genre: openworld, stealth, horror, action, adventure
It took me a couple of attempts to get into Days Gone. Not because it was bad. But mostly because I was very critical since early reviews were pretty negative. And let me tell you that those reviews are wrong. Very wrong!
At one point, I realised that Days Gone was all about the single-player experience, where even the side missions mattered. There are around 150 main missions. This approach is quite different from many other triple-A titles. But I got it. Even if you weren't invested before. The game forces you to be. And once you are. You are hooked. I sure was.
Deacon St. John, also known as Deek, might be a heavily flawed character. He is one you can stand behind. His moral code is above approach. I liked playing him. Especially when he is dealing with freakers. They aren't zombies, but infected people who have been mutated. That being said, I personally viewed them as fast-moving zombies.
As far as I know, this is the first action/adventure game where you have to deal with hordes. They are truly terrifying. Especially when you are low on resources and ammo. And that is truly exhilarating.
But the game teaches you to be careful. This is where stealth comes in. A mechanic I am very fond of. In this game, though, it's one you have to get used to since it will make your life a lot easier.
Does this mean this is the perfect game? Far from it. The way it's structured, you are forced to follow a certain pattern before you can progress. This means a lot of repetition is involved. But some elements can put things upside down. For example. I was in the middle of clearing an ambush camp and suddenly noticed a few freakers showing up who destroyed some of the goons on their path. I myself very wisely chose to hide until they left the scene. Turns out that there was a horde near the camp. And the freakers decided to take a stroll. To my advantage. But there was also an example where I wasn't prepared for them at all and had to fight for my life. And ended up dying. So there is a level of unpredictability going on that keeps things fresh.
Gameplay-wise, Days Gone is almost your typical open-world game where humans, freakers and animals are out to kill you. This brings me to navigating this world. Since you are a biker, your favourite form of transportation is your bike. Take care of your bike, it will take care of you. I personally liked riding my bike in this world. And like the horses in the Red Dead Redemption franchise, your bike is integral to the game. You can use it as a save point, which is very handy since the world is big. But you can also use it to store weapons and items.
Since this is a world where items and food are rare, it's advisable to use stealth whenever you can. It's basic but effective. And for someone who loves stealth, I loved taking out enemies as silently as possible. Later in the game, it becomes harder to remain stealthy. But you gain more weapons and skills as you progress, which gives you an edge at one point.
But the main attraction, the hordes, is what makes this game stand out. Defeating them is hard. You will find out real quickly once you encounter them. You aren't supposed to fight them early on. It is possible to take on some small hordes, although it will be taxing for your resources. Later on, you will get the tools you need to destroy them. And that is where the real fun comes in. In this video, I am dealing with the Chemult Station Horde. Yes, I could have done better. Which I did later on. Once I realised you could attract the freakers. Then again, crafting items takes up a lot of resources, so you do need to keep collecting and farming them before you do anything. If anything, this video demonstrates that you can deal with them as long as you keep your head cool.
One main complaint about the game that people have is that it's too long. Well, I do think that the game consists of a lot of padding. Then again, I have platinumed the game and still have a lot of hordes to defeat. So you can come back to the game and test your skills. But yes, in general, don't expect to be able to finish this game quickly.
Also, I need to mention a bug I encountered towards the finale. I fell through the map. Reloading the checkpoint didn't fix the issue. I had to restart the game and then go quite a few missions back in order to avoid the bug. In a game where you already have so many missions to complete, that did take a toll on my nerves.
Overall, this game deserved better, much better. It has far more to offer than the initial reviews let on. Yes, that probably was due to the fact that it takes a bit to get introduced to certain mechanics. To be fair, this is also the case with Red Dead Redemption II, but somehow, people are rarely negative about that game. In my opinion, this game is very much worth your time and attention. So do try it when you get the chance.
No comments:
Post a Comment