Single-player extraction shooter ZERO Sievert gets gamepad and Steam Deck upgrades

ZERO Sievert is a popular single-player top-down extraction shooter that's a lot of fun, and it just had a huge upgrade that's worth a look. They've also announced that it's sold over 500,000 copies so it has proven to be quite popular.

More about it: "The world has ended. ZERO Sievert charges you with scavenging equipment across multiple areas, all set in an atmospheric fictitious post-apocalyptic Eastern Europe setting. Your base of operations, the bunker, is filled with traders, modding stations, and areas to make your own, providing you with progression across your excursions into the wild."

With the new update they've overhauled gamepad controls so they should actually feel like a good way to play it, along with improvements for Steam Deck players. Initially, the update rolled out with some problems on Steam Deck but those were patched a few days later. It's also just generally a whole lot easier to get into now. With proper difficulty options, UI tweaks to be clearer and a whole new prologue section that will actually teach you the game.

See their overview video on the update below:

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Some of the main changes include:

New Game Flow and Difficulty Presets

• Added new Difficulty Setting flow with a redesigned selection process

• Difficulty Preset selection updated so that selecting any difficulty other than "Custom” now proceeds directly to the next page. And selecting “Custom” opens the existing Difficulty Modifier screen with new preset buttons

• Preset buttons now highlight in golden yellow to indicate selection, replacing the previous pip system

• Current menu selection for difficulty is visually emphasized with a highlight

• Improved visual clarity and interactivity for UI value sliders (e.g. volume mix)

• Equipment loadouts can now be named for better customization and reference

• Removed news feed elements when full-screen menus are open to reduce clutter

• Sprint toggle is now ON by default for all players

Sleep Menu Enhancements

• Bar is selected by default when opening the Sleep Menu

• Players can now drag the sleep duration bar and press the (A) button to sleep for the chosen amount (If only getting your 8 hours was this easy in real life!)

• Controller users now see a clear button badge labelled “(A) Sleep”

Trading and Inventory Updates

• Trade category buttons now feature a golden yellow icon to indicate the active selection

• “Tooltip” renamed to “Item Info” for clarity

• Item Info behaviour for right-hand side items in the trade menu now matches the left side—hold the Item Info button to display details (gamepad-friendly)

Healing and Repairing with NPCs

• Removed all decimal points when displaying values for buying or selling services

PDA Improvements

• Quest button now opens by default when accessing the PDA (swapped position with the Map button for easier navigation)

• Quest label formatting updated from “Quest Giver: NAMEHERE” to “Giver: NAMEHERE”

• Introduced a grid system for the map to reflect explored areas more clearly (development note: "Luca problem")

Map Selection and UI Changes

• Selecting a map now instantly loads that map, removing the need for a separate “Go” button

  • Map buttons now display the name of the location directly on or near the button

  • Flavour text is displayed for the currently highlighted map to give more context and immersion

It's 25% off during the Steam Summer Sale, the biggest discount yet. Works great on Linux with Proton. It's currently rated Steam Deck Verified / SteamOS Compatible.