When there is no more room in hell, the dead walk on Earth. As Days Gone reveal their devils, it becomes abundantly clear that this world is unforgiving and will come after you no matter what. An open-world game, the huge map gives the player lots of things to do, in addition to the main story. Like every other game, there has to be a person to take on the challenge. The man with such temperament is Deacon St. John aka Deek. A down-at-heel veteran and a part of a biker gang called Mongrels MC. Deek has his own bike which can be upgraded or refuelled at camps using camp credits. Having a bike makes it easier to travel around the map but you gotta take care to not run out of fuel or wreck the bike or you’ll have to scour for gas cans and scrap.
The New World
Everything has turned into a horror movie as the opening cutscene clearly shows. There’s chaos everywhere and only a few have made it to safety, including our protagonist. As two years pass by, Deacon and his biker gang buddy Boozer find odd jobs as drifters. They start doing jobs for camps that are nothing but different strongholds ruled by a different leader.
Exploring The Vast Lands
While exploring the vast terra firma you come across a variety of enemies, but freakers – as they’re called – are found in abundance. You’d call them zombies but Bend Studios has clearly distinguished its creation to the overly used word. Freakers are like zombies who feed on the flesh but need water and sleep like humans. But there are different types of freakers. First, come the sneaky little Newts who always attack in groups. They are small, agile and dangerous if you are careless. They only attack you if you come in their zone or try running away from them. Also, there are swarmers, the basic freaks which you would find spread all across the map. They aren’t the smart ones or the stronger ones but can take you down in groups.
There are specialised freaks too, like a Breaker, Screamers or Reachers. Breakers are enormous freaks that take a lot of bullet rounds before falling to the ground.
Screamers are these annoying old hags who scream and let other freakers know of a prey. They are easy to kill but can attract a horde with their cry. As you progress, you will run into a Reachers who are the ‘Usain Bolts’ of the freaker community. They hit you and run fast to avoid retaliation.
That said, mutants aren’t the only ones baying for your blood. Spread across the world, you’ll find bears, wolves and even other humans.
Gameplay & Story
Days Gone is about survivability and while the resources are not as scarce as, say, Resident Evil but you gotta collect and use resources judiciously to be ready for another skirmish. The wheel to select weapons, traps, health and stamina is a little complex to comprehend at the start but is an excellent implementation once you get the hang of it.
Crafting also plays a huge role in the game where you can craft multiple items like health, stamina and focus kit, melee weapons, bombs and even traps. You’ll learn to craft new items when you complete missions or marauder camps.
Players can upgrade the main character with skills that comes in handy as you progress through the game and upgrade the bike to make it faster, fuel efficient and more durable.
Days Gone looks like a zombie game but the more you play, the more you realise that the freakers are just one part of the game. The game actually revolves around Deek’s aim to find his missing wife. The story is decent and has its moments but we wouldn’t term it a masterpiece.
Conclusion
Days Gone is a game that has got its fair share of criticism but Bend Studios has managed to address many of the issues that have plagued users during the launch. We wouldn’t put compare Days Gone with Sony-exclusive masterpieces like the Uncharted or The Last of Us but it certainly needs to be played for its interesting gameplay and freaker hordes.
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