I'm terrified of the dark and giant killer monster aliens, so new asymmetrical multiplayer horror Level Zero is doing a great job of playing into my deepest, darkest fears.
Coming from Ukraine-based developer DogHowl and publisher TinyBuild, Level Zero pits a team of scientists against a horrifying, Alien-esque monster that prowls in the dark and absolutely hates any kind of light source. Scientists will need to make use of all the light they can get—the trailer shows a lonesome lad throwing a glowstick in front of his path, and later fleeing the monster while holding a flare. They can also throw down light traps to stagger and hopefully kill their bloodthirsty adversary.
If scientists meet their demise, they can still lend a hand. Dead scientists will respawn as drones to support teammates who are still alive, able to ping useful objects or locations and keep an eye on what's going on around the map. The drones can be temporarily disabled, but thankfully not destroyed entirely.
The ultimate goal is repairing electrical systems and getting the hell out, though the monster won't let it happen easily. The trailer shows a couple of the abilities at the monster's disposal, like an EMP to disrupt light switches and temporarily kill those pesky light sources. It can also heal with energy collected from around the map, as well as use telepathic abilities to mess up whatever the scientists are up to. There's an icon that looks like it'll have something to do with scientists' heartbeats, another that appears to be a sonic scream, and one that looks like the monster can spit some weird gunk out of its mouth.
Monsters can also move through vent shafts and place traps around the map to try and take out each scientist. If the monster is killed it'll respawn, and it needs to try and kill all four scientists before they can get the electrics back up and running again.
It's a pretty similar premise to Dead by Daylight with shades of GTFO's oppressive sci-fi. I'm a big baby when it comes to horror and will undoubtedly be terrified if I ever work up the courage to give this a go. I'm a fan of the monster's telepathic abilities though, and the idea of using light to combat it seems pretty fun. Who doesn't love a good glowstick?
Level Zero is coming to Steam sometime in 2023, and you can wishlist it now. If you can't wait until then, there's a closed beta you can sign up for.
