Generation Zero®

🎮 Game Information

• Developer: Avalanche Studios
• Publisher: Systemic Reaction
• Engine: Apex Engine
• Release Date: March 26, 2019
• Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S (via BC)
• Genre: Open-World, Co-op, FPS, Survival
• Mode: Single-player & 4-player Co-op

🌲 Introduction

Generation Zero drops players right into a peaceful Swedish countryside. That place turns into something wildly chaotic. The story happens in an alternate version of 1989. You head back home only to discover your town completely deserted. Aggressive machines patrol the area. They go after anything that stirs or moves at all. It starts off like a basic mystery about staying alive. Things build up into this drawn-out atmospheric battle. You fight in a guerrilla way just to get some real answers.

I went through the entire game on my own. I also played it with others in co-op mode. Generation Zero stands out as one of the most absorbing open-world shooters around. Still it feels pretty uneven in spots. The good parts really grab you and hold on tight. The weak spots hit just as hard. They match the noise from those massive robot blasts.

🕹️ Gameplay

Generation Zero really gets going with its strong atmosphere and focus on exploring the world around you. It also dives into tactical combat that keeps things interesting. You do not play as some unstoppable tank in this game. Instead, you take on the role of a teenager up against machines built to take down entire military units. So, things like staying hidden, finding the right spots to fight from, and making use of the surroundings turn into your main ways to survive.

The combat side of it turns out to be more tactical than you might expect at first. Those machines will try to get around your position or pull back when needed. They even bring in extra help and switch up their attacks based on what type they are. Going right at them without a plan just leads to quick deaths most of the time. You have to wait until you get better gear before trying that. It pushes you to think ahead and play in smarter ways. The whole system for loot and building up your character works pretty well overall. Weapons get upgrades that make a real difference. Attachments on them add more options too. Then there are the skill trees that let you go different routes, such as focusing on engineering tasks or giving support to others or just straight-up fighting.

The game starts to stumble a bit when it comes to how the pacing feels and how much repetition shows up. A lot of the missions follow the same basic pattern where you head to a spot, pick up some clue, and keep moving forward. After putting in dozens of hours, the battles with machines start to blend together and lose their edge. Playing alone can hit you hard at times. It even feels unfair in spots. On the other hand, jumping into co-op changes everything for the better. It makes the whole experience way more enjoyable and easier to handle.

🎨 Visuals & Art Style

The Swedish 80s countryside really takes center stage in this thing. You get dense forests and fields wrapped in fog. Retro houses pop up along with neon interiors. Snowy mountain ranges stretch out too. Everything just soaks in this heavy mood. It might be sunset light falling on some forgotten barn. Or a misty forest that conceals robots somewhere inside. The world ends up feeling hauntingly peaceful in a strange way.

Those machines stand out with their design. They come across as mechanical and eerie. Yet they feel believable all the same. Sparks shoot out with smoke billowing around. Glowing weak points draw your eye right away. That turns every encounter into something visually intense. Still, the environmental assets show up over and over. Interiors can begin to seem copy-pasted once you spend long sessions in them.

🔊 Sound & Music

A lot of heavy lifting is done by a robust sound design. Each robot makes its own sound as it moves — clanks, whirs, beeps — so you can get to know your enemies by their noise. Gunfire is punchy, explosions crisp and the atmospheric wind or far-off metallic creaks develop constant tension.

The synth-wave score is great yet underutilized. When those 80s beats come roaring in during a particularly tense fight, it’s unforgettable. But beyond those moments, music is scarce, and some passages feel too quiet.

📖 Story & Atmosphere

Narratively, Generation Zero® is subtle. There are no cutscenes—just notes, radios, computers and environmental storytelling. The mystery of the lost population is engaging, but gameplay takes precedence over story.

The atmosphere, however, is top-tier. This is a world that very much feels abandoned. Homes appear lived in, only hastily abandoned. Cars are left on roads. Schools, bunkers and shelters all have stories to tell without speaking a word. You’ll love it if you’re a fan of environmental storytelling. If you need a cinematic story, you might go hungry.

🐞 Bugs & Technical Performance

While the game has improved massively since launch, issues still pop up:

• Machines occasionally glitch or freeze
• Loot sometimes disappears or fails to spawn
• Mission objectives occasionally bug out
• Physics can behave strangely
• Multiplayer desync happens during long sessions

🔁 Replayability

The open world, the machine diversity and the co-op make it very replayable. Constructing various skill trees, experiementing with new weapon loadouts and venturing into every region can keep you occupied. Post-launch updates also introduced bases and new enemies, plus seasonal events.

And yet repetition starts to seep in, if you play alone. Co-op also adds massive replayability, as it’s essentially a whole new game.

🔚 Final Verdict

The above is Generation Zero® at its best, and we hope you will enjoy these moments of intense open-world action as much as we enjoyed making them for all ambitious virtual survivalists out there! When it’s firing on all cylinders, it can produce some of the most pulse-pounding moments in any co-op survival game. But inconsistent missions, technical hiccups and difficulty spikes send it careening back down to Earth.

If you enjoy exploration, 80s nostalgia, co-op survival, and robotic enemies that actually feel threatening, Generation Zero® is absolutely worth diving into, just bring friends, a flashlight, and patience.