Aground Zero started with a simple idea: What if I made a 3D spinoff of Aground focusing on base building and automation? I teased this idea with an April Fool’s joke that turned out to be very real:

Now, four years later, we’ve shared another April Fool’s joke and Aground Zero is finally released!

What is Aground Zero?

Imagine you wake up underground having missed the Apocalypse. At first, it takes all your energy just to survive, but after setting up a semi-automated base and waking up other survivors to help you operate machinery, you can focus your attention on returning to the surface and learning more about what happened to Earth while you were sleeping. The story has several revelations and takes place during the events of the original Aground game, but you do not need to have played Aground to enjoy Aground Zero.

As you unlock and upgrade new technologies and improve your base, you’ll be able to take on projects like returning to space, finding survivors across the galaxy and even confronting the threat that destroyed Earth in the first place. And if that wasn’t cool enough, you can even learn the secrets of magic and ride your own dragon!

What was added during Early Access?

We entered Early Access a little over a year ago, after finishing the core gameplay concept (base building and reaching the surface). During that year, we added a ton of content and features, including:

• Multiplayer (couch, local and online)
• 2 story endings
• Spaceships! 2 types to build, customize and fly
• Dragons! Raise, evolve and fly them
• Magic path  - spellbooks, magic lab and more
• Science path - auto-builder, fleet battle, and more
• The Shattered Moon - moon base anyone?
• Space stations & new planets to visit, explore, and build on

You can see a bunch of these features and updates highlighted in this video playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcopWutJE4txCWk3PwS_MPsFZLp6patQe

Should I buy Aground Zero?

Obviously I think it's a great buy, especially if you enjoyed Aground, colony simulation, automation and base building type games. There's lots of areas to explore, secrets to find, and ample opportunity to flex your creativity. It's also really fun to play multiplayer with family or friends.

If you’re undecided, try the free Demo: https://fancyfishgames.itch.io/aground-zero#demo

The demo has about an hour of content and includes a lot of the underground base building elements - including waking up and managing survivors.