DogHowl Games’ nightmare after human and alien DNA hybridization experiment goes wrong Level zero start. Unruly alien monsters have taken over the long-abandoned facility, and now competing companies are sending mercenaries to retrieve all the data lost when an experiment went wrong.
This is where you come in.
iGamesNews
Published by tinyBuild and developed by Ukrainian indie studio DogHowl Games, Level Zero is gearing up to be an intense, immersive asymmetrical horror experience powered by Unreal Engine 5. In a game preview led by art director Alex Golenishchev, iGamesNews producer Mykhailo Moisiienko gave players an accurate look at the upcoming horror game.
First things first; how exactly does Level Zero work? Well, as a high-stakes asymmetrical PvPvPvE horror game, you can choose to play as a mercenary or one of the alien experiments that successfully escape from their facility. Of course, the gameplay will look very different depending on which character you play.
The mercenary’s main friend is a light source – anything you can get your hands on – but there’s also melee, options, and plenty of guns to add to your arsenal. Like Alan Wake, the gimmick here is that the light will triumph over the darkness stalking you in a shabby laboratory. Are aliens following you? Bring out flares to temporarily repel them, or use overhead lights and torches to protect yourself while your fellow mercenaries continue to acquire loot and seek safe escape.
The alien players, on the other hand, will want to focus all their forces on stopping the mercenaries. What this essentially means is wandering around the facility and looking for energy eggs – which enhance the aliens’ abilities – and then using those abilities to kill the mercenaries wherever they are or sabotage their evacuation. You can shut down the power and catch the mercenaries off guard, as well as place egg traps before they attack you or try to attack them directly. You’ll also need to seek out as much darkness as possible, avoiding the light sources of mercenary players looking for long-lost data…
The game will consist of three mercenary groups (made up of up to three players) and two aliens who are hunting them. DogHowl also said that Level Zero will feature two maps when it launches in Steam Early Access on March 15, with regular updates planned throughout the life of Level Zero.
There’s no denying that the game looks visually impressive, with a slightly goofy feel that feels similar to The Jungle and Sons of the Forest, and plenty of spine-tingling moments that feel more like It was inspired by some games. The best horror games of all time, Dead Space and Alien Isolation. From the blood-stained messages on the facility’s walls to the blackouts – and the growing need to highlight this – one thing I’m sure of about Level Zero is that it will lead to some extreme, albeit hilarious, events. Causes panic among players.
Another thing I loved during our hands-off preview was the variety of playstyles supported in Level Zero; whether you want to go all out, take a more stealthy, slower approach, or consistently outflank players, it looks like you Each can decide how each match is played in their own way.
By providing mercenaries and aliens with an array of tools, some of which can be crafted during a match, players will be able to take a different approach to each match based on the tools available to them. Ultimately, combining the asymmetrical horror sub-genre with that of an extraction shooter gives Level Zero an edge over its previous asymmetrical counterparts, giving players the chance to gain valuable rewards as they discover and unlock more valuable loot in each match. Progress in meaning.
My only qualm with Level Zero so far is how it stands out from other asymmetrical horror games. Given its constant updates and endless licensed list of iconic horror franchises, Dead by Daylight certainly has a monopoly on the sub-genre, and there are tons of other mid-tier games in the genre like VHS, Evil Dead: The Game, Friday the 13th: The Game, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, etc. have all had some success. Sadly, many of these games were destined to have short lifespans due to a lack of updates and an asymmetrical format that quickly bored players without anything important to do.
While it does remind me a bit of the disappointment of Rainbow Six Extraction, Level Zero is one of the few outright sci-fi subgenres I’ve seen, and it’s also going to be a break from being an Extraction shooter. Benefited a lot. ; After all, we are all predatory fairies no matter what. If it can embody the same sense of terror and immersion that games like Alien Isolation and Dead Space offer, then I think it’ll be great.
Whether or not Level Zero will be a game that players get bored of after a few weeks, I’m not entirely convinced, but if DogHowl can rise to the challenge and do whatever it takes to keep the game fresh and replayable, then I I think this indie developer could develop something really interesting and refreshing for the asymmetrical genre, and of course, scary.
Level Zero will be released on PC and consoles (specific consoles to be determined). Those eager to try the game can play it when it launches in Early Access via Steam on March 15th.