Zero Protocol is a retro FPS survival horror game taking place in a scientific facility, where you play as an amnesiac newly-hired head of security – trying to piece together what happened amidst a sudden emergency lockdown. In its short and sweet 6 hour runtime, it manages to keep its simple gameplay loop interesting and offers a unique take on the genre.

It is definitely a classic survival horror game, but in a first person perspective. Slowly, you make your way from floor to floor, solving puzzles to unlock doors while killing your infected colleagues. It has a nice and blocky pixelated 3D look, which is very tastefully done.

The map is great, marking details such as locked doors and allowing you to place limitless custom markers. The puzzles are very creative and manage to challenge, despite basically being a rinse and repeat of finding keys to unlock doors (I actually appreciated the shamelessness). The story too is simple but intriguing.

When I originally tried the 1.0 release, combat was nearly impossible and I ended up soft locked with no way to proceed. In the newest update, I actually had too many resources… so maybe there needs to be a happy medium. Regardless, the enemy encounters have sufficient variety and require strategic bullet use and quick reflexes depending on the enemy type.

Overall, it’s just a short and sweet survival horror experience that left me completely satisfied. The game is finished in about 5-6 hours, and I found the simplicity refreshing and a unique take on the genre. It’s not the most ambitious fleshed-out horror game ever (nor is it trying to be), but it’s a very well crafted experience that fans of the genre will appreciate.

Interested in trying ZERO PROTOCOL? Buy or wishlist it on Steam here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2840250/ZERO_PROTOCOL/