Solid Korean Resident Evil Another gem I discovered during Steam Nextfest last year. This time the retro-style, Resident-Evil-inspired survival horror takes place in Korea. I was impressed by the demo, and I am glad to say that the end product is good as well. The visual is both authentic and atmospheric. The combat is tight, and the exploration is often rewarding. Even though the game suffers some hefty issues in the later half, I still consider Ground Zero to be a solid addition to this sub-genre. Things I Like About Ground Zero: [*] Great Retro Art Style: Something about the pre-rendering backgrounds and low-poly textures really sell the idea of nostalgia, but there's more than that. The developers cleverly use atmospheric lighting and high-contrast color to make the levels feel gloomy and misty. This design not only intensifies the dread in certain claustrophobic areas but also subtly guides players toward their next location. Interestingly, Ground Zero's environment design reminds me a lot of Cry Of Fear, especially the part where you walk along the street in rain. I know the backgrounds are all just static images, but something about them with the rain effect makes me want to stop and admire. It's a weirdly comforting moment despite all the horror you've witnessed. [*] New Survival Horror Additions: As for the gameplay, Ground Zero is a good mix between classic design and modernized approach. Besides tight inventory management, off-screen zombie blasting, and environmental clues for puzzles, the game introduces some interesting ideas as well, such as mixing three different serums together enhances their effectiveness, but mixing three of the same serum permanently boosts your respective stats, or doing a small math test to open the storage for some nice change of pace. Parrying and dodging also make their way into combat so you can have more ways to get out of sticky situations. [*] Critical Shot: However, the best combat addition is none other than Critical Shot. Basically when aiming, you can hold a button (aim with LT and hold A for Xbox controller) to enter heightened mode. Release the button when the line hits the designated red area to perform a critical shot that one-shot all mobs and severely damage bosses with any guns. This technique works exceptionally well with pistols and SMGs, compensating for their typical low-damage output and saving you tons of ammo in the long run. Yet, Critical Shot takes time to set up and can be quite punishing if you miss. Practicing spacing is key to master this technique. [*] Alternative Paths & Great Replayability: Another highlight of the game is its incredible replay value. Six difficulty options, time-attack mode Apocalypse Crisis very similar to Mercenary Mode in Resident Evil, and various unlockables earned through specific challenges in the main campaign, etc. My favorite one is without a doubt the alternative paths you can choose in certain chapters. Although at the core it's just a different route that ultimately leads to the exact same place, the equipment, the resources, the puzzles, and even enemy variety are vastly different than each other. For example, the very first chapter wants you to choose between walking along The Beach or crossing The Amusement Park. The Beach is more compact with tight corridors and narrow paths. It's the fastest way to reach the town square but really tests your maneuvering skills and resource management. The Amusement Park, on the contrary, takes you on a small journey with some resources to spare and a lot of opportunities to practice spacing and Critical Shot. It's absolutely worth playing the game twice just to experience all the possible routes. Things I Dislike About Ground Zero: [*] Sudden Camera Angle Shifts: This is one of the two biggest problems Ground Zero has. The fixed camera angle shifts too frequently and way too "sharply" for players to adjust their inputs. It often leads to the protagonist suddenly twirling around mid-stride and further leaves the players disoriented. This situation is especially problematic during combat, in which one little step can mess up your prospective with how fast the angle transits. There are so many moment that I manage to escape the grasps of two zombies only to run back to them simply because I can't reorient the directional inputs fast enough. [*] Bloated Later Half: Backtracking, for better or worse, has always been one of the key features in retro survival horror. Some games try to mask it with layers of content, while others do a poor job at handling it. Funnily enough, Ground Zero is in a mixed situation. The first six chapters carefully balance out the tedium of backtracking with dense level layout, stacking rooms on top of each other to give you an illusion that you are not walking back and forth aimlessly. Sadly, the later six chapters don't have the same treatment. The levels are often spacious and empty, with long corridors loosely connecting each other in a straight line. Enemy placements seem haphazard. The tedium seeps in faster, and the overall quality drops as the game goes on. Whether it's because of time and budget running out or it's because of the developers' intended design, the playtime is unnecessarily bloated. And don't get me started at the boat and train section. These two are easily the worst parts of the campaign and really make me think they are here just to waste my time. [*] Other Complaints: [*]The UI is rather crude and hard to navigate with a controller. [*]You can only see the map layout of the floor you are currently on, which is quite annoying for some puzzles that require traveling multiple floors. [*]There are a lot of weird plot holes in the cutscenes, like driving through the infested city without encountering any traffic jams or eating food found in an infested kitchen, inside an infested train. 中文小簡評 去年十月新品節挖到的寶之一。《Ground Zero》是款以韓國為舞台的復古風類《惡靈古堡》的生存恐怖遊戲。當時試玩版展示了十足的底蘊,讓我印象深刻,如今成品的表現也相當出色,無論是畫風還是戰鬥方面都能看出復古與現代概念雜揉再一起,其他生存恐怖的要素也掌握得當。雖然遊戲(尤其是後半)存在一些較致命的缺點,我仍然認為《Ground Zero》是款很棒的作品。 喜歡的點 [*]製作團隊成功以預先渲染的靜態背景和低多邊形紋理營造出濃厚的懷舊感,再運用出色的光影特效和高對比色彩讓室外場景呈現出些微陰鬱的荒涼,既強化密閉空間所帶來的恐怖窒息感,也能巧妙地引導玩家走向下一個地點。有趣的是,《Ground Zero》的場景設計意外地讓我想起《恐懼之泣》裡在雨中漫步走過河畔街道的橋段。 [*]玩法方面,《Ground Zero》融合經典生存恐怖和其他現代化要素。除了固定欄位考驗玩家道具取捨、開槍打螢幕外不斷襲來的殭屍、觀察環境與閱讀文件解謎等經典要素之外,製作團隊還加入了一些有趣的設定,例如混合三種不同的血清可以增強彼此的功效,而混合三種相同的血清則會永久提升你相對應數值,算是對道具管理的新層面;或者通過簡單的數學運算來打開儲存箱,能在緊湊的戰鬥間獲得一些喘息;戰鬥也加入了格擋和閃避,讓你有更多方法節省子彈迴避攻擊。 [*]戰鬥中最棒的設計莫過於「爆擊」。簡單來說瞄準時可以額外按住互動鍵觸發迷你QTE,準心進入紅色區域時放開按鍵即可發動爆擊,能秒殺所有小怪並重創Boss,適用於所有槍械,尤其是手槍和衝鋒槍效果最佳,不僅彌補了兩者傷害較低的缺點,更是節省彈藥的一大助力,但是爆擊有一小段預備時間,沒有抓好時機很容易被殭屍趁虛而入,因此需要好好練習走位與拉距離。 [*]遊戲的另一個亮點就是重複遊玩性極高,不僅提供六種難度可選,還有類似「傭兵模式」限時挑戰模式「末日危機」,甚至是完成特定挑戰能解鎖更多有趣的槍械與服飾等。 [*]不過我最喜歡的還是遊戲在部分章節中提供分支路線可選,雖然是殊途同歸,但這些地點在裝備、資源多寡、謎題類型、甚至敵人配置都與彼此截然不同,絕對值得你玩兩遍體驗所有關卡,好比在第一章就給你兩條路,看是要直接走海邊進小鎮,還是要從遊樂園繞道而行。這裡就可以看出製作團隊的用心,選擇海邊的確會比走遊樂園快,但路途上會走過許多狹窄小路,遇到兩隻以上的殭屍就只能硬碰硬;而走遊樂園的話流程會比較長,殭屍出場及密集度也較分散,可以搜集多物資與DNA點數。 不喜歡的點 [*]固定鏡頭切換過於平凡且突然,容易導致你來不及調整移動按鍵而迷失方向,讓角色走一走突然原地打轉,即使只是一小步踏離這個場景也能讓你原地折返好幾次。這種情況在戰鬥時特別惱人,好不容易擺脫了殭屍的追擊,卻因為鏡頭切換之快來不及重新適應方向而投回它們懷抱。 [*]不管怎麼說,來回折返已是復古生存恐怖遊戲的標配之一,因此如何讓你不要那麼快產生倦怠是關鍵。《Ground Zero》只做到一半,前六章巧妙地利用較多可探索的房間中和掉折返的枯燥感,關卡層層堆疊,讓你感覺自己並非漫無目的地走。可惜後六章就沒那麼細心了,關卡設計過於空曠,房間往往都是一直線連接需要你長途跋涉,敵人配置也較隨性,遊戲節奏冗長,感覺很像拖時間騙錢。 [*]更別提開船與火車的橋段,這兩個根本是來搞人的... [*]使用者介面較粗糙,搖桿操作起來滿反人類。 [*]地圖只能看到你所在的樓層,對於需要多樓層來回走的解謎非常不親民。 [quote=author]If you like what I write, please consider a follow to [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45738167/]my curator page, thanks! 如果你喜歡我寫的東西,可以追蹤[url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45738167/]我的鑑賞家 喔!