Ground Zero Hero arrives in a genre that has become increasingly difficult to stand out in. The basic Survivors-like formula is familiar by now: move around an increasingly crowded battlefield, automatically unleash attacks, collect experience and gradually turn an initially vulnerable character into an absurdly powerful killing machine. Rowan Edmondson’s solo-developed game does not fundamentally rewrite those rules, but it does give them a distinctly radioactive makeover. Set in a colorful post-nuclear wasteland populated by creatures that seem to have escaped from a particularly unhinged cartoon, the game turns the protagonist into the weapon itself. Rather than collecting conventional firearms, mutations can give the character extra limbs, laser eyes, tentacles, explosive eggs and all manner of other biological oddities. We found that this silly premise works because the progression and presentation are pulling in the same direction: Ground Zero Hero is not particularly interested in taking its apocalypse seriously, and that gives the otherwise familiar formula a welcome personality.
The premise is deliberately thin, but that is hardly a problem when the real narrative purpose is to provide an excuse for increasingly ridiculous mutations. There is no elaborate story campaign here, nor does the game need one. The humor comes from watching the protagonist become progressively more grotesque while dealing with enemies ranging from mutated animals to stranger, more cartoonish creations. That absurdity extends to the game’s broader world, with mounts, environmental hazards, pinatas and other bizarre distractions making the wasteland feel more like a deranged playground than a grim survival scenario. We particularly liked how the mutations provide a visual representation of progression rather than merely improving invisible statistics. Growing another leg to move faster or developing an attack that dramatically changes the way enemies are dealt with makes the character’s evolution feel tangible. At the same time, the joke can wear thin once the initial surprise has passed, and there is not much narrative depth waiting underneath the comedy.
The core gameplay is where Ground Zero Hero makes the strongest case for itself. Runs revolve around collecting radioactive material from defeated enemies, using it to select new mutations or improve existing abilities, while simultaneously trying to avoid being overwhelmed by increasingly large hordes. The randomised selection of upgrades means that a successful build cannot simply be reproduced every time, and the better combinations can create some spectacularly destructive moments. Some weapons can also trigger dramatically amplified versions of their attacks, turning an already powerful mutation into something capable of carving through huge sections of the screen. There are plenty of additional distractions along the way, including safes that require the player to remain nearby while they are opened, environmental hazards, temporary mounts and pickups that alter the flow of a run. These additions do more than decorate the basic formula because they give the player reasons to move towards danger rather than simply circling the outside of the enemy crowd.
The day-and-night cycle is probably the most effective structural addition. During the day, the wasteland is dangerous enough, but once darkness arrives, tougher enemies appear and surviving becomes considerably more demanding. Those enemies also provide better rewards, creating a straightforward but effective risk-and-reward decision. Bunkers offer a way out for players who would rather recover and skip the worst of the night, but choosing safety means sacrificing some of the opportunities that come with staying outside. We found this considerably more interesting than simply increasing enemy numbers as a run progresses, because it gives the player an actual decision to make when the pressure rises. It also helps break up the otherwise repetitive rhythm of a genre built around repeating the same basic actions. The problem is that the system eventually becomes predictable, and some of the novelty disappears once its rules are understood.
Controls are appropriately uncomplicated, which is important in a game where the player’s attention is constantly being divided between positioning, incoming enemies, pickups and a growing collection of effects. Movement and avoidance are the real-time skills being tested while attacks and mutations largely handle the offensive side of the equation. That makes Ground Zero Hero immediately approachable, although it also means that players looking for more active combat input may find the experience limited. The increasingly chaotic screen is the greater concern. As the character acquires more abilities and the number of enemies rises, explosions, projectiles, mutation effects and enemy attacks can overlap to the point where it becomes difficult to immediately distinguish useful information from visual noise. We enjoyed the spectacle, but there are moments when spectacle works against readability.
Visually, however, that excess is also one of the game’s greatest strengths. Ground Zero Hero uses a bold cartoon aesthetic built around exaggerated characters, thick outlines, bright colors and deliberately ridiculous creature designs. The wasteland itself is relatively straightforward rather than technically elaborate, but that is largely irrelevant because the character and enemy designs carry so much of the visual identity. The game has a surprisingly broad menagerie of creatures, while the mutations themselves continually change the appearance and behaviour of the protagonist. We found the style much more memorable than the anonymous presentation found in some other Survivors-like games. There is a caveat, though: some environments and assets are reused, and, more importantly, once dozens of enemies and effects occupy the screen simultaneously, the game’s colorful presentation can become difficult to parse. The chaos is intentional, but the distinction between entertaining excess and visual clutter is sometimes a narrow one.
The audio does its job without reaching the same level of distinction as the visual presentation. Energetic music helps maintain the frantic pace, while changes in tone accompany the transition from day to night and the escalation of combat. Sound effects reinforce the cartoonish violence rather than trying to make the radioactive wasteland sound convincingly bleak. We liked the way the audio supports the game’s deliberately manic personality, but it is less likely to stick in the memory than the character designs or mutations. That is not necessarily a serious flaw in a game that can have hundreds of enemies and countless simultaneous effects competing for attention, although the overall audiovisual bombardment can become overwhelming when a run reaches its most hectic stages.
The biggest question surrounding Ground Zero Hero is not whether it is fun, but how long its particular brand of fun can sustain itself. The early progression is arguably the game’s strongest period, when every unlock can reveal another ridiculous mutation and every run has the potential to produce a new combination. Permanent upgrades provide another reason to keep returning, while missions and additional biomes add goals beyond simply surviving the next wave. There is also an Endless Mode for players who want to continue testing a build after the main progression has been exhausted. However, the ceiling arrives surprisingly quickly. Once the major mutations and progression options have been uncovered, subsequent improvements can become more incremental, and the underlying Survivors-like structure begins to reveal just how familiar it is.
That ultimately leaves Ground Zero Hero in an interesting position. It does not have the mechanical depth or long-term sense of discovery to completely escape the limitations of the genre it inhabits, and the random nature of upgrades can occasionally produce runs that feel noticeably less favorable than others. Yet the game has enough personality to make that familiar structure considerably more enjoyable than it has any right to be. The grotesque mutations, eccentric enemies, risk-reward night cycle and wonderfully silly visual style all give the basic loop its own identity, while the short runs make it particularly easy to pick up for another attempt. We came away feeling that Ground Zero Hero is at its best when the mutations start combining into ridiculous displays of power and the wasteland descends into colorful, barely comprehensible chaos. It may not reinvent the bullet-heaven formula, but it mutates it into something entertaining, distinctive and surprisingly addictive on PS5.
Score: 7.9/10