Days Gone feels like a game from a different time. A time when zombie games where hitting their peak in terms of pop culture relevance. The end result is a product that feels somewhat dated.
Set in the beautiful state of Oregon, you play as Deacon St. John who’s trying to survive in a zombie-infested world. It’s worsened due to the circumstances surrounding his life. After the death of his wife, Deacon lives with personal regret for her disappearance. Armed with his motorcycle and best friend, Boozer – from his old biker-gang days – Deacon takes to the road slaying zombies one day at a time.
Deacon was a character I was uncertain about. In fact, the moment I saw gameplay of him I was immediately turned off due to the typical badass biker persona that was on display. Thankfully I was wrong, Deacon is the complete opposite. Both he and Boozer are immensely likable and never come off as boring or annoying.
What struck me while playing is how beautiful and lived-in the state of Oregon feels. Studio Bend’s attention to detail is truly astonishing. From the wooded areas that contain marauders to cavernous areas where Freakers – what zombies are called – lye in wait. This is no shortage of adventure that can be had if you look close enough. As an aside, the u.i. of Days Gone utilizes the touchpad in one of the best ways possible. Different swipes take you to various portions of the menu.
Even with all the beauty Days Gone shows cracks that detract from what it’s trying to achieve. I played on a standard PS4 and noticed substantial dips in framerate, most notably when on the motorcycle. Traveling the world on the bike will cause the world to stutter and sometimes freeze in suspension as the game is trying to load. This same situation happens when the larger hordes of Freakers are on screen. There are also other technical issues such as pop-ins and game crashes. Even with these setbacks, the game continues to function appropriately.
Days Gone’s mission structure intertwines with one another. There are different types of missions including – but not limited to – clearing marauder camps ala Far Cry, clearing hordes of Freakers, and numerous character quests that progress along with you. Each section of the map opens up similar to how Grand Theft Auto’s map used to. In a sense, this alleviates some of the freedom in the game’s initial hours, but once the map opens up, hitting the open road feels fun.
This gradual progression carries over into gameplay, specifically your bike and abilities. There are a number of different ally bases that have their own benefits. Some specialize in upgrading the bike, while others carry an arsenal of weapons that can be bought. These camps also provide merchants to sell Freaker ears – called bounties, and plants. Selling these items will reward camp trust and money.
Some upgrades, whether gun or bike requires a certain amount of camp trust in order to unlock. This incentive means earning trust will unlock better bike parts and equipment that make traversal and combat easier and more refined toward the later stage of the game. Deacon even has skill points that can be placed into three specific categories that have their own unique attributes that make survival easier.
You’ll want survival to be as easy as possible, that’s why Deacon has a few weapons of his own. Deacons arsenal of weapons can be selected from the survival wheel. This quick access menu allows items to be crafted and equipped on the fly. Considering the games constant dangers, this system really comes in handy. Deacons loadout includes a primary, secondary, and special weapon, while different throwable bombs and traps are at the ready.
The survival wheel is one of the more useful features of the game, as hordes of Freakers can become overwhelming, especially late-game. Freakers can be found all across Oregon, however, large swarms of them travel in herds. They sleep during the day and are awake at night, these zombies have their own paths with their own cycle. Freakers are the shining part of Days Gone. The amount of zombies on screen at once is staggering.
For the first sections of the game hordes of Freakers number in the tens, while later hundreds upon hundreds come attacking. It’s very reminiscent of World War Z in many ways. At times it can even seem unforgiving, as there seems to be an uneven difficulty towards the beginning of the game. Since Deacon’s under level early-on getting hit by Freakers can take their toll and make evading – let alone fighting – frustrating. Deacon’s health, stamina, and focus can be leveled up at different checkpoint camps throughout the map to help with this problem, but at the on-set Days Gone can feel like a steep hill to climb.
Days Gone strives to accomplish many things, but it misses more than it hits. The result is a game that is enjoyable despite the technical shortcomings.