This game is an anomaly. I remember thinking this when I first saw it released for the PS4. I imagined the devs pitching an idea for a game about bikers fighting off zombies in a very specific part of a state most known among non-Americans as being a place where people died of dysentery.

"Like Darryl Dixon from the Walking Dead!" They pitched with great enthusiasm.

"Use sick crossbows to take down walkers (we'll find an original name for the zeds later, don't worry) and ride a big chrome Harley from town to town gathering supplies!" They slapped their hands together.

The producers adjusted their ties nervously.

Whatever was said in that meeting (if it did go down like that) clearly worked because I am grateful their vision came to pass. The game came out when the Walking Dead was at the height of its popularity and was clearly inspired by the TV series, but ultimately Day's Gone left its own mark on a heavily saturated genre, introducing unique concepts to the zombie medium.

From a mechanical and tactile perspective Day's Gone plays and feels a lot like the Last of Us in terms of its looting and crafting systems. Supplies can be found littered across the world which can then be transformed into various crafting materials to produce molotovs, bombs and other aids haphazardly, accessible from a selection wheel at any time. The world is actually well detailed, spread out across different biomes and is surprisingly rich in environmental story-telling, painting a canvas of loss, horror and a fallen civilization. The comparison between Last of Us and Day's Gone however stops shy of story where Day's Gone drops the deeply intimate and grounded tale of two humans reluctantly working together, in favor of a gun-ho journey involving government conspiracies, fanatical cultists and lunatic militias. There is a lot crammed into the narrative which results in predictable twists and somewhat disjointed sections, and i sometimes found the story going a little bit too fast for my liking, which I managed by focusing on side missions until I felt ready to progress. It's not all bad though. Despite its frequent ups and downs, the narrative has a lot of diversity in terms of themes and you end up encountering a large caste of characters with differing morals and attitudes to the new post-apocalypse. However the relationships you build with those people end up being paper-thin.

In a highly saturated genre, I believe Day's Gone's greatest strength and contributions to the zombie medium are its fresh take on zombies -known in-universe as Freakers- which are well integrated in the PVE mechanics of the game. The Freakers are more akin to animals than mindless shamblers. They roam in packs forming small social units. At night they come out to feed, drink and hunt wildlife. In the day they hibernate in sheltered areas. Some packs have grown into full-blown hordes consisting of hundreds of Freakers which act and move as one. The beauty of the horde mechanic is that they don't wait around on the player to find them. By chance you can stumble upon them shambling towards a lake or back to their cave for a nap. For the first half of the plot, the game doesn't tell you where hordes are meaning you need to ride out at night and hope you (do or don't) stumble upon one. Being chased by a horde of Freakers is a unique experience and one not seen before in zombie games and I feel this was executed very well. They are a terrifying menace and an unprepared player can quickly find themselves at the mercy of a ravenous swarm.

Otherwise the game is large and beautiful crammed full of unique locations, naturescapes and apocalyptic imagery. I did not get bored of exploring the environment and felt there was enough diversity to differentiate each region and make them separate and unique.

Despite all this, the game suffers from flaws common with "console-style games." By this, I mean that it feels watered down. It is quite literally a "pick up and play" experience and there isn't really any nuance to its gameplay (learning to fight hordes efficiently may take some time but there is a meta to this.) It is also packed full of QTEs and the game holds your hand quite often at times. And before you point out that this is a console game - its fellow PS exclusive title Ghost of Tsushima felt significantly more polished and had a learning curve to its gameplay.

Overall a great experience paired with an action-packed story with twists and turns and a fresh new take on zombies. Perfect for anyone seeking a game they can pick up "straight out of the box" that offers rewarding progression, a good story and the opportunity to mow down hordes of zombies.

This game is an anomaly. I remember thinking this when I first saw it released for the PS4. I imagined the devs pitching an idea for a game about bikers fighting off zombies in a very specific part of a state most known among non-Americans as being a place where people died of dysentery. "Like Darryl Dixon from the Walking Dead!" They pitched with great enthusiasm. "Use sick crossbows to take down walkers (we'll find an original name for the zeds later, don't worry) and ride a big chrome Harley from town to town gathering supplies!" They slapped their hands together. The producers adjusted their ties nervously. Whatever was said in that meeting (if it did go down like that) clearly worked because I am grateful their vision came to pass. The game came out when the Walking Dead was at the height of its popularity and was clearly inspired by the TV series, but ultimately Day's Gone left its own mark on a heavily saturated genre, introducing unique concepts to the zombie medium. From a mechanical and tactile perspective Day's Gone plays and feels a lot like the Last of Us in terms of its looting and crafting systems. Supplies can be found littered across the world which can then be transformed into various crafting materials to produce molotovs, bombs and other aids haphazardly, accessible from a selection wheel at any time. The world is actually well detailed, spread out across different biomes and is surprisingly rich in environmental story-telling, painting a canvas of loss, horror and a fallen civilization. The comparison between Last of Us and Day's Gone however stops shy of story where Day's Gone drops the deeply intimate and grounded tale of two humans reluctantly working together, in favor of a gun-ho journey involving government conspiracies, fanatical cultists and lunatic militias. There is a lot crammed into the narrative which results in predictable twists and somewhat disjointed sections, and i sometimes found the story going a little bit too fast for my liking, which I managed by focusing on side missions until I felt ready to progress. It's not all bad though. Despite its frequent ups and downs, the narrative has a lot of diversity in terms of themes and you end up encountering a large caste of characters with differing morals and attitudes to the new post-apocalypse. However the relationships you build with those people end up being paper-thin. In a highly saturated genre, I believe Day's Gone's greatest strength and contributions to the zombie medium are its fresh take on zombies -known in-universe as Freakers- which are well integrated in the PVE mechanics of the game. The Freakers are more akin to animals than mindless shamblers. They roam in packs forming small social units. At night they come out to feed, drink and hunt wildlife. In the day they hibernate in sheltered areas. Some packs have grown into full-blown hordes consisting of hundreds of Freakers which act and move as one. The beauty of the horde mechanic is that they don't wait around on the player to find them. By chance you can stumble upon them shambling towards a lake or back to their cave for a nap. For the first half of the plot, the game doesn't tell you where hordes are meaning you need to ride out at night and hope you (do or don't) stumble upon one. Being chased by a horde of Freakers is a unique experience and one not seen before in zombie games and I feel this was executed very well. They are a terrifying menace and an unprepared player can quickly find themselves at the mercy of a ravenous swarm. Otherwise the game is large and beautiful crammed full of unique locations, naturescapes and apocalyptic imagery. I did not get bored of exploring the environment and felt there was enough diversity to differentiate each region and make them separate and unique. Despite all this, the game suffers from flaws common with "console-style games." By this, I mean that it feels watered down. It is quite literally a "pick up and play" experience and there isn't really any nuance to its gameplay (learning to fight hordes efficiently may take some time but there is a meta to this.) It is also packed full of QTEs and the game holds your hand quite often at times. And before you point out that this is a console game - its fellow PS exclusive title Ghost of Tsushima felt significantly more polished and had a learning curve to its gameplay. Overall a great experience paired with an action-packed story with twists and turns and a fresh new take on zombies. Perfect for anyone seeking a game they can pick up "straight out of the box" that offers rewarding progression, a good story and the opportunity to mow down hordes of zombies.