Level Zero: Extraction Review [Early Access] | Zero Points For Balance｜Game8 (2024)

Level Zero: Extraction is an asymmetric horror-themed sci-fi extraction shooter where mercs battle aliens in the ruins of a failed experiment. Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.

Level Zero: Extraction Review Overview

What is Level Zero: Extraction?

Level Zero: Extraction is a sci-fi horror extraction shooter that features asymmetric combat, pitting 3-man mercenary teams against each other and wandering aliens in intense PvPvE skirmishes. Set in a world overrun by an outbreak of extraterrestrial life, the game blends fast-paced, extraction-style gunplay with nerve-wracking FPS horror mechanics, keeping even the most seasoned players on edge with their fingers poised on the trigger.

Level Zero: Extraction features:
　⚫︎　3-player mercenary or alien squads
　⚫︎　20-minute PvPvE skirmishes
　⚫︎　Advanced weapon customization and attachment features
　⚫︎　Independent exploration and combat mechanics for mercs and aliens

Steam

Level Zero: Extraction Pros & Cons

Level Zero: Extraction Overall Score - 68/100

Level Zero: Extraction is a serviceable game in its infancy—too underdeveloped to be great but far along enough to convey a novel idea. Unfortunately, even the most innovative gameplay and flashy graphics can only mask design flaws so well, and Level Zero: Extraction clearly struggles with serious balance issues in favor of one side. With time, the game may improve in these regards, but for now, it’s just another poorly balanced extraction shooter.

Level Zero: Extraction Story - 5/10

Level Zero: Extraction’s narrative barely exists, manifesting as a prologue to set the scene and nothing more. The story is a standard-fare outbreak scenario with a sci-fi twist—nothing particularly exciting—although the world-building is at least decent, if not a bit underutilized.

Level Zero: Extraction Gameplay - 6/10

Level Zero: Extraction’s gameplay has a long way to go before it could be considered squad-worthy. Although its initial premise is eye-catching, its execution leaves much to be desired. It suffers from severe balancing and performance issues on top of major design flaws that do little to improve the game’s overall flow. Currently, the game is leaning heavily on its novelty, but as many asymmetric combat games like Evolve have shown, innovation alone doesn’t hold up in the long run.

Level Zero: Extraction Visuals - 8/10

The game’s visuals and art direction are quite solid, blending high-quality sci-fi and horror elements to create something truly unique. It’s an intriguing mix of Alien: Isolation and Rainbow Six: Siege that captivates as much as it terrifies. While some graphical performance issues, so-so character designs, and middling UI elements keep it from being the perfect-looking extraction shooter, these are fixable with time—a resource this early-access game has in spades.

Level Zero: Extraction Audio - 8/10

Though I’m not a fan of the game’s heavy-metal menu and combat music, the soundtrack is undeniably well-crafted. It captures the dread of the unknown lurking within the game’s map. The sound design is equally impressive, enhancing the horror atmosphere and providing functional audio cues that contribute to the game's combat mechanics.

Level Zero: Extraction Value for Money - 7/10

This is an unfinished game that feels a bit too early in its development to justify its $20 price tag. It clearly has a long way to go before its full release, and it shows. However, if you’re willing to overlook that and can tolerate the game’s clear favoritism toward the aliens, or if you’re more inclined to play as the aliens in the first place, this might be worth trying for you and your squad.

Level Zero: Extraction Review | Zero Points For Balance

The extraction shooter sub-genre of FPS has been evolving since Escape From Tarkov first made waves in 2017. Now in 2024, it’s gaining even more traction as new twists on the formula are redefining what makes a good extraction shooter. Games like 2021’s GTFO and Ready or Not pushed the FPS aspect forward, while this year’s Dark and Darker and Dungeonborne subverted it creatively. Level Zero: Extraction, the latest entry in the sub-genre, introduces another layer of strategy with its asymmetric combat skirmishes—though, as you’ll see, it still has plenty of kinks to iron out.

First and foremost, Level Zero: Extraction suffers from significant balancing issues in its core gameplay, which centers around squads of up to three mercenaries and aliens battling it out on a maze-like map. Players can choose between mercenaries—referred to as "mercs" in-game—and aliens. The mercs must scour the map for objectives and valuables and make it to strategically placed extraction points once they become available. Meanwhile, the aliens' objective is to hunt them down and prevent their escape. Additionally, merc squads must remain vigilant, as they'll be competing not just against the aliens but also against rival mercenary squads.

From the outset, it's clear that this setup heavily favors the aliens. They don’t have to compete with each other to achieve their objective, which already tips the scales in their favor. This advantage becomes even more apparent as aliens can respawn throughout each game’s twenty-minute runtime, reducing the stakes and encouraging riskier plays. Unlike the mercs, aliens also don’t need to worry about gear or managing inventory slots, and their superior mobility and night vision make them far easier to play. While this might be the intention behind the asymmetric combat, it doesn’t result in particularly engaging gameplay for anyone who chooses to squad up as mercs.

Balancing asymmetrical competitive multiplayer combat has always been a tricky endeavor, as games like Dead by Daylight and VHS have shown. However, it's far from impossible, as titles, like Left 4 Dead 2, Friday the Thirteenth, and 2024's Killer Klowns from Outer Space, have managed to strike that balance without sacrificing creativity or player engagement. Unfortunately, Level Zero: Extraction's developers haven’t made the necessary effort to achieve this balance. One of the reasons for this imbalance stems from another of the game’s flaws, which is tied to its early-access release.

Quite simply, the game was released prematurely. Much of its content is still locked behind the all-too-familiar "coming soon" banner common in early-access titles, with nearly half of the main menu’s tabs greyed out. The available content feels unfinished, as if it’s been put out there not to be enjoyed but to be polished later once player feedback rolls in and future updates address the game’s most glaring issues. This is likely the case considering the importance of player feedback in the early days of game development.

That said, Level Zero: Extraction does have a few redeeming qualities. The art direction and aesthetics are genuinely impressive, skillfully balancing the eerie atmosphere of sci-fi cosmic horror with the gritty realism of futuristic militarism. This dark and ominous tone enhances the game’s core mechanics, where light and shadow become pivotal in the battle between aliens and mercs.

The game’s audio design is another strong point, seamlessly integrating into the gameplay and enhancing it further. The terrifying soundscapes help both aliens and mercs track each other through the labyrinthine maps, adding an extra layer of tension to an already haunting situation. While the soundtrack didn't particularly resonate with me, this is more a matter of personal taste than a reflection of its quality.

And that’s about it for Level Zero: Extraction. I wouldn’t say this is a case of a poorly executed stroke of genius—it's more like a good idea still in its infancy. Many of the game’s flaws could be addressed simply by continuing its development as one normally would. In its current state, however, the game feels like it was released far too early, with too much content locked away and too many of its available features still too raw and unpolished to truly be enjoyable. It’s a shame, but that’s early access for you.

Pros of Level Zero: Extraction

Sci-fi Horror Atmosphere Done Right

Though Level Zero: Extraction’s story, which barely extends beyond its prologue, is another casualty of its early-access release, the game’s atmospheric horror is truly commendable. The eerie tension crafted by its maps, character design, and sound design is worth noting. As I navigated the ruined halls, I felt the same surge of fear that gripped me in games like Alien: Isolation and Dead Space, knowing that something was lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike the moment I let my guard down.

It’s reassuring to see that the game has its horror elements down pat. Only time will tell if the developers can successfully balance these with the game’s extraction shooter mechanics.

Amazing Map Design

The game’s map designs also deserve praise. Despite their labyrinthine layouts, which could easily have been more confusing than cohesive, they manage to strike a balance that keeps navigation challenging yet manageable. The interactable minimap is accessible to all mercs and allows for easy pinging of areas, making navigation smoother. Meanwhile, the aliens' special vision grants them a map-wide awareness of their fellow aliens' locations and nearby vents—cue the inevitable Among Us joke.

Cons of Level Zero: Extraction

Horribly Imbalanced

To expand on other instances where the scales tip heavily in favor of the aliens over the mercs, mercs cannot respawn, though they can heal using consumables. This would be a fair trade-off if aliens could not heal themselves, limiting their longevity to a 25-second respawn timer and fragile health bars.

Unfortunately, that's not the case. Aliens can regenerate, and they do so much faster and more reliably than mercs, and they don’t need consumables to heal. On top of that, aliens can go invisible at will, making them not only resistant to light but also gaining the usual advantages of invisibility. Meanwhile, the mercs' only stealth capability is crouching to muffle their footsteps—a far cry from the aliens' suite of abilities.

To add insult to injury, the aliens also have a much easier win condition. The mercs are playing an all-or-nothing game where extraction is absolutely necessary; if they fail, they gain nothing from the encounter. In contrast, the aliens don’t need to worry about dying or extracting. They can simply harass the mercs and still secure a win, even if they manage to down or kill just one merc—or sometimes, even none at all.

It's a "win more" scenario for the aliens, leading to far less tension compared to the mercs' setup. As it stands, there’s almost no reason to play as mercs if you can just dominate or lollygag as an alien.

View Bobbing is Awful

Normally, I wouldn’t even mention something as minor as view bobbing in a game, but in most cases, you can easily turn it off in the settings. Unfortunately, that’s not the case with Level Zero: Extraction. The view bobbing here is not only permanent but so extreme that it makes aiming while strafing nearly impossible, even when you’re aiming down sights. It’s not a matter of skill—this game’s view bobbing makes the mercs feel like they’re stumbling around like drunken cowboys while trying to shoot.

The effect is far less noticeable with the aliens, who only have one ranged attack that deals area damage anyway. Just another advantage for the aliens, I suppose.

Worst Newbie Experience Ever

This game is anything but noob-friendly. It doesn’t even offer a playable tutorial, opting instead for clunky tutorial articles to teach new players the basics. Not only is this approach woefully inadequate, but it’s also unfinished, as some lines of code bleed into the dialogue, and several key features are left entirely unexplained.

Add to that the game’s terrible balancing and the fact that there doesn’t seem to be skill-based matchmaking of any sort, and you’ve got a recipe for a brutal first experience that’s likely to turn off newcomers fast.

Is Level Zero: Extraction Worth It?

Yeah, But Only Play As Aliens

Level Zero: Extraction has a lot of potential, but good game balance isn’t one of its strengths. Fortunately, its high production quality and novelty help to compensate for this shortcoming. Still, neither of these can fully make up for the lack of polish, and at a $20 price point, that quality needs to become evident fast.

It’s clear this game still has a long way to go before it justifies its price. But if you do decide to pick this game up, stick to playing as the aliens first, as the mercenary experience is likely to leave you disappointed.

Platforms
Steam
$19.99

Level Zero: Extraction FAQ

Does Level Zero: Extraction Have Single-Player Content?

According to the game’s developers, Level Zero: Extraction was always meant to be a multiplayer experience. Single-player story missions are unlikely to ever be added to the game, although players are encouraged to explore the game’s lore instead.

Will Level Zero: Extraction Be Available on Consoles?

According to the game’s developers, they plan to release the game’s full version on consoles, although official announcements regarding these plans are yet to be made public.

Game8 Reviews

You may also like...

	Ace Combat 7 [Switch] Review | Maintains Air Superiority
	Leximan Review | Undertale's Magical and Hilarious Brother
	CYGNI: All Guns Blazing Review [PS5] | Blazing A Contrail For Arcade Shoot 'Em Ups
	EDF6 Review | Defending Earth, One Chaotic Mission at a Time

Level Zero: Extraction Product Information

Title	LEVEL ZERO: EXTRACTION
Release Date	August 13, 2024
Developer	Doghowl Games
Publisher	tinybuild
Supported Platforms	PC (Steam)
Genre	Action, Shooting, Horror
Number of Players	1-3 (Online Co-op & Competitive Multiplayer)
Rating	PEGI 16
Official Website	Level Zero: Extraction Official Website