Level Zero is a forthcoming, asymmetrical multiplayer horror game by Ukranian developer Dog Howl Games that pits bloodthirsty alien creatures against a team of human colonists and researchers. The indie title mixes up traditional formulas with a light-based combat system, shying away from the asymmetrical horror genre's typical one monster versus many survivors format. Four human are pitted against a pair of alien creatures, and tasked with scavenging equipment to repair systems so that they can make their escape.

Game Rant recently spoke with lead 3D artist Alex Golenishchev, and other members of Dog Howl Games, about the title's emphasis on immersion, teamwork, and realism. Fans of asymmetric horror and sci-fi aficionados will likely be intrigued by Level Zero's offerings when it launches, currently scheduled for 2023.

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Level Zero is Better With Friends

Level Zero Gadget

Level Zero's key distinguishing feature from titles like Friday the 13th or Dead By Daylight is that both the humans and antagonistic aliens will be working as competing teams. Golenishchev believes this dynamic will substantially change the typical conventions of the asymmetrical horror genre.

"Whenever you play a multiplayer game, you want to share your emotions with another player. A partner, a friend. And that’s why we decided to make it two versus four, rather than one versus however many."

While picking off survivors as a solitary, overpowered killer has its charms, there is a unique emotional thrill in sharing stakes with a partner. Adding teamwork to both sides of the equation also enables new dimensions of strategy. Players who are controlling creatures have predatory advantages, but they are not as powerful as the juggernaut killers in other one-versus-many asymmetrical horror titles. Diversionary tactics, pincer attacks, and flanks are all possible, and often essential to achieve a successful assault on the light-wielding humans.

How Dog Howl Games is Controlling Chaos

Level Zero Space Station 3

In order for Level Zero to succeed as a horror title specifically, it must be a game that elicits emotional responses from players individually, as well as in groups. Golenishchev knows that controlling a player's emotional response in a group is a very different beast than controlling them in isolation.

"As soon as something becomes multiplayer, it becomes difficult to control how players will behave. Unlike when you have artificial intelligence, which you can always control. Like in Alien Isolation, you only have a single character, and that’s the player, so it is easier to control their emotions by manipulating AI characters and the atmosphere in the game."

The primary challenge in managing players' individual stress levels is to make sure there is a mutual risk-reward dynamic between the human and monster teams. Early in development, light-based weaponry was too effective at slaying monsters, and the intended predator/prey dynamic was flipped. To resolve this, Dog Howl incorporated new abilities for the alien creatures, such as the Scream Wave that makes a player drop the item they are holding. Adding a single new ability or piece of equipment to the game - especially given the game's unique combat system⁠ - can have a dramatic ripple effect on the title's overall dynamic.

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Another way Dog Howl Games is doubling down on horror is by giving the environment a personality of its own. In addition to the player-controlled monsters, the maps will be subject to jump scare effects including pipe bursts, falling debris, and other distractions that can fake players out and raise tension on an individual basis.

Near-Futuristic Realism in Level Zero

Level Zero Space Station 4

Most sci-fi games deck out their heroes in futuristic battle armor, and most asymmetrical horror games have survivors attired in casual clothing. Level Zero strikes a balance on that spectrum, with sci-fi realism as its guiding principle for aesthetic design. Dog Howl looked to more grounded properties like The Martian and Star Citizen than to the operatic military settings of Halo or similar titles. The survivors are research scientists and exo-colonists as opposed to battle-hardened space marines, and their outfits reflect that distinction.

While players will be able to customize characters' appearances (human and alien alike), each map has a uniform that serves as a base template for that locale. Again, the goal is to create an immersive experience that players can get lost in, and a big part of that is including elements of familiarity. Golenishchev said Level Zero's "flashlights look like flashlights," so the near-future world would be more believable, and the team shied away from "sci-fi for the sake of sci-fi."

Level Zero is currently in development with a projected launch in 2023 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.

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