There’s a certain genre that’s appeared in the last year or so that I find absolutely maddening. I’m not even a hundred percent sure what to call it. All I know is that unless you have a very particular set of skills, (I don’t,) and the patience of a saint, (I also don’t,) you’re going to have a very bad time. We are going to be looking at one of these games today and for the reasons I’ve just mentioned this is going to be a preview. It’s a preview because try as I might I cannot get anywhere in ZERO Sievert. Does this make it a bad game? No of course it doesn’t but it does make scoring it somewhat difficult. I’ll tell you a bit about the game and explain why it’s a total bloody nightmare as we go but I promise my reasoning is just.
ZERO Sievert falls into the same pen as games such as Escape from Tarkov. These titles take the “git gud” adage and run off a cliff with it. This isn’t Soulsbourne “git gud,” though, this is an entirely skill-based level of difficulty outside of learning attack patterns and item builds. Here each run is entirely dependent on your skill as a player and death is a giant kick in the teeth. In this sort of title if you aren’t good you simply won’t progress and for me this is something that makes my teeth itch.
I completely get the appeal for some of you of going into a game knowing that if you die any hard work on your account is going out of the window. I get the adrenaline rush of knowing that your loot is yours for only as long as you can keep breathing. It ramps the excitement up all the more when every bullet counts and any opponent can take you and all of your accomplishments down in an instant. You keep trying and you get better and you win; eventually. All of this on paper is fine but that’s when the wheels fall off for me. You are going to die and you are going to lose everything you’ve earned and then you’re going to try again, and again, and again and in all of this you aren’t getting anywhere.
As a roguelike player I completely understand the urge to throw yourself against massive odds knowing you likely won’t succeed. The difference though, is that in a roguelike you get stronger with each loss and become better prepared for your next run. In a game such a ZERO Sievert even though your character skills increase, you’re only as good as your current run. You don’t gain anything by losing other than the experience. You either learn from that loss and get better, or you don’t. If you don’t you aren’t progressing. For me, gaming is all about progression and when you aren’t being given any means to do that other than your own skill it’s a tough ask.
Importantly, this is just my take. Some of you learn really quickly and as such will have a ton of successful runs and get back to base with all your new found loot. The endorphins will be pumping and you’ll be crying out to jump back into the fire again. This is why I can’t say any of these games, ZERO Sievert included are bad. It’s a brilliant way to play if you can master the agonizing game loop and when you have it, you have it.
Having written a novel on why ZERO Sievert has a few existential problems for me I suppose I’d better tell you something about the actual game. In this top-down blast and scavenge romp, you’re a survivor in a post apocalyptic world. As such, you’ll have to go out into the wilderness and scavenge goods to bring back to your base so its inhabitants can function. The problem is that this is a world where literally everything wants to kill you. From wild animals to fully armed bandits to mutants that just want to give you a really bad time, everything is a problem.
When I say everything I mean everything. Outside of the living hostiles you’ll have radiation to worry about. As you explore you’ll hear the tick of a radiometer, the more frequent the ticks the more irradiated you’re becoming. As radiation isn’t good for your health you can imagine how that’s going to end. You also have to think about having a supply food and water, not only while you’re on missions. You can starve to death back in the bunker too, which is nice. On top of all of this even the light, (or lack of it,) can get you killed. I took a wander out at night time and got eaten by ghouls because I literally couldn’t see more than about a foot in front of me. ZERO Sievert is survival in the truest sense.
I’d love to tell you all about how you build your bunker with the supplies you bring home but that would have meant me bringing back supplies. To do that you need to live. Something I haven’t gotten to grips with yet. This is circling back to why this is a preview. I can’t tell you about what I haven’t experienced.
With all I’ve said you’d think I’d have given up on ZERO Sievert. For some reason, even knowing that my ability is more zero than the title I just keep jumping back in. There’s definitely an addictive quality here and I’m enjoying my time with the game. That doesn’t mean I’m getting any better at it though. If you love games like Escape from Tarkov and want to see the usual multiplayer translated into a single player experience this will be right up your alley. If you’re the kind of player that looks for an extreme experience you’ll love this too. If you aren’t either of the above you’re in for a hard time of it. You can, of course, play on easy mode but that sort of defeats the point really.
All in all ZERO Sievert is a good game but has to be played under some very specific circumstances. This is not a pick-up-and-play experience or a game for a quiet night in with your mates. This title is stress on a stick. If you like the sound of a mini-nightmare wrapped up in a big bow you’ll love this one, if not maybe steer clear.
