Ed-0: Zombie Uprising is a game of unyielding challenges and relentless gameplay. This is a dimension where the mechanics of soulslike combat collide with the sensibilities of old-school Japanese roguelike adventures. It’s an ugly rollercoaster of fun and fury as you embark on a journey through randomized dungeons, facing both the unknown and the unforgiving.
In this enigmatic landscape, each dungeon run is a unique puzzle, forever changing its layout, enemy encounters, and the treasures that await. Special attacks, charms, items, and shrines are scattered like whispers in the wind, their whereabouts a mystery until you take that daring step forward.
Ed-0: Zombie Uprising feels like a Japanese Simple Series 2000 game. These unassuming titles were not defined by extravagant graphics or elaborate storylines but by their audacity to find beauty in simplicity on a budget. With a modest price, can this rugged throwback satisfy gamers? Find out in this Ed-0: Zombie Uprising review!
Ed-0: Zombie Uprising
Developer: Lancarse
Publisher: D3Publisher
Platforms: Windows PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S (reviewed)
Release Date: July 13, 2023
Price: $29.99 USD
Ed-0 brazenly discards all pretenses of conventional storytelling, leaving you adrift in a sea of ambiguity. There are no grand expositions, no epic quests, and no emotional arcs to hold onto. The game dares you to explore a randomly generated world devoid of context, leaving the player to decipher the puzzle on their own.
Three characters wander through this bewildering landscape, their names mere whispers in the void, their identities like fleeting shadows in the night. Emotions are a distant echo, and the drive that fuels the narrative is replaced by a void of uncertainty. Hints and clues are scarce, offered sparingly on static screens with cryptic texts and during load screens.
There is a perverse allure to this unconventional approach. The audacity of Ed-0 to defy the storytelling norms becomes its very charm. It challenges you to embrace the unknown and find meaning in the emptiness, and seek emotional resonance within the void.
Like a 3D realization of Shiren: The Wanderer, each dungeon run is unique, forever changing its layout, enemy encounters, and the treasures that await. Special attacks, charms, items, and shrines are scattered like dust in the wind, their whereabouts a mystery until you take that daring step forward.
Just like the title promises, Ed-0: Zombie Uprising is rotten with the undead. Their vacant eyes peer into the abyss, their flesh decayed, and their movements sluggish, a waltz of the undead that knows no end.
They wander, driven by an insatiable hunger for human flesh. Their appetite knows no bounds, and they will stop at nothing to feast upon your flesh.
Players will feel entrapped in a fiendish dance with foes that possess an insufferable amount of hit points. It’s as if they’ve made a pact with the underworld, vowing to cling to life with tenacity beyond reason.
Their stubborn existence disrupts the flow of gameplay, making it a chore instead of a pleasure. They linger like unwelcome guests at a ghastly gathering, overstaying their welcome without remorse. They come in droves, like a macabre mosh pit, a mesmerizing dance of decay that keeps your adrenaline pumping and always on edge.
Ki earned with each felled adversary, a lifeline to cling to amid the relentless tides of the undead. This holds the potential to bend the rules of the unyielding flow. Time itself acquiesces, and a fleeting moment of respite descends upon the player. The art of escape becomes an instrument of survival. To disengage from the haunting horde, to slip away and find the nearest open Torii gate.
Thankfully you carry the knowledge of experience back with you to the safety of the town. Money and experience gathered during your perilous exploits can be used to level up your character, forging a stronger, more resilient hero.
Powering up your characters is vital to unlocking powerful perks, altering your playstyle, and even transforming your warrior into a Sumo wrestler with acrobatic abilities that defy reason.
Ed-0 knows no sympathy, and its difficulty will test the limits of your resolve. You’ll be caught in a storm of combo attacks, ambushed by unseen foes, and find yourself drinking the bitter draught of failure time and time again – sometimes literally falling over drunk, spewing vomit everywhere.
Animation is stilted like puppets tugged by invisible strings. Battles are a grotesque ballet, where the grace of combat is obscured by a flurry of disjointed frames. The fight sequences are rendered more laughably than thrilling.
Amidst this visual quagmire, there is a peculiar charm—one borne of the absurdity and the boldness to defy convention. Like a B-movie with a cult following, Ed-0: Zombie Uprising tantalizes the curious with its outlandish low-budget presentation. It embraces its graphic oddities with reckless abandon.
The hunger mechanics are a relentless adversary, a constant specter of doom that looms over the brave souls venturing into these treacherous dungeons. Deep within these dark recesses, sustenance can be found, a lifeline to stave off the creeping void of starvation.
Food and medicine are not always assured, leaving the hero at the mercy of chance. The hunger mechanic, in all its brutality, serves as a mirror to the human condition, reminding us of the fragility of life and the indomitable will to persevere.
Should this mechanic have undergone a rebalancing? In a game teeming with undead horrors, the addition of such a merciless hunger mechanic can feel like a macabre twist of fate.
The hunger mechanics serve as a chilling reminder of the struggle for survival, where the line between life and death is drawn in the starkness of hunger’s grasp. The hero’s journey becomes a battle of endurance and determination, a testament to the human spirit, even in the face of overwhelming odds.
Ed-0: Zombie Uprising is not going to be for everyone. It is a rare and curious breed, catering to a specific crowd, daring players to venture beyond the realms of the ordinary. Its appeal, like the sweat-drenched taint of a sumo wrestler, is an acquired taste, one that will surely bewilder the faint of heart.
A morbid reward awaits the gamers who persevere. In the face of such adversity, within a devilish allure emerges a dark humor that grins from the corners of this bizarre game. Even moments of drunken stumbling and unfettered puking can take on a certain charm, a testament to the unapologetic absurdity that thrives within Ed-0: Zombie Uprising.
Ed-0: Zombie Uprising was reviewed on Xbox Series S using a code provided by D3PUBLISHER. Additional information about Niche Gamer’s review/ethics policy can be found here. Ed-0: Zombie Uprising is now available for Windows PC (via Steam), Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.
