Ed-0: Zombie Uprising, developed by LANCARSE Ltd and published by D3PUBLISHER Inc, is an early access title that combines a roguelike experience with a blend of action. Being an early access title, there is a lot that needs to be worked on, but some elements make this an intriguing game to look out for.
The title has you starting out as a samurai, and not just any samurai but a jacked one, and of course he has his trusty Katana alongside him. To start, I’m a sucker for samurai experiences and oftentimes get engrossed in that culture so I was hooked by this to start. Of course, there are zombies, what a combo with a samurai and zombies, you make easy work through these zombies with combos and thrusts that push you through the crowds of corpses. With the potential of having multiple runs, one will come across the ability to find scrolls that gives one move sets and combos to take down zombies more effectively. With that you want to stick to the controller with this title based on the uneven controls of the keyboard, the key bindings are rough.
Going into aspects of this game that may sound strange, but this has Mystery Dungeon feel to it, yes that Pokémon series of games you played on DS. Each run will be randomized as you delve into this underworld that has floors that are separated by portals that take you to another area to tackle. With this there are items along the way, which can have random names at times which I noticed, I loved this aspect because you had to figure out what the items do. Either when you throw them into a crowd of foes and must see what this orb would do, like a lot of roguelikes, I love this aspect. Figuring it out as you go! One of these items is a doll that attracts the hordes of zombies, which helps me by taking away attention from me, and helps attack them as well. A problem that comes with random generated levels brings up the question. Is there enough variety? Just because it can be different every time doesn’t mean there are enough variety of items and foes. But luckily there are different foes to encounter, such as women in kimonos, that come as you make your way through the levels. I’m hopeful there will be more variation as the game development progresses as I can see where some foes could become repetitive.
I can tell this developer wanted to keep players on their toes with certain aspects of this title. An example of this are mines that get your samurai drunk, which was a fun aspect to witness at the start of the experience, however after a couple times it became annoying. Just randomly having that happened would ruin my immersion and ability to get into the title at times. Trying to find that line between making it tougher but not making it frustrating to deal with. I noticed that the developer is not lazily releasing the game and not listening to feedback or making changes. There are already updates to try and listen to what players have stated and make improvements on them, like the number of mines I talked about. This is an important aspect to express because early access games depend on the continued development to continue to try and become the title it can be.
There is some variation to the places you’ll be in from forests to more period focused areas that you encounter. I loved how at times there was a haze that hid the enemies which added to the immersion. I also really enjoyed how your character would be covered in blood which added to the aesthetic the game was going towards. This developer embraces the silliness of having a samurai taking on the undead. I loved that my character would be eating a burger at a shop, like they know this is not a serious experience and I’m glad that they embrace that.
What kept me in the title was the way you were rewarded by doing certain aspects that gave you new abilities to explore. Such as when you heal enough times you earn more abilities for healing that come from a tree back at the town hub. The town hub is where you can buy things from shops and upgrade your abilities. There are times where this title can feel a bit grindy which some roguelikes can struggle with at times. Where it can take you way too many strikes to kill a specific enemy as they feel more like sponges than an undead foe. The player also has the chance to unlock the Sumo character, who focuses on a palm strike and charges. This character takes on a more tank-like approach with more health but is slower, so this adds variation with play style, which is always appreciated!
Overall, my experience with Ed-0: Zombie Uprising was an interesting and at times a fun experience. I feel that the developers will not give up on this title, instead will keep feeding it and giving it even more life. Just a week in and having new updates on the title emphasizes that to me. That’s important when investing in an early access title that this game will evolve. But from what I have played I enjoyed the developers embracing silly elements, interesting combat, and roguelike elements. However, I feel Ed-0: Zombie Uprising has some potential and a groundwork but lacks on the presentation, combat (at times), and graphics. If the developer continues to make updates and bring this title more into life, then keep an eye out on Ed-0: Zombie Uprising.
Ed-0: Zombie Uprising is available now for $19.99 / €19.99 /￡19.99 for PC via Steam and is currently “RP for Rating Pending” by the ESRB. Players can join the official Discord for updates and ongoing community activations.
Gaming has always been an outlet for me to interact with different people and explore all kinds of possibilities. I play a wide variety of games always willing to try different mechanics and storylines that developers are trying to create for their games. I grew up delving into MW2 and World of Warcraft, I miss the Wrath of The Lich King days, and as I have gotten older I have found a love for RPGs and strategy games, my favorites being The Witcher 3 and Total War. Always looking forward to the next great game.
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