REVIEW

Zanki Zero Last Beginning Review

by Rob Pritchard, May 9th, 2019

Spike Chunsoft have risen in popularity over the last several years, following the runaway success of their apocalyptic murder mystery visual novel series named Danganronpa. Zanki Zero Last Beginning is a first-person RPG that continues with the end of the world theme that moves away from investigating death, in lieu of finding a way to survive the world that has been decimated by an unknown source.

When a young man named Haruto Higurashi wakes up on a seemingly deserted island, he learns that he is one of only eight people who have survived the end of the world. Through a seemingly sentient television program named Extend TV, which stars a young teenage boy and a unbearably cute sheep, the survivors are instructed to help rebuild the destroyed world through the Humanity Enrichment Program. Along the way, they will learn how the world came to an end, as well as atone for the sins they have committed before the arrival of the apocalypse.

Zanki Zero Last Beginning’s gameplay is divided between visiting several dungeon areas formed from the ruins of civilized society, and building a functioning community on the central area of Garage Island. The areas are varied and filled with various kinds of enemies, such as the Mashiro Square Tower being populated by goats and flying pigs, and the Metro Plaza that is filled by wild monkeys and a wild minotaur. Although the general structure of each floor remains the same each time you visit, each floor of the various dungeons introduces new mechanics such as switches, traps and security doors throughout your various expeditions to the dungeons. Alongside this, you will discover discarded materials such as partitions, water bottles and twigs which can be used once you return to your base camp.

Building your new civilization is relatively straight forward, once you have obtained the materials required to build the various facilities such as a functioning toilet, a kitchen and a warehouse to store your surplus inventory. Unlike some games that treat upgrades with kid gloves, Zanki Zero’s are constructed in a way that gives you a sense of achievement as you improve and upgrade each facility, such as cooking more complex meals or relieving a higher amount of stress when you visit the toilet. The combat of Zanki Zero takes place from a first person perspective, relying on your aptitude to equip your party with a multitude of makeshift weapons such as sticks, metal pipes and umbrellas to attack your enemies. Sticking with these objects is a pleasant change from other post-apocalyptic games, where powerful modern weapons and ammunition are seemingly available on demand. In a similar way, various discarded coats and other pieces of clothing function as armour, so you can have an addition layer of protection from the more powerful monsters that you will need to eliminate to survive.

One of the selling points of Zanki Zero Last Beginning is that all eight of the protagonists are clones of their former selves, and that their average lifespan consists of thirteen days. The aging process shifts each character between four separate life states, namely Child, Adult, Middle Aged and Elderly. At the end of their life cycle, a hero can be revived using a device called the Extend Machine. One of the benefits of their resurrection is that they can inherit a trait known as a Shigabane, which grants them a small resistance to the cause of their previous demise, whether it be an extra day of life from death by old age or increase defense against physical attacks if killed by an enemy. You can choose to disregard these bonuses if you want, but they prove especially beneficial if you are trying to defeat a particularly strong enemy or tackle a dungeon with multiple floors.

The graphical style of Zanki Zero Last Beginning is similar to previous Spike Chunsoft titles, combining high definition cel-shaded manga illustrations alongside pixel styled interfaces that should be familiar to anyone who has played a retro styled platformer such as Shovel Knight. Although the styles might seem like they would clash when put together, Zanki Zero’s presentation pulls off the task effortlessly, with very few drops in the frame rate present anywhere in the game. The soundtrack of Zanki Zero is full of energy and upbeat, especially during the scenes where you facing a powerful enemy or during the Extend TV sections. Fans of subbed or dubbed Japanese media will be pleased to learn that the game features dual language options for character dialogue, with either option having a high-quality voice cast that bring each of the protagonists to life.

Overall, Zanki Zero Last Beginning is an entertaining survival JRPG that will appeal to new players, as well as anyone who has played Spike Chunsoft’s previous portfolio. The well structured first-person battle system, combined with the cloning mechanics and base management create a well rounded experience that will keep you returning to Garage Island time and time again.