In a nutshell
ZERO PROTOCOL is a science fiction first-person thriller in the style of classic 3D games. The player can expect a non-linear story adventure, puzzles and battles with monsters.
Story
The game takes place in a secret research complex in Antarctica, built near an alien ship buried under a layer of snow.
As usual, at some point something went wrong, most of the inhabitants of the complex went crazy, the premises were flooded with monsters, and in general some incomprehensible mischief began to happen. Our silent protagonist will have to deal with all this.
Depending on the player's actions, the story has several endings, and to visit all the locations, you will have to play the game at least twice.
The whole adventure takes about 4-6 hours.
Gameplay and Mechanics
The closest genre definition of the game is the concept of survival horror. This is because the main mechanics of the genre are present, and the emphasis is on atmosphere and exploration of locations, not on combat. At the same time, the horror component fades into the background and is not aimed at scaring the player as much as possible, but is only used to create a dark atmosphere. I don't think the game will be any scarier than, say, the same Signalis.
Puzzles
Each floor of the complex presents a series of puzzles that the player must solve in order to progress.
Basically, everything is standard here: we study the locations carefully and read the notes in search of clues.
The Camera
A little feature that the first demo players already appreciated: the hint can be photographed to use it later.
The Sanity
It decreases when the player is in the dark for a long time without a flashlight, as well as in some scripted locations (e.g. the light suddenly goes out, or the door opens arbitrarily).
Sanity increases with the use of special medicine. At a low level of sanity, you will see additional clues that allow you to obtain more supplies or learn new information.
However, a low level of sanity is dangerous, as the player will suffer from hallucinations and increased damage from shadows (more on this below).
Shadows
Unkillable enemies that look like black ghosts. They appear suddenly, but not for long. They reduce your Sanity and can inflict damage upon contact.
The main enemies
The deranged staff of the complex and monsters created in local laboratories. You can kill them with a pistol or in melee.
Inventory
Inventory is limited, so you can't carry a million consumables. All items (except the flashlight and weapons) in your inventory can be discarded. There is no shared storage, so you have to think about which items to take and which to discard. Some items can be combined to solve puzzles.
I try to avoid situations where the player has to go back for a quest item. Usually the dilemma is limited to what extra consumables to sacrifice.
Floor Plan
There is a terminal on each floor from which you can download the floor plan. Terminals and doors are shown on the map, and you can also add labels. This makes navigation much easier and helps with some puzzles.
Visual Style
The visual style is inspired by old 3D games like the original System Shock, Zero Tolerance and especially Half Life 1.
I don't use any shaders to simplify the image. Only low-poly models + pixel textures + sprite enemies and some environmental props.
If you are interested in the project, add it to your wishlist:
