Ground Zero Review – The Classic Survival Horror We’ve Been Waiting For

I remember the first time I played Resident Evil at the age of 9. I got to the first zombie and promptly turned it off. When I finally returned to the game a few years later, I remember how fun it was to figure out all the puzzles on my own, lose hours of playtime because I forgot to save, and discover that world at my own pace. Eventually, all those secrets were lost to guides, the lore was picked apart by fans, and some of that discovery was spoiled by knowing a sequel was already confirmed. In many ways, I feel bad for the younger generation of gamers because, if you really think about it, spoilers are spoilers no matter how much time has passed.

In recent years, indie games have quenched my thirst for the classic survival horror that I crave. Tormented Souls, Signalis, and Crow Country held me over, but each brings its own flavor to the genre, and I still don’t recall having that same feeling I had the first time I played Resident Evil. All this to say, after playing Malformation Games’ Ground Zero, I’ve been reunited with a kind of survival horror frustration I actually missed. No, I’m not talking about fighting against tank controls, but simply enjoying the discovery of a new world with new ideas and classic survival horror systems.

Story and Characters

Ground Zero opens with the introduction of Korean operative Seo-Yeun and Special Agent Evan from Canada. The two are briefed on a meteor that has hit South Korea, triggering a quarantine after a strange growth begins to form across the area. Players assume the role of Seo-Yeun when the game starts. Her characterization is a bit know-it-all, as she takes her job very seriously. This pushes back against Evan’s more casual communication style, but it works because the moments when he does contact Seo-Yeun or link back up with her are often followed by a bit of relief, given the overall tension this game exudes.

Branching Paths and Level Design

Once the two touch down, they discover that the growth has spread to the dead, infecting organic tissue and mutating it. In the early hours, the two characters tackle their objectives separately. I’m not entirely sure why they want to split up, but you’re given a choice of how you’d like to reach your next destination. Interestingly, this comes up several other times throughout the game, affecting the items you acquire and the overall experience. The selectable areas have insane depth, causing me to wonder several times, “What if I chose the other path?” It’s a pretty interesting feeling overall because, even after you complete the game, you’re left wondering what if.

Those chosen paths typically lead to an even larger area where the more significant story scenes take place. Here, you’ll meet additional characters and discover that there’s a bit more to this infection than what you’re initially led to believe. Overall, I really enjoyed the pacing of the narrative, as it forces you to live in the world and likely search every nook and cranny as you attempt to progress. The level design does much of the heavy lifting in these moments, as the team seems to be holding nothing back. For example, a police station in Ground Zero amounts to about three hours of gameplay, whereas Resident Evil takes place in a mansion.

At first, I remember feeling spoiled by the sheer number of locations in the game, but I’m completely okay with that experience. It was simply one surprise after another, as each area had a bit of design that told a piece of the larger puzzle. Now, I will say that the stages can sometimes feel too big, with rooms that seemingly were built to house a few enemies and some healing items or ammo, but trust me, you’re going to need those at some point, so just accept them as they come. I feel like this is only frustrating when I’m lost and find a door I hadn’t opened, only to get rocked by a zombie for a Safe Explosive.

Puzzles and Discovery

Still, I should point out that getting lost is part of the experience. The clues are there. You likely just overlooked them. And that’s when I was having the most fun. The puzzles themselves aren’t as cryptic as Tormented Souls, but they do require some note reading and even some environmental clues to progress. Checking the map, looking at your inventory, and re-reading notes always set me on the right path, but there’s always a decent bit of friction with every step forward.

Combat Mechanics

Ground Zero features its own take on survival horror combat, but I think the closest comparison is Resident Evil 4. Seo-Yeun isn’t a pushover, and she has some useful parry and dodge mechanics that you really have to put time into mastering. I’m mostly talking about the parry, since dodging works most of the time, although you do have a stamina limit that restricts how many times you can use it consecutively. The parrying window, on the other hand, isn’t so gracious. It’s very specific timing, but once you get it and master it, it is possible to simply take down most grunt enemies with a knife. You don’t have to play like this, but there will be times when you’re completely out of ammo, so it’s best to just rip the bandage off early.

Shooting in Ground Zero features an initial auto-aim at the nearest enemy. Once you’re aiming, you can switch targets, but this never really feels comfortable. Honestly, my favorite way to aim happens a bit later in the game when you acquire a gun attachment, but I’ll let you discover what that is on your own. There’s also a significant number of guns available in this game. I knew things would get crazy when I picked up Harpoon ammo, but there are several guns and attachments that you can simply miss, so I do encourage you to pace yourself and look for everything.

Inventory and Menu Systems

The biggest problem you’ll encounter is the limited inventory space, which is never enough for everything you need to carry. I honestly spent more time menuing than I wanted to, but the menu designs overall seem to fight you, with strange control schemes that extend even to the storage box. I could never find a flow, even after playing for eight hours. Further, pulling up the map needs a dedicated button, and I’m not about the current option where you hold Select, which is also the menu button.

I really don’t like the menuing, and I’m not sure why the team didn’t add dedicated hotkeys for equipped weapons, but having to pull up the menu in fights just to equip a different weapon makes it feel like, oh god, classic Resident Evil. Okay, so maybe I’m acting like a modern baby with this request, but at the very least, allow players to quick-switch to the knife. While I’m here, none of the menus in this game are great. Even the map shows significant areas in the room you’re in, but you can’t switch floors or view different rooms from the map view. It really pads the experience in needless ways.

Visuals and Presentation

Visually, I found the character models to be great, and honestly, Seo-Yeun can kick me in the face any day. There are additional unlockable costumes too, which feels right at home for a game like this. The environmental design mirrors that pre-rendered PS1-era style in a way that really fits the tone, and the static camera work is some of the best I’ve seen in a modern survival horror game. There are so many angles that do more than just frame the room. They shape the feeling of exploration, making even simple movement through hallways or save rooms feel tense, unfamiliar, and sometimes a little threatening. More than anything, I appreciate how committed Ground Zero is to this presentation. It understands what players love about older survival horror and uses that visual language in a way that feels thoughtful instead of cheap nostalgia.

Voice Acting and Audio

The voice work also does a solid job of selling the tone. I liked that Seo-Yeun sometimes speaks Korean, which adds more personality to her character and helps the setting feel more grounded. More importantly, everyone seems to understand the assignment here. The performances lean into that campy survival horror energy without making every scene feel like a joke. There are serious moments, awkward moments, and plenty of line deliveries that hit that slightly heightened tone this kind of game needs. It all comes together in a way that supports the atmosphere instead of pulling you out of it.

Difficulty and Replayability

I was also surprised by how many difficulty levels Ground Zero includes. Beyond the standard options, there are unlockable higher difficulties that make the experience even more demanding, which fits a game like this really well. This already feels like the kind of survival horror game built for people who want to learn it, replay it, and slowly chip away at all of its strange decisions and branching outcomes. The save system feeds into that nicely, too. Saves are limited, but not in a completely punishing way. Using a Signal Modifier at a save point unlocks it for however many saves you want, and I appreciated that balance. It still makes save management part of the experience, but it doesn’t feel outright miserable. One strange choice occurs after you die: the launch menu reappears, highlighting “New Game” as the default option, forcing you to navigate to Load Game. I would hope this will have its own dedicated menu in the future, because going back to the main menu every time is a little taxing.

This is not a game you’re going to want to play through once. Repeat playthroughs can get easier once you know where things are, what paths to take, and how certain encounters work, but thankfully, the game seems aware of that. The difficulty modifiers are tied not only to combat but also to puzzle design, which is a really interesting touch and one I honestly didn’t expect. I think that’s also going to make guide writing a bit difficult for a while, considering the number of different puzzle outcomes across the multiple difficulties. And honestly, that’s part of what makes Ground Zero feel special. It actually gives you the chance to discover things for yourself. So go enjoy this adventure while it’s still relatively unspoiled.

Final Verdict on Ground Zero

Ground Zero got under my skin in a way I wasn’t expecting. Not simply because it understands survival horror, but because it reminded me that this genre used to feel a little mean, a little mysterious, and a lot more personal when you had to figure things out for yourself. There’s something kind of beautiful about finding a game in 2026 that still lets you feel lost in it, where you’re not already thinking three steps ahead because some thumbnail or guide spoiled the whole thing before you even started. For all of its rough edges, Ground Zero gave me that feeling again, where every strange hallway, wrong turn, and bad decision felt like it belonged to me. And honestly, that alone made it feel special.