Key:
GZ = Ground Zero
PZ = Phase Zero
RE = Resident Evil
SH = Silent Hill

Comparing the Demos

This dual review allows for a broader view of why many survival horror games fail today. The genre has become oversaturated with "skin-walkers"—titles that mimic classics like RE or SH without meaningful innovation. Fortunately, GZ and PZ break this mold.
Innovating in familiar gameplay elements, both games utilize classic tank controls, pre-rendered backgrounds, and terrifying monsters but offer fresh solutions to longstanding problems, including power scaling vs. item scarcity.
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Tackling Item Scarcity

Item scarcity is a hallmark of survival horror, often leading players to hoard resources, but both games address this effectively.

• PZ employs a chapter system where characters don’t retain items across chapters, preventing power scaling issues.
• GZ features a unique three-slot healing system, which acts as a way to increase inventory slots. It enhances combat with parry and dodge mechanics, allowing for fun combat without expending ammo, while also ramping up ammo scarcity, thereby highlighting melee utility.
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Graphical and Gameplay Features

The visuals aim to replicate the PS1 era, with GZ offering diverse graphical settings. Both games have an autosave feature. Both allow customizable controls and have eliminated tedious door animations, making for a smoother experience. Both games have real-time weapon reloading and streamline and offer QoL features for reducing backtracking.

• PZ avoids storing key items in regular inventory, instead giving them their own menu. Has forgiving autosaves without a traditional save system. Both games have fast loading times. PZ only uses (skippable) door animations for specific doors, as a tool for creating tension. Features a ton of toggleable friendly UI features, such as proximity activated interaction arrows, door outlines for locked or open doors, etc.
• GZ uses an item to unlock unlimited saves on a per save station basis, its more forgiving then individual ink ribbons, but still allows for player choice. Gives storage bins a puzzle requirement and bonus for solving. Another small detail: it features a quick-equip button in the inventory menu further reducing time spent in menus.
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Story and Atmosphere

Both games present engaging narratives alongside grotesque environments. Both games feature a dual-protagonist approach. In GZ a joint military venture sends a Korean and a Canadian operative into the fray, while PZ centers around everyday civilians, creating relatability. Environmental storytelling shines through with creepy, fleshy organic growth and atmospheric elements. Environments are well drawn with strong command of tone and tension. GZ has particularly good rain effects and animations. PZ has really good snow and dust animations and convincing icy surfaces.
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Unique Mechanics and Replayability

• GZ innovates with a "ghost" mechanic for speedrunning and features extensive indoor and outdoor environments, including a choose-your-path element, some with their own unique boss fights. It’s more RE3 than RE2.
• PZ, on the other hand, has standout puzzles with animated, interactive elements, adding new life to the formula and has a strong emphasis on tone, dread and pacing. There is a deep-voice narrator who says the game's title each time you start a new game, this is especially fun for classic RE fans.
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Which is better?

Both titles show promise with distinct strengths. GZ dives deep into combat mechanics, leaning more towards RE’s action-oriented style, with a focus on speed, while PZ really captures tension-building and moral reflection in its storytelling akin to Parasite Eve.

GZ has a scoring system for completion time, which really incentivizes multiple playthroughs. It also features a unique mechanic in how players dispatch enemies, rewarding higher or lower points that can be used to buy items and weapons from an in-game shop. It also has a plethora of difficulty levels that offer new encounters, scarcer items, damage buff/debuffs and more. It offers loads of unlockables and bonuses after completing the game.

This clash is reminiscent of the initial reactions to the first SH and the way it rocked the status quo of survival horror with its unique elements. Both games are tackling the genre with ambitious goals. In truth, it matters little, the ones who really benefit are the fans.
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Final thoughts

Another unreleased title to keep our eyes on is Jungle Rot, which successfully captures the spirit of the very first RE, but abandons the mansion for the Vietnam war. It’s not nearly as fresh or ambitious as GZ or PZ, but acts as a solid what-if and a loving homage to the original RE.

In sum, this is a thrilling time for survival horror fans. Both GZ and PZ demonstrate a keen understanding of what fans love. The ultimate test will be their full releases.

(If anyone’s wondering, so far in my opinion, only one other game has successfully captured the feel of a PS1 era survival horror title: Crow Country.)

I highly recommend the video essay "A Decade of Dark Souls 2" by "Babbbs." It helped sway me into giving this misunderstood sequel another try after twenty years.

This game offers brilliant solutions to many of the cheese and mechanical limitations of Dark Souls I (one of my favorite games of all time).

I hated this game at launch, but with all of the content that the Scholar of the First Sin (SOTFS) version offers, along with recently replaying Dark Souls I for the first time since high school, I needed another fix.

The bonfire ascetics and Simpleton's and Skeptic's Spices are BRILLIANT creations. DSIII is lesser for not having them.

Dark Souls II is a completionist's dream (or nightmare, depending on your POV).

I also highly recommend the video "Odd and Obscure Things in Dark Souls 2" by "STAR RUN."

The number of hidden features and easter eggs in this game is staggering.

For anyone to dismiss this game as a more janky Dark Souls I with bad hitboxes is seriously missing out on some truly unique mechanics and courageous design choices.

Yes, the level design from a geometric standpoint makes no sense. Yes, the hit registration APPEARS broken. I highly recommend the video "The Dark Souls 2 Hitbox Debate Ends Now" by "Babe1Babe2" for an in-depth look at how the hitboxes actually work in this game.

The weapons, the amount of content, the build variety, the decision to redo the animations and backstabs, the parry system, etc.—it all combines to create something that truly stands apart from Dark Souls I, yet complements it so well.

It is not perfect, but neither is Dark Souls I (if only they had more development time).

I love this game.
I love Dark Souls I.

This game is amazing.
It is also far and away the easiest Dark Souls game, especially if you use summons and are not a "fromsoftware-sexual" try-hard.

Enjoy it! It is a rich sandbox with incredible replay value and deep customization options that neither Dark Souls I nor DSIII can match.

And lastly: "Try tongue but hole."