Escape Floor Zero Review – Spot the Horror

If I’m being fully transparent, I am not someone who frequently dabbles in horror games. As someone who gets easily scared, horror games can be difficult for me to stomach. Because of this, I often find myself avoiding them, usually opting for more relaxing games. But, every now and then a game will catch my eye, which despite my fear, pulls me in. Typically this draw comes from a particularly enticing story or premise of a game, where my desire to experience a great game or story takes over my fears.

When Escape Floor Zero was offered to me to review, I thought this game could be one of these rare cases, so I took on the challenge! If you’ve been thinking about picking it up, this Escape Floor Zero review will give you the insight you need before buying!

Story & Gameplay – A short but addictive loop

In this game you find yourself trapped at the bottom of a seemingly infinite underground parking lot. The way out is simple: walk up through the 9 levels and reach the exit. Each floor is eerily similar to the last. However, on some floors things will appear to be out of place. If you notice one of these ‘anomalies’ you must turn around or risk ending up back at the bottom. If everything is as it should be you can proceed and ascend through the parking lot. With each level you go up you’ll have to carefully analyse the scene and identify if anything is suspicious, and choose whether to proceed or turn around. This premise makes for simple yet addictive and engaging gameplay, with each level posing as its own puzzle.

But what are these anomalies? For the most part they are harmless: a missing pillar, misplaced boxes, and so on. When you see these there is nothing to fear, but their presence will nonetheless unease you. Other anomalies are far less forgiving, and you’ll soon find yourself cowering as you turn corners. I enjoyed the anticipation of not knowing what to expect from each floor. With such a large range of anomalies I rarely found myself encountering the same events twice. Furthermore, this variety ensured the game didn’t become too predictable or stale.

Car Park Horrors

So, what could there possibly be to fear in this dimly lit unsettling car park? The game would frequently offer up surprises, with scares coming from all directions. On one floor you may find yourself dodging speeding cars, on the next running before the ceiling collapses on you. My first encounter was a horrid monster, crouched at first but later springing up to chase me back down the corridor. One such anomaly I particularly enjoyed was that of a faux exit appearing, which naturally I had to explore before inevitably being killed and sent back to the start.

The anticipation and proceeding jump scare the game is able to evoke are effective. However, the creatures were easily avoidable and somewhat underwhelming in appearance. Furthermore, after you had experienced an event once you become easily aware of them and can easily avoid them in future.

Reaching the top

The game strikes a good balance between being challenging but not overly difficult. It took me quite a few tries I finally reached floor zero, but never once did I think the task impossible or feel like rage quitting. However, somewhat to my surprise, the game was far from over. Before I had time to celebrate my success, I found myself in another corridor. Once at the top, you’re now able to access new levels. I was pleasantly surprised that the game had more to offer. After the first challenge, I was ready to take on whatever was thrown at me!

In the next level you’ll find yourself in a very different scene, a dark forest at night. But one aspect is similar, an ominous sign ahead of you ‘floor -9’, a familiar yet foreboding sign mimicking that of the car park. In this new reality, you traverse through a repeating section of forest. Similar to the previous level, you will find yourself attempting to make your way up through the stages to reach the end, turning back whenever something seems amiss. The darkness in this section makes for a heightened challenge when attempting to spot possible ‘anomalies’.

Despite the initial darkness and spooky atmosphere creating a sense of unease, I found this level slightly more lacking in ‘anomalies’ and horrors. Because of this, I found this level less challenging that the original, moving through it quicker than the first. Nonetheless, I found it enjoyable, and it more or less lived up to the standard of the first level.

After completing both of these levels, the game gives way to one last challenge… But you’ll have to experience that one for yourself.

Audio & Visuals

Escape Floor Zero is made with Unreal Engine which shows through with its distinctive high resolution and realism. While I know this can be an issue for some who prefer to see hand made and custom assets and art, it does not bother me so much. The repetitive nature of the environment in combination with the dull, everyday props added to the unsettling vibe. It definitely evoked the feel of ‘The Backrooms’ and that eerie liminal space vibe that our generation has become enamoured with.

Throughout my time playing I did occasionally stumble across glitches in which I would end up outside of the map and getting soft locked. These were frustrating as they necessitated restarting the game, but by no means made the game unplayable or less enjoyable. Aside from this point and the occasional spelling mistake, the game ran smoothly.

The game does not include any music, a choice which makes the atmosphere all the more haunting. Due to this, all you will be hearing is your footsteps as you make your way through the levels.

Verdict

Before you play Escape Floor Zero, it’s important to tamper expectations. This slice of horror is seemingly a solo project created with imported assets and basic gameplay. However, despite this the dev has put together a very effective horror experience, which I’m glad to see they have continued to update. The gameplay is a fun and addictive loop with an environment that is incredibly eerie and unsettling. Pairing this with effective horror aspects and multiple levels makes this game a very good evening’s entertainment.

Escape Floor Zero unmistakably draws inspiration from other games in the genre. The “spot the difference” style of horror game arguably started in 2014 with Five Nights at Freddy’s. Since then, this format has become increasingly popular. Similarities in this game can be seen in other titles such as I’m On Observation Duty or, more recently, The Exit 8. Thus, while this means the concept is not wholly original, its success and popularity is clear. This may in turn attract players who have enjoyed those games, and if you did, I would definitely recommend this game to you.

With these points in mind, and considering the reasonable price, this game is definitely worth trying if horror is your vibe. You will definitely be able able to get a good few hours of entertainment out of it!

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