Ground Zero Hero Review

Many will argue that the bullet-heaven genre is a bit crowded. Since Vampire Survivors set the bar high, many have attempted to replicate its success. Ground Zero Hero has arrived on Xbox Series X/S with the full Xbox Play Anywhere treatment, allowing you to play the game anywhere you can access your Xbox library. The game is the work of solo developer Rowan Edmondson and published by the fine folks of Acclaim Inc. Whilst many of these games are so similar in style and substance, I always try to dig out the unique elements within them.

Gameplay

Ground Zero Hero follows a fairly similar premise to other titles, and that’s to survive the hordes. Here, though, you’ll be slaying off a quota of mutated enemies and upgrading your loadout as you progress. What makes the game more interesting is the mutations you can put together to increase your damage and create devastating attacks and effects.

What surprised me is the game cycling through day and night, which brings spontaneous moments and different enemy types. After dark feels a lot more challenging, but if you seek out bunkers that are dotted around the map, they can provide a haven until daylight. You’ll also recover some health by utilising the bunkers; it’s a godsend for when you’re on the brink of death. Between runs, you can unlock permanent upgrades that make your character stronger, which will assist you in the several levels on offer.

Visuals & Audio

The visuals in Ground Zero Hero are by far my favourite part of the game. With a comic-book art style and vibrant colours throughout, it looks spectacular on my 77-inch OLED TV. The variance in environments and enemy types makes the populated screen mesmerising at times. It always baffles me with these solo development projects how well presented they are when other projects with big teams fall short; Rowan has done some excellent work here. He’s done a good job of pushing that radioactive wasteland aesthetic, and performance on Xbox Series X is superb. Even during the busy periods on screen, the Series X handles things flawlessly.

When it comes to the game’s audio, you have some casual jazzy vibes ringing through the soundtrack. Hearing your bullets connecting with enemies and the explosions in between is pretty satisfying. Everything, when it comes to the sound in the game, blends perfectly with the brilliant graphics.

Final Thoughts

Ground Zero Hero is a fantastically fun time that has that addictive gameplay loop that many of these games bring. It’s an experience that I wished lasted a little longer as I ticked everything off within a few sessions, but it really is quality over quantity here. If you’re after a bullet-heaven style title that offers some different synergies and aesthetics, then you’ll absolutely love it. For less than ten quid, it’s well worth the reasonable cost for the return you’ll get. With the fact its Xbox Play Anywhere as well, it’s a game that you can also have on your handheld and won’t take up too much space.

If you fancy picking up a copy for yourself on Xbox Series X/S or to add to that Xbox Play Anywhere library, you can purchase HERE.

Big thanks to the lads and lasses from Acclaim Inc for the review copy for Xbox Series X/S