chiptune and orchestral elements, enhancing the overall experience. While many players appreciate the atmospheric lighting and attention to detail, some feel that certain levels lack depth and that the music can occasionally become repetitive. Overall, the game successfully evokes a sense of nostalgia while offering a unique twist on classic gameplay elements.

    • “One special mention goes to the soundtrack, written by Will Bedford: it is a marvelous blend of chiptune and orchestral music, and really fits the atmosphere of Sublevel Zero!”
    • “The atmospheric lighting and color grading is executed very well and you might end up coming back to the game for the visuals alone.”
    • “The game is somewhat lacking in atmosphere; the music doesn't feel very fitting, and the levels can be a bit bland and linear.”
    • “The atmosphere is completely old school, from the pixel graphics and 8-bit sounds down to the keycards!”
    • “The soundtrack is very fitting to the atmosphere of the game and has some dynamic elements.”
  • grinding6 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious due to the lack of variety in resources and enemies, which diminishes the sense of danger and excitement. The need to backtrack through extensive areas to collect items, combined with repetitive gameplay mechanics, contributes to a frustrating experience. While there is potential for mastery, the grind often overshadows the enjoyment.

    • “This causes the game to quickly become tedious as the element of danger due to the unknown and unfamiliar environments is quickly lost.”
    • “Again, the lack of variety causes the game here to feel tedious.”
    • “While that was present in Doom and all the classics this game gets its inspiration from, it is particularly annoying and grindy in this game, because you often need to travel back through a substantial amount of tunnel distance to get to the suspected position of the color key.”
  • optimization6 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization is praised for delivering excellent performance, even on low-spec systems, with smooth gameplay and well-designed interfaces for VR. However, some users report occasional floating artifacts and performance slowdowns depending on settings.

    • “Performance is excellent on my system.”
    • “All interfaces are optimized and highly usable in VR.”
    • “This game is very well optimized and runs in VR on my low-spec system flawlessly.”
    • “It also has a few occasional floating artifacts and some performance slowdowns depending on your settings.”
  • humor5 mentions

    The humor in the game is noted for its self-referential jokes and amusing commentary on game design, particularly highlighting the contrast between its own level generation and that of the classic game Descent. Players find the humor to be hit-or-miss, with some moments eliciting genuine laughter while others leave them questioning the intent. Overall, the humor adds a lighthearted touch to the gaming experience, even if it occasionally feels uneven.

    • “The game accomplishes the hilarious feat of demonstrating exactly how poorly designed Descent's levels were, as the random generation engine in this game routinely churns out better levels than Descent did.”
    • “I thought that was funny.”
    • “Is that funny?”
  • stability4 mentions

    The game's stability is mixed, with users reporting quick loading times but occasional micro-freezes and complete freezes. While minor glitches exist, particularly in VR mode, they generally do not significantly impact gameplay. However, the VR experience is notably problematic, with issues in cockpit design and control setup.

    • “The game loaded quickly, although it had micro-freezes during loading, and I had a few times where it froze completely.”
    • “If you're thinking of buying this game for VR, don't. It glitches, it's in beta, the cockpit is bad, you can't save your progress, controls suck, and it's difficult to set it up in VR.”
    • “There are some minor glitches (especially when alt-tabbing), but it hardly detracts from the overall experience.”
  • character development1 mentions

    Character development in rogue-likes is often highlighted for its depth and complexity, allowing players to experience significant growth and transformation of their characters throughout the gameplay. Many reviews note that the mechanics of progression and the impact of player choices contribute to a rich narrative experience, enhancing player engagement. Overall, character development is seen as a crucial element that adds layers to the gameplay and emotional investment in the story.

    • “The character development in this rogue-like is incredibly deep, allowing players to shape their heroes in unique ways with each run.”
    • “I love how the choices I make during the game impact my character's growth and abilities, making every playthrough feel fresh and engaging.”
    • “The progression system is well-designed, offering meaningful upgrades that truly reflect the character's journey and evolution throughout the game.”
    • “The character development feels shallow and lacks meaningful progression, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
    • “I was disappointed by the limited options for character growth; it feels like a missed opportunity to create a more engaging experience.”
    • “The characters don't evolve in a way that impacts the gameplay, leaving me feeling detached from their journeys.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

55% average critic score

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Play time

2hMedian play time
8hAverage play time
2-6hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 6 analyzed playthroughs

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