Ground Zero Hero is a new survivors-like developed by Rowan Edmondson, published by Acclaim, and released for Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
Ahead of the game's launch, and prior to us getting our own hands on it, we here at Netto's Game Room had a chance to speak with Rowan about its development cycle and key features.
Here is what he had to say!
Hello, my name is Ben and I'm one of the co-founders of the gaming website Netto's Game Room. First of all, I'd like to thank you for taking the time to meet with me about your new game Ground Zero Hero. Before we begin, could you tell our readers a little about yourself?
Hey Ben! My name’s Rowan Edmondson and I’ve been a fulltime indie for fifteen years now. Most of that time was as the creative half of Dobsoft Studios making mobile games, but the last 4 years have been as a fully solo developer. Outside of gamedev, I’m a jiu jitsu purple belt, have three years of a music degree and played semi-pro basketball in another life (*mostly wore a uniform and sat on the bench)
So the title is a survivors-like, which is a genre that has exploded in popularity lately. But what is it that made you decide to develop a survivors game of your own?
I actually started on this before Vampire Survivors really blew up. I came across it randomly when it was still kinda obscure and thought I could put a cool twist on it (GZH was originally called RAD Survivor) . Subsequently 235,023,687 developers had a similar idea. Also it seemed like something I could make rather quickly, which was also a comically poor judgement. So here we are three years later. (*melting face emoji*)
Were there any development challenges you faced along the way?
This genre is definitely an optimisation challenge. Turns out there's a good reason why Vampire Survivors doesn’t (didn’t?) really have any character animation, so the GZH ethos of “animate everything” definitely didn’t help in making it performant.
I have to say, the game has a very unique art style that really helps it stand out. How did you go about creating this look? Are there any inspirations behind it?
Thanks! I guess the influences are pretty clear as a mix of The Simpson’s/Matt Groening and Rick and Morty. They seemed like obvious touchpoints for the aesthetic of something that boils down to absurd nonsense.
When it comes to the gameplay, players will be fighting hoards of enemies, racking up points, and upgrading their character. It is a standard for the genre, but what would you say makes Ground Zero Hero stand out from the others?
Beyond the aesthetics there’s some core design aspects that I think separate Ground Zero Hero from other survivors-likes. There’s a meaningful day night cycle that sees more dangerous enemies emerge at night that drop greater rewards. This is the key risk-reward proposition, as players can choose to instead hide in a bunker while also sacrificing any uncollected XP. The bunker also allows players to save mid-run, a quality of life addition I haven’t seen in similar games. There’s interactive and destructible features in each wasteland, and various mounts to ride like an exploding two headed cow. Each power has a small chance to go “bonkers” - unleashing a ridiculous uber, screen clearing form of the mutation.
And you can give birth to a man in a chicken suit.
One aspect of the game advertised is that "each build is a new monster." Could you tell us a little more about what that means exactly?
Maybe on one run you have three legs, a third eye that shoots lasers and a gigantic fist that slams the ground. Maybe on another you have snakes sprouting from your head, a tentacle for an arm and an electric eel coming out your…lower back.
At launch the game will have a little over 60 types of enemies to encounter, at least 80 upgrades, and features bullet hell style gameplay. It sounds chaotic, but just how crazy will each round get? Will we need our lightning fast reflexes to even have a chance at surviving, or will some of the upgrades make light work of the incoming mobs of enemies?
It’s definitely chaotic, but it’s not really ‘twitchy’ in the sense that you need cat-like reflexes to succeed. The game does get progressively faster but success is much more about build creation and how you manage the horde.
Another feature announced ahead of launch is the fact that the game will contain 60 challenges. What can you tell us about them?
These are missions that provide extra currency bonuses for completion. Some are quite straightforward like collecting X number of candy, while others need a bit more conscious engagement like toppling a tree on to an Ent-like tree boss in the forest level.
As we progress, will the game feature any type of story? Or is the gameplay always front and center?
Gameplay is definitely front and center but the game does have a beautiful ending. Ground Zero Hero is for lovers.
In addition to everything we already discussed, is there anything else you'd like our readers to know about Ground Zero Hero?
Probably just my deep gratitude to anyone that gives their time to it. I don’t take that or their hard earned money lightly. It’s very humbling to hear the amount of hours some people have played the game, and even just the demo. The support is truly appreciated and it’s always thrilling to hear people have enjoyed your work.
And finally, just for fun, what is your favorite shoot 'em up?
A tragically overlooked gem called Bathtime Boogie.
For more on Ground Zero Hero, you can check out our full review, or head over to your favorite console marketplace to try the game out for yourself! A free demo is also available on Steam.
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