Generation Zero launch trailer shows off loads of monstrous robots

Generation Zero, Avalanche's sandbox FPS, is breaking out of the '80s and launching next week, and you can get a taste of what you'll need to do to survive—walk around the Swedish countryside shooting robots, mostly—in the new trailer.

Come launch, you'll be able to join up to three mates in the digital Swedish countryside, now home to deadly, roving robots. There's a hint of survival, with weapons and supplies waiting to be discovered inside abandoned buildings, but it's all in an effort to get tough enough to take down the big machines.

Samuel called it "a fun but simple co-op FPS" in his Generation Zero preview, but I found myself bouncing off the beta very quickly. I didn't bring any friends along for the ride—you can play alone if you want—and found myself quickly getting tired of hoofing it across the mostly empty countryside looking for robots to shoot.

Comparisons have been drawn to the work of Swedish artist Simon Stålenhag. Among other things, Stålenhag created Tales from the Loop, a collection of art and stories set in a alternate '80s Sweden where the mundane is juxtaposed to huge robots, monolithic factories and other sci-fi elements. It's since been turned into a tabletop RPG, and a TV show is also in the works.

Avalanche claims it wasn't inspired by Tales from the Loop, but the broad strokes do seem similar. Generation Zero is a lot more understated, however. You'd never know it was set in the '80s from the trailers, and aside from the robots, the Swedish countryside looks pretty much how you'd expect.

Generation Zero is due out on Steam on March 26.

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