SPRAWL vs SPRAWL zero: Prequel, Order and Differences

Prequel, set before the first game

MAETH’s announcement: “Before SEVEN, there was FIVE… In SPRAWL zero, you play as FIVE, a cybernetically enhanced supersoldier controlled by the Junta.” The bundle text on Steam calls it “prequel to SPRAWL”. Director Carlos Lizarraga said the ground for FIVE’s story was laid in the first game’s codex entries and loading screens.

Which to play first

Either works. Steam forum answers split:

Play SPRAWL first, because zero has smoother gameplay and you might not enjoy the original after it.
Skip the original. One player said zero “doesn’t really have any story so you won’t be lost”.
Play both for the movement. The first game’s wall-running is its own thing.

The Enter the Sprawl bundle sells both games together.

How they differ

	SPRAWL (2023)	SPRAWL zero (2026)
Hero	SEVEN	FIVE
Inspiration	90s arena and boomer shooters	2000s console FPS: Halo, F.E.A.R., Half-Life 2
Movement	Wall-running, fast, “not touching the floor”	Grounded; no wall-running, dash or double jump by default
Weapons	A classic arsenal	One disposable gun at a time, 40+ types
AI	Simple, “fodder for the flow state”	Squads that flank, call out and throw grenades
Extra modes	Endless mode; a Quake mod	New Game Plus with modifiers
Platforms	PC, later consoles; on GOG	PC (Steam, Epic), PS5, Xbox Series X

The director explained the change in the Quad Damage interview: “the immediate decision that we made day one was that there was going to be no wall running in SPRAWL zero.” What carries over is the idea of taking one era’s mechanics and pushing them somewhere new.

Shared ground

Both games are set in the Sprawl, the last city-state on Earth. Both lead to the Spire. The first game’s store text sends you “towards the spire”, and zero’s level 9 is The Spire, whose soundtrack is labelled the “Zero Version”. Both scores are by REVEL, the director’s music name.

Not to be confused with

Count Zero and the Sprawl trilogy: William Gibson’s cyberpunk novels. Unrelated.
SPRAWL 96: a separate retro release the studio’s channel promotes alongside the first game. Not SPRAWL zero.

More on the setting: story and factions.

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