Into the Dead combines the gameplay of This War of Mine with the setting of State of Decay, delivering a mix of action, stealth, and resource management, with a clear end goal – Escape. It’s not a copy of either of these games, rather an inspiration in a unique package. Be aware however, death is permanent, there are no difficulty modifiers, and there’s only one save file – It’s a case of try, fail, retry – If you’re a casual gamer who doesn’t have the time to invest in learning through experience, this may be better suited for your wishlist for now.


🟩 Pros:

+ Shelters are distinct from one another
+ Crafting mechanics and controls are easy to pick up
+ Durability becomes a non-issue later in the game, as your craft better weapons
+ Claiming a new shelter automatically collects any remaining loot, streamlining gameplay
+ New survivors can be found while scavenging, but not all encounters will end peacefully
+ Art direction oozes 80s charm, with cassette icons, retro fonts, and evocative location design
+ The need to relocate shelters adds tension and keeps the gameplay loop dynamic and engaging
+ Emphasises stealth with mechanics like hiding in shadows, peeking through doors, and sneaking
+ Choose from 5 unique survivor duos (10 total), each with two complementary strengths and one weakness
+ Built around a try, fail, retry system of learning through experience, the more effort you invest, the easier it becomes, leading to natural progression

🟥 Cons:

- Combat and character movement feels sluggish
- No difficulty settings, making it less accessible to casual players
- Loot from previous shelters isn’t taken when relocating, which can feel punishing
- Button prompts are inconsistent, showing (Y) instead of (A) for equipping weapons
- Only a single save slot, limiting experimentation with different survivors or choices
- Permadeath adds tension but may become frustrating or repetitive for some players
- Weapon durability feels unrealistic early – A metal crowbar shouldn’t break before a pool cue
- Inventory stack sizes feel unbalanced – 4 wooden planks shouldn’t equal 2 junk food packets

🏷️ Suggestions:

~ Co-op
~ Consider increasing weapon durability
~ Add extra save slots and difficulty modifiers to support player experimentation and longevity


Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days (ITD) is set in the summer of 1980, where a zombie apocalypse has engulfed Texas. The core loop involves managing survivors’ health, hunger, and sanity while scavenging for supplies. Every decision you make during the day and night cycles feels impactful, especially when the wrong decision can lead to permanent death.

Avoiding direct confrontation was always the most optimal approach, and peeking through doors became second nature to me, however, it wasn’t always possible. In other games, forced engagements feel like a chore and break immersion, here however, they add to the atmosphere and the tension. Durability, however, does the exact opposite, at least early on, before you begin crafting better weapons – Even a firefighter’s axe feels like a pool noodle in ITD.

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3461144551

Graphically, ITD's colour palette paints a dark, grim picture, serving to create a tense atmosphere, capturing the bleak reality of a state clinging on to survival. Internal locations feel desolate, forgotten, and in disarray due to the panic which came with the horde. The ambient sounds of floors creaking as you walk through locations does an impactful job at highlighting how forgotten these places are.

External locations, however, can appear flat and lifeless (mainly during the day), not just thematically, but also visually. Lighting and shadows aren’t realistic, and seeing assets such as paper blowing about, spawn in from fixed locations detracts from the experience. Additionally, while exploring, there’s no ambient soundtrack. I understand the lack of audio serves to enforce the point that the world is empty and forgotten, but for to me, it’s a lost element of suspense – Light ambient music would have done wonders to reinforce the tense atmosphere.

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3461145641

Despite the rough edges, ITD has a solid foundation. The audio and visual shortcomings can be patched, along with weapon degradation. Looking at the extensive roadmap, there’s plenty more content coming our way to turn this game from good, to great, to amazing. It’s a challenging, almost overwhelming experience, and unforgiving for the smallest of mistakes, but it rewards perseverance (at the cost of repetition). If you have the time and patience to explore, fail, and learn, then ITD is a perfect addition to the zombie survival genre.

If you enjoyed my review and would like to support me, I would love if you followed BSR for more bite sized reviews.

Follow our curator page: IndieGems if you like and want to see more reviews like this one.

Solid game so far. Its pretty challenging, I do not like the weapon durability system though. You stealth kill 3 zombies and a combat knife breaks.

Is it a decent and fun Game ? Yes
Does it have the right Foundation to become Great ? Yes
Could it be a new This War of Mine ? Yes, once the game is Fleshed Out
Would i Recommend it at it's current price in early access (25 USD) ? Hell no

While the game has decent foundation gameplay wise and is in a playable state, it is VERY barebones.
Roadmap is set up for 12 - 18 months with one update a month or so, while MANY basic features are missing yet some of the related assets are already In the game. Keep in Mind i went through the game once, start to finish, in about 14 hours.

- As of right now there are no :
Weather effects, Shelter events, Traders (yet you loot trade items), Advanced firearms Parts(yet you unlock the crafting schematics), Barely any enemies variation : Zombies, Big Zombies, Humans (once)

- The game is Very repetitive after the first two hours or so. The Narrative is minimalist and the Survivors are bland. I managed to have fun through the early hours though. Again, Good Game, but bare bones and limited.

- The Combat is an Awkward mess while Stealth is wonky at best.
Had a bunch of Zombies see me way before i could even see them in my screen due to the way door frames work.
Most Zombies have to be killed to explore most locations since more often than not there is no way to go around a zombie that has a very small pathing area, either via Stealth kills or Face to face combat.
There are no noise markers / waves either from footsteps or attacks and the weapon noises are vague at best. Often i had low noise weapons still trigger Zombies the next room over, Behind a closed door while a high noise weapon doesn't trigger Passive Zombies that are within Line of Sight ...

- The Passive Zombies are interesting on paper, Not that great in practice. It actually kinda sucks to have a room with a Passive Zombie just Standing there, that you easily could dispatch yet the game won't let you.
Add to that the Random "magical" respawns in some maps where zombies are added to previously cleared rooms that had NO passive zombies in it, even though you didn't get spotted.

- The multiple Shelters and having to Move between them. Again, another good idea on Paper, yet in Practice it gets very repetitive and grindy.
Oh you're almost out of water and Halfway across the map to deal with an Escape plan mission? Enjoy having to go through 4 - 5 Phases Just to go from One Shelter to Another to a Third one where you REALLY wanted to go.
You left a Shelter behind ? Well look at that you need to Clear it of Zombies AGAIN before moving back in.
There is also no ways, for now, to extend the Radius you can explore from a Shelter.

- The Shelter Phases are burdened with way too much micromanagement. The game needs a way to quick dispatch survivors to stations without having to control every single character One by One.

And yet, with all those flaws, IF the Devs keep to their Roadmap , the game could Easily become Awesome.
Except it's Early Access, and i've been burned MANY times int he past with games taking 10+ years and still being nowhere near halfway done.
But at the current price, with what little there is to offer ? Unless people are die hard Zombie games Fans, i would advise to wait at least til the first major Updates scheduled for May before giving the game a full on recommandation.