While Resident Evil Requiem has had a monopoly on survival-horror talk since it launched, fans of old-school Resident Evil might want to check out Ground Zero. Developer Malformation Games has announced an April 16 release date for the retro-inspired survival horror game, and it’ll be launching for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.
Set in South Korea, Ground Zero takes place two months after a devastating meteor impact. An elite Korean operative, Seo-Yeon, and her Canadian partner are sent to investigate the city of Busan, and they quickly discover that strange growths have infested the metropolis and hordes of mutant survivors prowl the streets. It’s up to players to discover the truth of what really hit Busan by shooting, stabbing, and roundhouse-kicking their way through danger.
If you’re getting PS1 vibes from Ground Zero, that’s by design. A love letter to classic PS1-era survival horror games, Ground Zero features pre-rendered backgrounds and fixed camera angles alongside its nostalgic graphics, as well as puzzles, custom difficulty modifiers, and even tank controls for an extra layer of nostalgia. Combat is inevitable, but players who can fight back with skill will be rewarded with more Genome Points, which can be traded for powerful gear upgrades.
April is shaping up to be a great month for new game releases, with heavy hitters like Tomodachi Life, Pragmata, and Saros. Another retro-inspired game to keep an eye out for is He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Dragon Pearl of Destruction, as the side-scrolling beat-’em-up looks like it has the 16-bit power.