Since its conception in August of 2020 by indie devs Attrito and M7 Productions, ‘Zero Hour’, the first tactical fps of Bangladeshi origin, has made waves in the tactical shooter scene. And despite an initial period of inactivity following first release, the game’s overhauled 1.0 version released this month has been swiftly taking the tactical fps world by storm, attracting players from all around the globe.
Gameplay & Mechanics
The game primarily features 3 game modes; a PvE solo/co-op mode similar to that of the recently released ‘Ready or Not’ where players engage in story-based rescue missions or raids taking place in fairly distinct maps with zero respawns, a online round-based 5v5 PvP mode similar to ‘Rainbow Six Siege’ but with more realism, and the customary free for all deathmatch mode.
In PvP, both teams have their own unique selection of weapons and tactical gadgets to choose from, with some fairly unique options like the recently added flying scout drones and attack dogs for Counter-Terrorist teams. The attackers or Counter-Terrorists will have two planning/prep phases at the beginning of each round, where the second phase has a 3D layout of the map to mark down exact routes of execution and specify shooter positions, which is a useful feature that’s rarely seen in games of the genre.
The environment of the game is fairly interactive, seemingly for the sake of unique tactical approaches. And though it doesn't have breakable walls or barricading/reinforcing features like ‘Siege’ or AI enemies as advanced as those in ‘Ready or Not’, it has a feature that neither of the two possess, and that’s the attackers’ ability to cut off power to buildings and use night vision for attacking you and your teammates stealthily. To counter this, the defenders can use flares and sneaky doorway bombs as effective tactics.
In contrast with most of its peers, ‘Zero Hour’ is a game grounded in reality, especially in PvE; and thus rewards a slow and tactical, teamwork based play-style. That paired with the one-shot-headshot mechanic of ‘Siege’ and only one life during each mission makes each decision made a determining factor of the ultimate outcome.
Despite the AI opponents’ simplicity in PvE, they’re unforgiving and accurate enough to be formidable foes, applying a great amount of pressure upon the player. And when fused with unpredictably randomised enemy spawns and prop placements, each attempt at any mission drowns you in a sea of uncertainty, making you think twice before taking every step, regardless of your level of experience in the game. Further adding to the realism in PvE, the game heavily emphasises rules of engagement, where similar to real life missions, players are instructed to disarm or apprehend suspects at first sight, and are only allowed to shoot at them when the players themselves are fired upon. Breaching these rules will deduct points post-mission, preventing players from unlocking other maps.
Gunplay is also another part of Zero Hour that adheres to realism, as well as being one of its strongest points. The guns have the appropriate amount of recoil and kick to them, with the auditory feedback being just as fitting and satisfying. And the weapons customization offers a wide variety of attachments, ranging from lasers and scopes all the way up to grips, so as to account for different playstyles and tactics.
The game also features all the necessary gun wielding movements seen in ‘Ready or Not’, where you can also check available ammo in every magazine, with the ability to sort out the number of total available ammo between mags. However, unlike ‘RoN’, your character has the option to sprint and adjust walking speed. But despite these features, the movements can feel clunky and unnecessarily sluggish at times, which could negatively impact the overall experience for some.
Overall Aesthetics & Visual Design
Set in different parts of Bangladesh, each location retains distinction from one another, with environs ranging from an abandoned hospital to a nightclub, a ferry or even a desi wedding gone wrong. All of it seems to be designed for capturing the aesthetics of different places within Bangladesh, which it succeeds with quite well; the walls in the streets and alleys are covered with cinema posters, street-side stores and commercial buildings have signboards that mirror their real-life counterparts while rickshaws and auto-rickshaws flaunt iconic Bangladeshi artwork. Even the buildings and roads themselves are strikingly similar to those in real life. And as these environments are infused with top-notch voice acting and detailed visual storytelling cues, the game consistently captivates players as they progress through the game.
Audio & Visuals Effects
In the particular genre of games that ‘Zero Hour’ belongs to, visual and audio effects are crucial elements of the game’s overall experience. And ‘Zero Hour’ does a fantastic job at providing a experience that is truly immersive, especially with an effective usage of spatial sounds. Whenever the terrorists are aware of your presence, they’ll aggressively engage in relevant and realistic Bengali dialogue in order to alert their teammates, and you can hear exactly where the sounds come from. Moreover, when your character runs out of breath, or gets hit, he’ll start breathing heavily as the screen becomes disorienting as you receive more damage. Additionally, just like in real life, whenever there’s intense gunfire going on around you, there’ll be a ringing noise in your headphones as the screen starts becoming disorienting, which further adds to the immersion. And if you open fire in places with people living nearby, you’ll hear subtle sounds cues of dogs barking, people screaming and babies crying. All in all, the sound and visual effects in this game will not fail to immerse you into the environment at any given moment.
Graphics
Built using the Unity engine, the game has decent graphics and lighting most of the time. However, there is a bit of sketchiness in darker areas of the maps. The best visuals are usually in well lit environments, especially in areas like the M.V. Meghna rooftop and the nightclub interior in certain maps, where the lighting and reflections are right on par with its more graphics intensive peers. As for textures, the game does an okay-ish job, with a fair bit of shakiness. Some textures either seem too mushy (especially on the faces of corpses) or too glitchy (noticeable on car grills and wall posters). All in all, the game’s not jaw-droppingly pretty, but considering the price and the developers’ efforts, it still pretty much exceeds expectations.
The Flaws
Like any other game, Zero Hour has its fair share of flaws, with glitches being its apparent Achilles Heel. For example, the main menu can be glitchy at times, showing that it’s loading when you start a queue for a match, only for the queue to be cancelled immediately afterwards. This particular glitch only goes away when you restart the game. The game’s anti-cheat software can cause a certain amount of fps drop on PCs with lower configurations, which works against the developers’ efforts of affordability. Moreover, in many of the maps, players can unintentionally get stuck behind furniture without being able to escape due to a lack of jumping or vaulting mechanics. The ADS motion is also far from seamless at times, appearing to be clunky when compared to other shooters. And the muzzle flash often seems cartoon-ish. Though the game’s intention to implement visual storytelling in similar fashion to ‘Ready or Not’ is obvious, it only implements said feature in only two to three maps at best, and only in one or two rooms among tens. Additionally, some areas of the old maps feel unnecessarily vast, offering nothing but empty voids for enemy spawns in order to stretch the time it takes to complete missions. These are all the problems that’re keeping the game away from cementing itself in the slate of mainstream shooters. Fortunately, the dev team seems to be actively responding to community feedback and improving the game. So constantly highlighting these issues on forums and steam reviews can most definitely cause further refinement.
Final Verdict
Due to the aforementioned problems plaguing Zero Hour, it still has a long way to go before it can cement properly itself in the tactical shooter genre. But considering the full context behind the game’s development, It’s still a game that truly has great potential, as rightfully evidenced by the attention it’s received in recent times. Furthermore, in comparison to its current main competitor ‘Ready or Not’, the base game stands at a low price of $18 compared to the former’s $29.99 and it’s frequently on sale, serving as a good starting point for players new to the genre. But be warned: there is a steep learning curve; you’ve been warned. Now, is it an alternative to ‘Siege’ and ‘RoN’? Not particularly. However, for players who prefer the realism of ‘Ready or Not’ but the PvP 5v5 combat of ‘Rainbow Six Siege’, Zero Hour is currently among the very few titles that scratch that itch, while simultaneously standing out from everything else with unique missions and lore based on Bangladesh and its culture. All things considered, the game’s definitely worth trying out, especially when it’s on sale.
