Containment Zero

Containment Zero is an episodic adventure video game developed and published by Picturesque Games. The game consists of five episodes, released bi-monthly for Anima, Fusion, Playstation 4, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows. The game follows agents of the Containment Zero Facility as they hunt the cursed fragments of the Primeval Pygmy, which take the form of different objects. The first episode, /A City's Sorrow/, was released on January 19th, 2021. A retail compilation featuring all the episodes was released on November 5th, 2021 for the same platforms, as well as the Anima 2.
Each episode focuses on a different fragment of the Primeval Pygmy, each representing a different concept such as Squalor or Anguish. Gameplay involves exploring different areas searching for clues about the fragments, talking to NPCs to further your investigation, and partaking in various action scenes. The game features two lead protagonists, Chuck Everett and Dena Bowers. The player will take control of both an equal amount, and both play generally identically, although their personalities differ quite drastically.
==Gameplay==
The bulk of gameplay consists of exploring different areas searching for clues or objects about the whereabouts of the fragment that is being searched for. This is done from a third-person perspective, and the player is often given a substantial area to walk around. The player needs to find multiple clues to learn about the fragment before they can continue. Clues can range from objects to markings, and some can be difficult to be find. If the player takes a long time finding a clue, an NPC, usually the protagonist the player isn't controlling, will point out the location of a clue, which stops the player getting stuck in their search.
Alongside searching locations for clues, the player will also have to interview different NPCs. Using a complex dialogue system, the player can choose whether to be friendly or threatening, and can also use the clues that they have found to try and get more information out of them. Due to the nature of the game, the dialogue system is not about branching the overall story, rather building character and changing how the protagonists and other characters interact. As the player will be controlling the actions of both protagonists, they are able to have them act similarly or completely different, vastly changing their relationship.
On top of the exploration and interview segments, there are also multiple action sequences. These action sequences generally consist of fast movement, such as chasing someone, or fighting sequences based on quick-time events. The QTEs are simple as to not to alienate less-skilled players. If too many prompts are miss, a fail state will be triggered and the player will have to begin the sequence again. The action movement sequences can also be failed, and the player will immediately taken back to where the sequence started.
==Synopsis==
===Setting===
The game follows the agents of the Containment Zero facility, an underground base in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona which houses the dangerous fragments of the Primeval Pygmy. Alongside the facility, the game also takes place in a multitude of settings across the world, including the United States, Mongolia, France and the United Kingdom. The player will visit these places based on clues of the whereabouts of different fragments, with support from other agents of the facility. Different episodes focus on separate fragments, and often visit new locations in search of them.
===Characters===
Containment Zero features two main protagonists, each of which have equal importance to the story. The first is Chuck Everett (Troy Baker), a former Chicago Police Department officer who was appointed to Containment Zero after coming in too close contact with a fragment. The other is Dena Bowers (Luci Christian), a CIA agent who was transferred to Containment Zero for learning too much about it. As of the first episode, Chuck is a new agent, whereas Dena already has a few years experience. The curator of the facility is Lillian Creed (Caitlin Glass), a veteran of Containment Zero who is highly knowledgeable on fragments. The team is supported by Cat Sinclair (G.K. Bowes), a young history expert who helps search for fragments from the facility, Sam Hudson (), another former CIA agent who was transferred alongside Dena, and Daniel Tate (Graham McTavish), an expert CZ agent who trained Dena, Sam and Chuck. All of these characters appear in every episode
==Episodes==
The game is split into five episodes, which we released bi-monthly from January 19th, 2021.
Episode 	Release Date
/A City's Sorrow/ 	January 19th, 2021
Containment Zero agent Chuck Everett is sent on his first mission abroad with Dena Bowers, an investigation into a suspicious spate of mass suicides in Paris. 	Containment Zero agent Chuck Everett is sent on his first mission abroad with Dena Bowers, an investigation into a suspicious spate of mass suicides in Paris.
/A Thoughtless Mind/ 	March 23rd, 2021
Chuck demands to be put on a mission when his home town of Chicago is threatened by a fragment that collects people's memories, turning them into thoughtless drones.	Chuck demands to be put on a mission when his home town of Chicago is threatened by a fragment that collects people's memories, turning them into thoughtless drones.
/A Game of Chance/ 	May 18th, 2021
The team trek across the United States to find a fragment that has slipped through their fingers for decades, one that can change it's physical form at will. 	The team trek across the United States to find a fragment that has slipped through their fingers for decades, one that can change it's physical form at will.
/A Broken Time/ 	July 20th, 2021
Chuck, Dena and Daniel travel to London to perform the heist of the century when a major landmark makes itself known as a fragment, the bell known as Big Ben. 	Chuck, Dena and Daniel travel to London to perform the heist of the century when a major landmark makes itself known as a fragment, the bell known as Big Ben.
/A Deathly Black/ 	September 21st, 2021
The entire world is sent into panic when a highly dangerous fragment from the past re-emerges, the one that brought Europe to it's knees in the 14th century. 	The entire world is sent into panic when a highly dangerous fragment from the past re-emerges, the one that brought Europe to it's knees in the 14th century.
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Category:Picturesque Games
Category:Containment Zero