This game has come a long way and I am very happy to say that 7 Days to Die has -through the dev’s trial and error- transformed into an incredibly fun survival game.

I find its take on most survival elements as a breath of fresh air in an otherwise saturated genre. I’ll give some examples:

-Balanced skill system that rewards and encourages exploration. XP unlocks points which can be invested into various combat and passive skills while skill books found in the world are required to craft higher level items.

-Every structure in the game is a puzzle. Many of the Places of Interest (POIs) were designed with a lot of thought. Some have traps, others have clever ways of hiding zombies in order to surprise you. You are rewarded with loot crates and chests (as well as a big horde of zombies) at the end of the puzzle. POIs range from simple houses all the way to massive skyscrapers and underground complexes. Very impressive map design by the devs.

-Fun combat system which is prone to jank, but is easy to learn its shortfalls. There are numerous weapon classes which adds to a variety of different gameplay styles. Snipers and spears, batons and shotguns, machine guns and knives. There are even robotics and drone crafting which is a mid-late game mechanic.

-Crafting system is perfect. Time and grinding is required to craft various materials but most prerequisites can be found easily by deconstructing furniture and house blocks. It’s a grind but without the tedium of said grind. As you read skillbooks you can eventually craft better weapons, armour, consumables and even vehicles.

This game has come a long way and I am very happy to say that 7 Days to Die has -through the dev’s trial and error- transformed into an incredibly fun survival game. I find its take on most survival elements as a breath of fresh air in an otherwise saturated genre. I’ll give some examples: -Balanced skill system that rewards and encourages exploration. XP unlocks points which can be invested into various combat and passive skills while skill books found in the world are required to craft higher level items. -Every structure in the game is a puzzle. Many of the Places of Interest (POIs) were designed with a lot of thought. Some have traps, others have clever ways of hiding zombies in order to surprise you. You are rewarded with loot crates and chests (as well as a big horde of zombies) at the end of the puzzle. POIs range from simple houses all the way to massive skyscrapers and underground complexes. Very impressive map design by the devs. -Fun combat system which is prone to jank, but is easy to learn its shortfalls. There are numerous weapon classes which adds to a variety of different gameplay styles. Snipers and spears, batons and shotguns, machine guns and knives. There are even robotics and drone crafting which is a mid-late game mechanic. -Crafting system is perfect. Time and grinding is required to craft various materials but most prerequisites can be found easily by deconstructing furniture and house blocks. It’s a grind but without the tedium of said grind. As you read skillbooks you can eventually craft better weapons, armour, consumables and even vehicles.