Generation Zero’s absorbing alternative history is marred by incoherent execution

Did you know that Sweden had the fourth largest air force during the Cold War? I didn’t until Generation Zero game director Emil Kraftling told me. For a neutral nation that bent over backwards to avoid getting dragged into the hellish conflicts of the 20th century, this fact is startling. It was driven by an anxiety borne from so-called Russian fear and perceived threats from other major nations, which triggered the construction of 65,000 military bunkers across the Scandinavian land. Generation Zero might be set in this fraught period of Swedish history, but it’s a backdrop that has become more relevant than ever in recent years. Following rumblings from the East - such as the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 - the Swedish government rapidly increased defence spending and even reintroduced conscription. Suddenly, those hidden subterranean bases, thought to be relics relegated to a more unsettled past, are reassuming their old significance. The bad old days appear to be coming back. This brings the robotic spectre looming over the mysterious open world in Avalanche Studios’ co-op adventure even closer to home. The post-apocalyptic nightmare that sees you and your multiplayer band head into 1980s Sweden to endure an invasion of machines is a leap into an alternative history, but one rooted in very real Cold War paranoia. As such, Generation Zero should feel urgent and frightening. Instead, it’s a game that fails to do justice to its engrossing historical backdrop.

from PCGamesN https://ift.tt/2TMmCbf