Set the wayback machine for the 1980s—to land smack dab in the middle of the neutrally aligned Sweden of a Cold War Era. Also: add heartless, steely killing machines that have forced the evacuation of Sweden's populace. Generation Zero is coming, and I'm still completely in love with its painterly countryside and walking Boston Dynamics robo-nightmares.
Avalanche Studios (Just Cause, Mad Max) is headquartered in Sweden, and they wanted to make the most Swedish game possible. The interior furniture and decor of this first-person shooter were thoroughly researched to replicate a 1980's style and aesthetic. Avalanche dug up Swedish magazines, Swedish movies, and their own Swedish memories. When they held a casting call for your customizable character, they photo scanned the faces and likenesses of young adult Swedes.
The music—which is rad, too—"is not just pure '80s nostalgia tripping," says Peter Hajba, sound designer. "It's also capturing the fears of Cold War in Sweden." Our own John Yan thinks it's cribbing too hard from the Terminator soundtrack, but I'm also trying to figure out how that could be a bad thing.
My father-in-law happens to be Swedish, so I'll have to see if he appreciates the countryside of the old motherland, and whether it inspires him to grow out his punk mohawk again. But who am I kidding, he has no respect for video games as an entertainment medium!
Generation Zero launches March 26 on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
