Days Gone is not a brand-new franchise – PS4 players know that it is a very well-done open-world zombie game. But how does the new PC version of the game compare? Dive with us into this article in which we introduce the game, give our opinion about it and see how well it fares against its console counterpart!
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When Days Gone first came out, the zombie genre was full of various kinds of games, mostly survival shooters. In the game, you play as Deacon, a manhunter and a former member of a motorcycle club. You also have your partner, Boozer, accompany you on your adventures in Oregon.
Deacon isn’t very fond of staying in one place and as you learn later in the story, he has his own personal mission he tries to complete. To do so, he rides his motorcycle through a world infected with zombies after a massive outbreak. So far, it seems very much in the norm for a zombie game, doesn’t it?
We like to believe that what makes Days Gone stand out, is the motorcycle gameplay, which is a significant part of the game, the gunplay, and the story. The game doesn’t play around with introducing you too much, but it does a good job at slowly giving you the story and the background of the world’s events.
Zombies in the game are called Freakers and they are done interestingly. You can frequently deal with them individually, sneaking up on them or fighting them in small groups. However, on many occasions, you will be forced to either flee or fight an enormous wave of zombies. Thankfully, you have quite a few options to do so.
First off, you can always escape. That is when your motorcycle really comes in handy. But don’t get too comfortable, you need to take care of it, refuel it, and upgrade it so it can serve you well. If you decide on fighting, you have several options to either quietly take down a single opponent, engage in melee combat, or eliminate large numbers of enemies with, for example, an AKM or a Molotov. The game also has a system of crafting that really tries to make you loot and collect as many things as possible – they almost always have a wide range of uses for combat, survival, travelling, etc.
Aside from zombies, there are also hostile factions, like Rippers. That is a gang who is trying their best to take down Deacon and Boozer while the duo tries to do the same. They believe that the outbreak was a gift to mankind and becoming infected is a high honour to everyone and as such, they seek to spread it as much as possible.
We don’t want to tell you too much about the story, so we’ll stop there. Overall, it is very well written, the characters are interesting, and they go through various arcs while having a complex background. At the same time, there aren’t too many of them, so you shouldn’t get lost either. They are wonderfully voiced and animated, meaning it is very easy to dive deep into the game.
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And while you are learning about the story, the gameplay and particularly gunplay are what keeps you on the edge of your seat and engaged. Travelling through the world on your motorcycle is fun and speedy, and when you stop to do some missions, you have a plethora of options to do the many various tasks and quests. The zombies are a real threat and there will be many times where you will be caught completely off-guard, just trying to somehow survive a massive wave of zombies, for example. It is a very… “interesting” feeling to be on the run from zombies and turning around only to see hundreds of them falling head over heels just to get a bite of you!
Overall, we think that Days Gone is very well done. It feels alive (and dead at the same time), there is always something fun to do and the story will keep you deep in the seat. The atmosphere of the game manages to balance nicely on the split between light-hearted and dark. But don’t expect it to be full of jokes and sunshine – the overall tone is that the world has gone to hell and the survivors are first and foremost trying to survive. But, since this is a new release on PC, how does it compare?
Well, first off, the graphics are beautiful. Being able to go 60 FPS or higher, having an FOV slider and the ability to tweak graphics to your heart’s content really gives the game a great look. Not that it didn’t look good enough on the PS4, but it makes great use of the additional PC headroom. However, there were a few caveats; occasional stutters and “lags” occurred and slightly broke the immersion, but we believe it isn’t anything future patches cannot fix. If you have a widescreen monitor, then you will love how well Days Gone handles it!
What did we like about the game?
– Gorgeous graphics – a step up from the console version
– An immersive and well-written story
– Fun gunplay and crafting system
– Interesting and engaging quests and missions
What did we dislike about the game?
– Some technical issues
– Not extremely original, at least at first glance
– It came out fairly late after the console launch
In conclusion, we see Days Gone as a truly well-made game not only on consoles but on PC as well. Aside from a few occasional hiccups, the game runs extremely well and is nerve-racking and fun. Don’t let it slip by if you love some good zombie action! It is a shame that it took a while to get released but then again, it’s better than getting a poorly optimized game that could be unplayable.