Ground Zero
is a Gamebook-style game created by the writer End Master, a prominent member from the Choose Your Story site. A hub that hosts a large variety of different genres for games of the Interactive Fiction variety.
Published on the aforementioned site above (CYS) for short, on the month of October and in the year 2007, you play as typical cubicle working man. The world itself already being one that could be considered a crap-sack one as tensions between world powers already seem to be at the brink, that exposition being provided by harrowing accounts on the various channels the protagonist flips through at the very beginning. What begins as a simple hypothetical fear becomes reality as nukes soon begin flying and the world is left torn, and a much dangerous place than before.
The reader is giving many choices in the way that they can decide to branch the story and even affect the protagonist's already questionable moral compass. But as much choices as it is to continue your adventure, there's just as much if not more ways for it to end prematurely and violently at that.
Ground Zero provides examples of:
- After the End: A large part of the game takes place after a nuclear apocalypse.
- The Aloner: Protagonist can have shades in this in most routes, but can also play this straight in the Special Shelter Route and other different routes in the story.
- Bald of Evil: Elliot in the public shelter path.
- Can't Kill You, Still Need You: You can attempt to pull this on rebelling citizens of the community bunker by using your engineering skills as leverage.
- Fembot: The AI who runs your personal bunker can become this.
- I Will Find You: A possible ending between you and Becky.
- Jerkass: Harry could definitely be considered this, verbally tearing into you the moment you meet him in the survivor compound route.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: It is Possible for the protagonist to go on such after the death of Marina He kills absolutely everyone that dares to get in his way.
- Robosexual: Depending on your choices, you can become this.
- Robot Girl: The AI who runs your personal bunker can get a robot body.
- Shout-Out: The game features a lot of images from various post-apocalyptic and sci-fi games of the late 80s and 90s, namely the first two
- Villain Protagonist: Given the demeanor of your character, it's very easy to become this.
