Genre fans have been absolutely spoiled these past few years when it comes to retro survival horror experiences. From the combat-heavy modernization of Silent Hill F to the classic thrills of the Tormented Souls games, there are so many quality horror titles going around that it’s sometimes hard to keep up with all the new releases.

Of course, I’d argue that this is an excellent problem to have, especially when these releases are passion projects like Malformation Games’ Resident Evil-inspired Ground Zero.

A survival horror throwback that looks and feels like a long-lost Dreamcast title in the vein of Carrier or RE: Code Veronica, the Swedish-developed Ground Zero is the latest attempt at scratching that familiar genre itch that AAA gaming has long since forgotten.

In the game, you initially take control of South Korean special operative Seo-Yeon as she and her Canadian partner Evan investigate the aftermath of a mysterious meteor impact that devastated Seoul and the surrounding area. The agents soon discover that the impact site isn’t as dead as it seems, with the apocalyptic environment now being home to mutant creatures and a cancerous growth that may soon threaten the entire world.

Classic Survival Horror Gameplay with Modern Twists

In gameplay terms, this setup translates to players exploring a charmingly lo-fi (yet still visually stunning) rendition of South Korea as they fight monsters, solve puzzles, and deal with limited inventory space in an attempt to progress through the area and find out exactly what’s going on. This process is enhanced by modern additions such as upgradeable stats that you improve through a series of color-coded vials, an intensely satisfying critical hit system, and “genome points” that you can trade in for items at certain automated vendors.

The main gameplay loop is still pretty much identical to the survival horror hits of yesteryear, with progression involving plenty of backtracking to item boxes and consulting a detailed map (which automatically updates with icons indicating door functionality and missed items). However, you’ll soon find that the constant running around between previously explored areas means that it’s almost always better to deal with enemies as soon as possible, a situation that removes much of the tactical thinking that makes these games so thrilling in the first place.

In fact, the overall Ground Zero experience is a little on the easy side if you have any prior history with this sort of game – especially if you can master melee combat and keep an eye out for upgrades. That being said, I’d much rather deal with a title that occasionally holds my hand a little too hard than an obtuse nightmare that removes all the fun from the experience. Plus, there are separate difficulty sliders for both combat and puzzle solving, so this shouldn’t be much of an issue.

Pre-Rendered Backgrounds and Immersive Sound Design Contribute to Haunting Atmosphere

Besides, the atmosphere is the real highlight of the game, with Seoul and the surrounding area appropriately feeling more real than Raccoon City or even Silent Hill. The pre-rendered graphics and colorful art style make the devastated area look hauntingly beautiful, and the hand-crafted visuals are enhanced by a highly effective soundtrack that keeps things interesting even after you realize that the plot isn’t going to win any writing awards.

Ground Zero is also a surprisingly lengthy experience, with some of its mechanics being spread a little thin over so much game. While the title never truly wears out its welcome, things get a bit repetitive once you’ve upgraded your character to superhuman levels and understand more or less where the story is going. That being said, not only do the level and monster designs continue to be excellent throughout the entire campaign, but you also get a lot of bang for your buck here.

The title offers multiple playable characters, branching paths, and a plethora of cosmetic upgrades, and there are also alternate game modes containing a plethora of unlockable secrets that will likely have you playing and replaying for much longer than the promised 15-20 hour story mode.

Unfortunately, this embarrassment of genre riches is somewhat marred by a handful of technical issues endemic to ambitious indie projects. While I didn’t encounter any game-breaking bugs, it’s clear that the title could have gone through another round of testing in order to deal with clunky item hitboxes and unpredictable enemy collision detection (especially where the critical hits are concerned). I also had to reload to an older save file after encountering a glitch where Seo-Yeon became invincible after upgrading her stats.

Final Verdict: Is Ground Zero Worth Playing?

None of these issues kept me from enjoying the title, but it’s a shame that the developers came so close to delivering a masterpiece but ended up fumbling the details. This also applies to the game’s narrative, as the characters are all quite likable (I particularly enjoyed Evan’s charming sense of humor and Seo-Yeon’s badass demeanor), but the story itself is a retread of established survival horror tropes covered up with a South Korean-flavored coat of fresh paint.

The minute-to-minute experience of actually playing through Ground Zero is so entertaining that most of these issues simply melt away. It’s hard to worry about the occasional missed critical hit when you’re thinking about how gnarly the monster designs are and how the pre-rendered backgrounds make Seoul look beautiful in spite of the ongoing apocalypse.

That’s why I’d recommend Ground Zero to both new and veteran fans of classic survival horror, as the game’s unique blend of South Korean style with fleshy homages to the genre titans like Dino Crisis and Alone in the Dark makes it one of the best Resident Evil Clones in years.

Just be sure to play on a higher difficulty if this isn’t your first survival horror rodeo.

Ground Zero is available now on all major consoles and PC.