Review: Ground Zero Hero (Nintendo Switch 2)

Ground Zero Hero is a bullet-hell action roguelike in the vein of Vampire Survivors. It features hordes of enemies, mutant powers, and upgradeable abilities set in a cartoony, humorous world. What’s not to love?

You play the role of a human survivor in some kind of post-apocalyptic world. Your goal? Survive a series of unique areas by defeating 9,999 enemies. Yep, you read that correctly: 9,999. It’s as simple as that.

If you’ve played Vampire Survivors, the gameplay will be instantly familiar to you. You control your character’s movements as enemies steadily move toward you. You can choose an initial weapon (I’ll get to these later), which fire automatically.This makes Ground Zero Hero easy to pick up and play as you basically play with one hand.

That doesn’t exactly make it easy. Remember that high number of enemies? That’s how many you need to defeat. It generally takes about 15 minutes to complete this mission, making it a quicker experience than Vampire Survivors. In that game, you need to survive for a full 30 minutes, the number of enemies be damned. I like the way Ground Zero Hero differentiates itself this way.

The other gimmick here is the mutant aspect. Being the sole survivor in a nuclear-type situation, your weapons are actually mutations to your body. For example, you can sprout chicken legs and lay explosive eggs. Your arms can become elastic, allowing you to reach out and slap enemies. You might adopt an eerie green glow that hurts enemies like a shield. They’re all fun and quirky. 

As enemies are defeated, you earn glowing nuclear goo as a reward. This adds to a meter that, when full, triggers an upgrade. In true roguelike style, you can choose from three cards, offering you new weapons, enhanced abilities, or higher levels of existing weapons. The more enemies you defeat, the more powerful you become. Of course, you’ll also encounter higher numbers of enemies the longer you survive, eventually swarming you. This intense bullet-hell style is both nail biting and satisfying as you plough through.

Along the way are a few quirky additions to spice things up. Firstly, you’ll encounter random rideable objects, like a cow or a spacecraft depending on the stage you’re in. These limited-time devices allow you to quickly mow through enemies, leaving plenty of goo for you to collect. 

As well as keeping your health from depleting, you also have a hunger meter that steadily declines over time. Colorful pinatas are scattered around the environment to provide candy that replenishes you. Or you can follow the giant dancing crocodile that randomly appears, throwing candy out as he passes. Yes, that really happens. 

There are also UFOs (I’m unclear if they help you or not while beaming down), an angry sun destroying everything in sight occasionally, and a man dressed as a chicken helping you for a short time before disappearing. It’s bonkers, chaotic, and, most importantly, fun. 

There are also safes to open. Cracking them is easy; you just need to stand within a close perimeter while it unlocks over a period of 15 seconds or so. It’s a tricky balancing act to remain close enough for it to open while enemies continue their onslaught from all sides. The reward is a bunch of coins. These are useful between stages to provide permanent upgrades to your health, speed, and other attributes.

There are five themed levels to conquer. There’s a desert, a snowy area, and even another planet. While they all work the same way in terms of gameplay, the enemies vary. There’s also a night-and-day element. Once the sun goes down, a different enemy comes out to play. It could be a vampire or a grey alien. These are generally tougher and appear in greater numbers. You can kill or avoid them, or seek shelter by finding a bunker. Bunkers allow you to rest until morning. You also regain a little health and have the opportunity to save and quit. This is a neat addition (Vampire Survivors doesn’t have a save feature to my knowledge), though it’s not super necessary in a game with 15-minute runs. 

The graphics are cartoony, reminiscent of something like Rick and Morty. The jaunty music matches this lighter tone. It’s a little repetitive, but it sits neatly in the background while you concentrate on surviving. There’s an occasional stutter in the framerate, but it’s not frequent or disruptive. It is a little surprising on the Switch 2, though. 

Overall, Ground Zero Hero is an addictive experience full of zany humor. It takes the Vampire Survivors style of gameplay and adds enough to make it unique. There’s always something happening on the screen, with just enough upgrades to encourage another run. I genuinely couldn’t put it down for several hours.