Releasing not too long ago, the Enigmatic Machines game Expedition Zero brings players a new horror survival experience. Expedition Zero is the first release from the small development team from the Czech Republic. Expedition Zero is now available for $19.99 on PC. So, how is Enigmatic Machine’s first game? Find out in our review of Expedition Zero.
Story: A short horror game with little dialogue
There are some story beats within the game, but not enough to consider it a story. With dialogue at the beginning and end of the game, most of what happens are through lore bits. Exploring will yield investigation pieces that will clue you into what happened but little interaction with other characters.
Expedition Zero is set in the heart of rural Siberia, where a meteorite crashes down, turning the area into an endless horror—constructing a massive wall to quarantine the anomaly zone. Your adventure will begin with your arrival at the wall and meeting the mysterious trader given the task of collecting samples and finding out what happened to the expedition team across the various areas in the wall. Exploring the different locations will yield materials allowing you to use multiple blueprints to craft items to aid your survival.
Gameplay: Light survival elements help create a tense atmosphere
In Expedition Zero, the player will find many of the same elements they see in other survival games. Exploring will yield materials. Throughout each location, players will be able to find printers that allow the crafting of various attachments to your suit. Unfortunately, blueprints cannot be used in every printer.
This will not slow down the player too much. Expedition Zero offers storage in the form of a sled. The sled will allow the player to fast travel between areas, store items, and charge their battery. In addition, the player will be able to locate the sled quickly. An icon on the screen will lead the player to it, so traveling from place to place is simple enough.
Materials and crafting stations are numerous, so survival is more straightforward than in other survival games like DayZ. In addition, the players aren’t required to eat or drink to stay alive, which removes much of the added slog that a player will find in other games in the genre. Expedition Zero does feature some limited survival. Having to stay warm is something the player will have to face. But, even the difficulty of staying warm is reduced with heaters and places to build fires dotted throughout each location.
To complete the main task of finding the samples in Expedition Zero, you’ll be given a scanner. This scanner functions as a radar to allow the player to locate each sample, a simple way to guide the player through each location. However, even with the scanner, there will be difficulties to face on your mission.
Scattered throughout each location are zombies, which will hinder your progress. But, they are not the biggest threat. Lurking high up in the trees, a creature of darkness looms, waiting to descend upon you at any moment. With the ability to also release poisonous gas, you’ll have to be wary of your health.
Author’s Note: In our playthrough of Expedition Zero, the build that we played, the zombies were unresponsive and easy to kill. As of writing this, the developers, Enigmatic Machines, have updated their game Expedition Zero to address these concerns.
The player is given a bolt action rifle and a crowbar to help you fight off these dangers. These weapons are more or less only there to ward off enemies than to fight them off entirely. Use these wisely to fight and escape as you cross the anomaly zone. The gameplay of Expedition Zero offers a well-balanced and straightforward survival system, and hopefully, the added fixes will add a more significant challenge for players.
Graphics/Audio: A small team using little to do a lot
Expedition Zero looks excellent for an indie game made by a small team. Offering a dark atmospheric journey through the woods, the graphics give the player a sense of unease and apprehension as they explore. But, of course, it can sometimes be a bit buggy with minor clipping and the issues mentioned above with the NPC functionality.
The audio is fantastic in Expedition Zero, offering a haunting trek through the forest. The sounds of the dangers in the distance, howling as they nip at your heels. The audio design adds an extra layer of unease, knowing that every step outside the safe zone is a risk.
Conclusion: A short horror game with potential
In our review of the Enigmatic Machine game Expedition Zero, we found a game that offers a tense but enjoyable adventure into the unknown. Even with the minor issues that the game had at release, the developers quickly addressed the communities’ concerns, providing updates to fix the problems as soon as possible. So if you’re looking for a short scare and a spooky atmosphere, Expedition Zero is worth buying.
After reading our review, if you’re interested in the Enigmatic Machines game Expedition Zero, it’s available on PC via Steam, Epic, GoG, and Humble Bundle. For more information regarding Expedition Zero, check out their product page. Additionally, see their development page for more information about the developer Enigmatic Machine.
