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We are only a few short days from Bend Studio’s latest release Days Gone. In the months following the games initial reveal I began to notice something, a lot of people were lukewarm to cold on Days Gone.
I’ve often wondered why so many people seem to be on the fence. Was it Bend Studio’s previous titles? I don’t think so, the majority of their previous games have decent review scores and were received fairly well by fans.
Did the game itself look bad? I wouldn’t say so at all but personal preferences can vary. Maybe to others there is something off. My eyes see what looks like a finely tuned games in an open world setting. Everything I have seen looks pretty good but watching a game only tells half the story.
So when I think about the reasons why people seem down on this game, I have formed a few conclusions. All seem valid and could play into the lack of excitement for the upcoming playstation exclusive.
Days Gone is more Zombie Overload
I completely get this. There have been A LOT of zombie games released in the last several years. I don’t know if it is all some attempt to cash in on The Walking Dead’s popularity or just some coincidental happenstance. The 2010’s entertainment zeitgeist has been fertile breeding ground for zombie media.
The reasons why zombies have been popular really don’t matter, fact is, gamers have been inundated with zombie game after zombie for some time now. Dead Island, State of Decay, Dying Light, Zombie Army Trilogy, Dead Rising, hell, just last week we got a new hit zombie game in World War Z (which has already sold over one million copies).
Games and game modes that feature zombies are a dime a dozen and many of those games are pretty good, so competition is stiff. So again, I can see why this being “yet another zombie game” could immediately turn people off.
Even I have grown somewhat fatigued with the zombie overload but Days Gone still appeals to me. Even looking back at the announce trailer I think what this game will offer over most other potential zombie games is a deep, engaging story.
They seem to be setting up Days Gone main protagonist Deacon St. John as a character who has a complex and troubled past. I like the idea that we probably aren’t playing at the start of a zombie outbreak but in the midst of one that has been going on for some time.
I think Studio Bend is channeling some of that The that Last of Us mojo and while I don’t suspect that this game will reach the masterpiece level heights TLOU did, I am all for another game taking that kind of narrative approach with a main character who has almost grown comfortable (or as comfortable as one can be) in the new post apocalyptic world.
Days Gone is Yet another open world action game
Maybe the fact that this game is indeed another open world action title also rubs people the wrong way. This is another genre us gamers have been flooded with. First party Playstation games in particular seem to flourish in the third person, open world, narrative focused game type.
In just the last two years we got Horizon Zero Dawn, God of War, and Spider-man who all fit into this mold. This is certainly a through line that connects most Sony first party games. I’ll remind you that all of the games listed are critically acclaimed and rank amongst the best of this generation.
And though they share a similar vehicle for their stories and gameplay, ask yourself, do any of those three games play the same? Do they feel like slight iterations on the same base product or do you feel that they each have their own unique flavor?
Days Gone may be another Playstation game in that third person mold but that doesn’t mean it will feel like any of the other games we have played before. Sure there will be familiar beats, elements of the game we have seen before, that doesn’t mean that the whole of the game can’t be something uniquely enjoyable.
What in Days Gone has me Excited?
When I look at Days Gone I see what give people pause but I also see so much potential. Maybe part of the reason why I have always been positive towards this game is that I am somewhat partial to zombie survival.
I am a fan of The Walking Dead, the Dead Rising series and State of Decay are my two favorite zombie game franchises. To a small degree I am preprogrammed to give a game like this deeper consideration.
I enjoy The Walking Dead because the story is really about the character’s and how they evolve and grow in an incredibly hostile world. Zombies bring action and suspense to the show and comic but what keeps us engaged as consumers if following the story of TWD‘s characters.
Dead Rising offers up sheer numbers of zombies and interesting ways to kill them. I also really love the limited time aspect, your choices in those games carry weight because time is never on your side. Each chance you take to engage with another horde, ticks off precious seconds you may need to complete the next mission.
State of Decay really hones in on the survival aspect. It’s about keeping your community alive and eventually finding a way to thrive. You need to find ammo, resources, and time and time again you go out into the world to discover more with no guarantees you will come back. That unique take in the zombie game genre is why it’s amongst my favorite mid-tier games.
Days Gone looks like it combines aspects of all three of these media. This being a first party Sony AAA game, we will likely get a deep story with characters that carry some emotional weight. The massive waves of zombies are there with fun and interesting ways to kill them. Deacon has to take care of his bike as well as other members in his motorcycle club. some elements of survival and exploration will likely come into play while doing those tasks.
The gameplay videos that have been dropped over the years, show a game that is fast paced and full of dynamic instances of action. There will be moments in this game where you are exploring and you are caught off guard by a zombie horde, panic will set in as you try to desperately plan your escape or maybe take them down.
I’m looking forward to that unpredictability. Those moment to moment instances where snap decisions have to be made. Do I go for that canister of fuel for my bike? Do I try to lure that horde to my human enemies position? I am confident this game will pull that off and do it better than many of the games before it.
With the AAA Sony financial backing and talent, my hope is that Days Gone will take the best aspects of the myriad zombie games and media we have at our disposal and give us something more polished and refined than we have come across in some time.
Will Days Gone hit the same benchmark of Sony’s other recent greats? I don’t know. That bar is so high I’d say it’s unlikely but then again first party Playstation games have hit it repeatedly time and time again this generation.
For me it doesn’t have to though. Days Gone just needs to be a great, single player zombie game that brings another new wrinkle to the genre. I think one reason why we now have a horde of zombie games is because the medium works. The snap decision making, enemy waves of fodder, dynamic gameplay moments, all of it lends itself well to making a fun game.
This may be one of the few titles to blend that gameplay with interesting and compelling narrative. Engaging the player on all fronts. Managing all of that is indeed a tall order but the people at Sony have shown time and time again that they can pull it off. If this game manages to do so I’ll be a very happy customer come this Friday.
Take a closer look at Days Gone, check out some of the latest trailers and feedback. I think there is much reason to be excited. Maybe this game will wind up being a somewhat sleeper hit as the hype train behind it right now seems to be milling into the station rather than barreling through it.
How do you feel about Days Gone? Are you excited? Have you played it? Share your thoughts either here or on twitter. Love to hear from you and thanks for reading!
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