Developed by Doghowl Games and published by tinyBuild, Level Zero: Extraction is a brand-new extraction survival shooter. We have seen a surge in PVPVE survival shooters for some time because this genre becomes highly intense and fun if you are playing with friends and Level Zero: Extraction is no different. Although it is currently in its Early Access form, we have seen some great action and spent quality time with the game in co-op mode. Every time the word Early Access comes into play, we mostly think that the game will be an empty shell until its full release however our review of Level Zero: Extraction proves it otherwise. This is our early access review of Level Zero: Extraction in which we fend off aliens with flares and douse some mercenaries with our venomous spit.
The gameplay of Level Zero: Extraction is divided into two different segments. You can either play as a human or an alien. While playing as humans, you can join with up to two other players and deploy as a team of three while the aliens can only be two in a single match so you can only bring along another friend or join a random one in a game. If you decide to play as a human, you will be taken to your inventory right away where you can choose what you will take to your next game with you. If you are killed, you will lose everything apart from the items stored in the safe slots which are only five. The remaining items remain in your backpack, and you have to make sure that you extract them safely to bring them back and sell or trade them for money or items. Humans need to explore each map, collect loot, and fend off AI aliens while fighting the human-controlled aliens as well. They need to keep the environment well-lit to see and collect items before using any one of the extraction options available to them.
On the other hand, the aliens need to find and kill all humans in the current game. The humans only get one life and if they are killed, they cannot join back but the aliens are respawned if they are killed. They are extremely weak against light and any type of light is lethal to them whether it is a flare, glowstick, room lights, or special flashlights that are designed to take down these aliens. The aliens can only be damaged and killed with light sources, so humans have to use light sources against the aliens and other traditional weaponry against other human teams to survive. The alien comes with different abilities such as turning invisible to avoid light damage, spitting deadly venom to destroy flares, and many others to help it turn the tides in its favor. To gain energy, the alien can find and eat alien eggs while the humans can destroy these eggs to prevent the aliens from powering up.
The gameplay in the game can become intense in different situations because the alien needs to keep the lights off while the humans need to keep the lights on. Apart from the aliens, the humans need to watch out for other humans as well because each party is looking out for their own loot. In some instances, one group always ends up getting third-partied as they are fighting with either the aliens or another group and the other one jumps into the action. The action quickly paces up as humans try to use light to kill the aliens and the aliens use their abilities to sabotage the humans and slowly predate on them. The abilities take time to charge however the alien can always jump into the action but if there is more than one player, this means easy death for the alien since the flares and glowsticks instantly vaporize the alien. Humans eventually run out of supplies if they linger for too long so the whole game is really fast-paced for both parties.
Playing as the aliens earns you money which can be spent in the shop for supplies. Different vendors sell different advanced items that you can use as humans. You can also sell these vendors loot items that you bring back from your raids to increase your reputation with them and once you have increased it enough, you will be able to purchase better and more advanced items from them. If you do not want to sell items, you can also directly trade items. Each item requires a specific number of resources for trade which can be found on the maps during your raids. You can also complete contracts for these traders in return for some cool loot. However, these items could be lost if you die in a raid, and this makes a gamble. You can use a free starter kit for every match which includes a basic survival kit including a torch, glowsticks, flares, and a nail gun with ammo. This means that you can play even if you run out of money completely, but your gear will not be as flashy as some of the hardcore players in the game.
The level design of the game is solid as well. As of now, we have two different maps in the game. The Research Facility is like a typical research facility built on a distant planet with tons of laboratories, tight corridors, different levels, and plenty of room for action. The other map is a cave system map called Caves of Turion and is aimed at more advanced players who like to challenge themselves whether they are playing as humans or aliens. Both of these maps have locations that favor both sides and feature multiple extraction points and other points of interest. The layout remains the same always so you can remember the locations and it will give you an edge while you are exploring them. The alien can use vents to crawl around quickly while humans can use different devices such as door jammers to block alien access. Recently, the developers have added AI aliens to the game too that roam the maps and will attack the humans if they run into them.
The level design goes well with the overall theme of the game. The corridors are filled with blood stains, dead bodies scattered here and there, and plenty of other details that represent a dangerous and gory setting. Both maps are multi-tiered and come with a large playground space with plenty of opportunities. Having maps are locations works for the game because the developers can easily add them to the game in future content updates. The roadmap already details Space Station as the next map coming to the game and we can expect it to be haunting and scary as the two already present in the game but in the meantime, the two maps can keep you busy with their unique environments and challenges.
Level Zero: Extraction does not disappoint when it comes to delivering a haunting experience. It is minimal when you are playing as the alien because the alien can easily see in the darkness and there is no sense of stress while exploring the maps, it picks up the pace when you are playing as the humans. The sound design changes completely for the humans as it becomes completely soundless and all you can hear is haunting sounds around you and when it goes dark, it goes dark. You have to rely on your light sources in these situations and look for light switches. The lighting system also runs out of juice that needs a little time before you can turn it on again and sometimes, random power failures happen which completely shut down the light throughout the map. During these times, all you need to rely on to see around you is your torch or any external light sources light flashlights, glowsticks, or flares to navigate. This creates a sense of vulnerability and tension as you look for the extraction point with aliens stalking you.
We tried Level Zero: Extraction both during its pre-release and post-early-access release versions and noticed some major differences between the two versions. While the full early access version is supposed to be much more stable, we found the pre-release version more stable. The servers were stable, and we did not encounter any discussions. During our review playthrough, most of the server disconnects came when we tried to include another player in our two-player squad. Two-player party-only connections were much better in terms of connections. This was only an issue when we were playing as humans because the alien faction only allows a two-player squad. Other issues that we ran into included items not equipping properly and sometimes pressing the required key did not make our character equip that particular item despite it being in the correct slot.
Sometimes the weapon will not reload and in one or two scenarios, one of our reviewers also reported that they were unable to fire their weapon despite pressing the fire key. Playing as the alien also appears to be much more stable but the recent nerfs have made it vulnerable. The developer has alien gameplay adjustments and optimization in its detailed roadmap, but we are not sure when these changes will arrive down the road. Playing as the human feels more powerful in Level Zero: Extraction than playing as the alien when it should be the other way around normally. It requires a more strategic approach at this moment, and you cannot just rush in and nab some kills.
One thing that we like about Level Zero: Extraction is that the developers are not heading into the typical monster vs human formula where the monster just simply rushes in, kills everyone off, and has its day. No matter which side you play in Level Zero: Extraction, you have to play strategically. You cannot just rush in. The humans need to rely on tech and various items to survive long enough to collect loot and leave safely while fending off AI aliens and human-controlled aliens while the alien has to collect eggs, increase its strength, and use its many abilities to kill off the humans one by one before they escape. Both sides need to devise a strategy to execute their plans or else they will just succumb to their fate in the hands of the opposition.
Despite the ease of extraction for humans, they bring some sort of restrictions as well that certain items are required for certain extraction points which are not cheap to obtain, or they must ditch some of the collected loot because the extraction has a weight limit. Both sides have their pros and cons, and you have to understand them both and play strategically. Humans need money if they want to feel superior in the game because the items are not cheap and it is always a risk for them to take high-level, expensive gear to a game because if they die, they will lose everything. Aliens do not have to lose anything, but they will not earn any money for their human faction if they do not play well. The balance is there but naturally, there is a reason for its Early Access release and that is figuring it out and perfecting it before its full release.
Level Zero: Extraction’s current Early Access release is a pretty good launch nonetheless because the core gameplay is both tense and entertaining at the same time. The roadmap features some much-needed optimizations coming to the game such as more loot variety, Endgame content including bosses, AI enemies, and rewards along with Alien and Merc progression path allowing you to customize the gameplay elements of both sides along with many others. The developers are also listening actively to the community feedback which is a good thing and this shows that we can see some good optimizations and content in the game soon based on fan feedback.
Final Verdict:
Level Zero: Extraction is an accessible and haunting extraction shooter nonetheless and we are seeing a hefty development roadmap ahead with tons of new features coming in. The environment is atmospheric, and we like the fact that the alien is not just something that can kill humans with a single breath. Both sides require careful planning and a strategic approach to win the game. While the content might not be much especially when it comes to maps, additional maps, and coming in additional early access updates, the game overall is pretty addictive and can easily hook you to its gameplay. If you are looking forward to a fun, tense, and haunting extraction shooter to play on PC, you can try out Level Zero: Extraction because it will only get better with new content and updates coming its way.
Final Score: 8.0/10
