ZERO Sievert is a pixel art, top-down extraction shooter developed by CABO Studio and published by Modern Wolf. Heavily inspired by the S.T.A.L.K.E.R games, the events occur in a post-nuclear Eastern Europe. Scavenge, survive, and uncover the secrets of the wasteland.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R INSPIRED WORLD
The game’s story is provided through dialogue and quest briefings. While some quests are purely optional, others are necessary to unlock new areas. Like S.T.A.L.K.E.R, you have wonderful things like mutant-infested forests and the industrial regions acting as bandit hideouts. The locations are grounded in realism, and the developer has tried to make them stand out with unique assets and points of interest. While the combat locales are only a handful, procedural generation, and random spawn points prevent the loop from getting stale. Large structures such as encampments and power relays follow a pattern, but everything in between, such as houses, wreckage, and terrain, is much more random. Enemies and environmental hazards also spawn randomly.
Your character has a cone of vision (fog of war), similar to Darkwood and This War of Mine, which is further limited by weather effects, day-to-night cycles, foliage, and debris. While a small thing, it adds a constant uncertainty when exploring. You never know if someone or something is waiting behind a tree or a broken car. You might turn a corner and find nothing. And sometimes, you’ll turn and receive a fistful of buckshot. What adds more tension, is the fact looting isn’t instant. When looting a container, it’ll take a while for your character to see all the contents, as if they are literally rummaging. Looting in the middle of combat is a bad idea. I like the fact it forces you to pay attention to your immediate surroundings.
SHOOTER WITH RPG FLAIR
Similarly to S.T.A.L.K.E.R, ZERO Sievert is a shooter with RPG-like elements. Besides having different base stats, weapons can be altered with attachments and ammo types. A weapon’s stats are influenced by its condition. Low condition leads to worse output and the occasional jam. Different weapons are better for different scenarios, and range influences damage. Not to mention, you need to master the recoil system. It’s a combat system that’s “easy to pick up, hard to master.” A few things are happening besides simply having to point and shoot.
There’s different armor categories, and just like weapons, their maximum effectiveness is determined by their condition. Weapons and armor can be maintained at your base, and besides having to maintain your loadout, you need to maintain yourself. Rest, thirst, hunger, wounds and radiation determine your effectiveness, replenished with food and medicine. Mobility is dictated by a weight system.
The RPG feel of the game is further enhanced with the progression system and rudimentary base building. Killing enemies and extracting and completing quests will reward the player with XP. Players who die will need to start the run again and receive only a portion of their previous accumulated XP. Each new level will grant the player a perk point. Perks provide essential but meaningful bonuses, such as reduced armor weight or a sprint augment. You can try different builds, and if you’re unhappy, you can reset your perks so there’s no pressure to commit to a playstyle.
Weapons also have a progression system. Using weapons in a particular category will slowly increase your mastery and provide you with stat bonuses for that category. At certain thresholds, you’ll be able to select perks for that weapon type.
The Bunker is your central hub where you can interact with characters, get quests, recover, trade, and choose what areas to raid. There’s a rudimentary base-building mechanic that, while not mind-blowing, adds some variety and replay value. You can upgrade your base with modules. You need to scavenge the proper tools and raw materials to craft said modules, which is easier said than done. Modules are varied, giving passive bonuses like gun damage or allowing for repairs and crafting. You can have a finite number of modules at a time, and you’re free to progress however you wish.
Given the game’s difficulty, each little bit of progression feels meaningful and earned. The RPG mechanics are simple, but they add depth to combat and encourage the player to plan ahead.
PLANNING IS CRUCIAL
Recoil, range, weapon stats, character stats, weight, armor values, limited vision, abundance of cover, enemy unpredictability, and realistic looting mean that trying to play like an action hero is going to get you killed really quickly. The game really pushes to think two steps ahead and be skillful. Sometimes preparing at the base is just not enough, you’ll have to take advantage of the loot you gather. Sometimes, it’s just better to avoid fights. You can also be opportunistic, attacking at night or while enemies are fighting each other. You’re likely to have a few test runs before you complete your first quest, as this game does not hold your hand when learning the ropes. Remember to fill all your hotbar options and always have spare armor at your base.
When you complete quests, you can select rewards, like picking different armor or repair supplies. I like this system because it lets you choose whatever fits your playstyle.
WORTHY FOES
Enemies are a genuine threat throughout all stages of the game. You have grotesque mutants amidst more grounded foes like soldiers and bandits. Animals and mutants are fast with erratic patterns. On the other hand, human enemies are a force to be reckoned with. Their weapon primarily determines a human enemy’s behavior, and they will constantly try to attack from optimal range. Shotgunners and SMG wielders are more likely to bum-rush you. Assault rifle wielders are more cautious, firing at medium range and frequently alternating between cover. Human enemies are accurate, can travel in groups, use throwables to flush you out, and are reluctant to take unnecessary risks. A few boss enemies are scattered across the game to test your skill. And patience.
If you’re careless, can’t handle your weapon’s recoil, or decide to fight with poor armor, they can take you out in about five seconds. Combine that with different enemy formations, and you’ve got yourself in combat that pushes you to adapt. Fight smarter, not harder, is the name of the game. Your limited vision and the abundance of cover means you’ll have to pay attention to sounds and combat barks to get an advantage.
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FLAWS IN THE LOOP
So, these three types of human enemies are generally fun to fight against. I can’t say the same for the other three. Pistols are a good last resort option, but pistol enemies are rarely a threat. DMR wielders and snipers, on the other hand, are broken. I mentioned how SMGs and shotguns are effective in short range, while assault rifles are good at medium range. The problem with DMRs and snipers is that their effective range is all the way to Mars. If you die from an enemy offscreen, there’s a good chance it’s a sniper or DMR wielder. They’re accurate, they got the damage, and they are not shy about exploiting their range.
Deaths from these enemies always felt cheap and undeserved, like you’re dealing with hitscanners from a Build Engine or GoldSrc game. The game has the presence of mind to make them one of the least common enemy types, but a single one in a group is enough to make it an objectively uphill battle. You can mitigate them with snipers and DMRs (ironically), but having to go a particular route diminishes the game’s RPG feel. It’s the conundrum of making your game grounded by introducing RPG elements. Mutants and animals slow you down when they land a hit to make them on par with human enemies. Although a good idea on paper, their erratic behavior can also lead to a lot of cheap deaths and frustration.
BUGS, QUESTS, AND QOL
Though the game is officially out of early access, I have noticed a few noticeable bugs. When playing, getting stuck in terrain or structures in your base is common, requiring you to use a command to get out. I’ve noticed the AI freak out every once in a while. By far, the most glaring bug is with the inventory UI. Sometimes, loot icons overlap when you auto-sort or use the quick take option. It can be a pain when you’re in the middle of a fight, and you need something real bad.
Quests quickly start to blend together. Most quests devolve into the “go here, kill this, or take that” route. Of course, the things you need to find, take, or kill are different, but it’s just a coat of paint. I’ve had a quest where I had to kill someone, but they ended up dying to NPCs before I could get to them. It feels like quests aren’t there to add variety to the gameplay loop but encourage you to delve into the core. The core is excellent, but the game would do better with more varied missions.
Besides bugs and uninspired quests, the game has a noticeable need for quality-of-life improvements. The game’s optional “tutorial” only gives below the bare minimum. Luckily, you have loading screens. Two images and some text do not make a proper tutorial. A two- or three-minute tutorial section would be a much better fit, or there would be more tutorial screens. Right now, it feels like it’s been slapped together just for the sake of it. Trial and error are okay as a game concept, but you need to give the player realistic expectations; otherwise, frustrations will mount.
Although you have an auto-sort feature to speed things up, items are not automatically swapped when you try to drag and drop into the occupied slot. You must remove the item first and then add the new one. If your inventory is cluttered, the game will not try to organize space for the latest items when you quickly move. It is minor but something that can be improved.
CONCLUSION
Overall, ZERO Sievert is a solid experience. The gunplay is good, and the tense exploration mixed with the procedural generation will provide players with hours of gameplay, albeit with some inconsistencies that need to be considered.