Time and time again, we have seen a post-apocalyptic zombie ruled world. So what makes Days Gone original? Well, nothing to be honest.    

The Open Road

  Bend Studios Days Gone is an open-world zombie action horror game where you play as Deacon St. John. A well-known drifter and a lost man on the broken road was trying to find answers to his wife’s whereabouts. After the opening cutscene, we fast forward two years after the initial outbreak took place and unleashed the Freakers. Yes, Freakers is what the “zombies” are referred to as in Days Gone, and the name for them does grow on you. Set in a massive open-world playground or Oregon as some people call it. We often see flashbacks into Deacon’s past, and the story slowly does to unravel into something bigger. The story isn’t something to get too excited for, and with its roughly 30-35 hour playthrough, I was left wondering, “Is that it?”. Overall the story does still mesh together pretty decent, with one of the significant downfalls being the characters you meet along the way. There are some exceptions and notable characters like Boozer, but to be honest, that’s about it. Missions in Days Gone lack that extra meat on the bone and are quite repetitive after a while. The tasks aren’t always dull and do add some excitement from time to time.    

Man’s Best Friend

  One of my favourite features in Days Gone is your bike, or should I say your lifeline. If I can give out a few tips, please make sure you upgrade that gas tank as soon as possible. The sheer thought of running out of gas in a Freaker-filled tunnel was something I thought would never happen to me until my bike gave out, and I was left stranded. The realism of having to maintain your gas tank and repair your bike is something I thought was brilliant. Bend Studios’ originality when adding this into Days Gone is what helps this game stand out. Progressing through Days Gone will help with fine-tuning your bike from upgrading the gas tank, to getting that engine boosted to aid in your frantic getaways. I am warning you now upgrade your bike often and do it right. Doing so will help get you around the map quicker and safer. The controls when riding your motorcycle are fluid and are pretty easy to understand.    

Get Your Freak On

  Freakers roam open-world Oregon, and if you are brave enough, you can attack them head-on. I chose the stealthy Sam Fisher route because the realism in Days Gone almost forces you to do so. You learn quickly that throwing bullets into these Freakers is fun, but at what cost? Ammo isn’t easy to find, and I like that. Days Gone makes you think on your feet, and the realism of this is where Days Gone shines. Melee weapons are fun, but beware, hacking and slashing come with a price, and you will need to repair your gun to survive quickly. Freakers are attracted to sound but are scared of light; using helpful tips like this will help you gain the upper hand. Pissing off hungry Freakers isn’t that way to go, and you will quickly find yourself hitting the restart button more times than not. My first notable encounter with a Freaker horde was when opening up a Nero checkpoint only to be greeted by concert like speakers bursting out the dinner bell. Let’s just say I learned from my mistake, and when taking down my second Nero checkpoint, I was a lot smarter. Nero checkpoints play a massive roll in boosting your character, so make sure you find these and unlock them. Boosts to health, stamina and your focus are beneficial to your survival against the Freakers. Clearing Freaker nests is quite essential if you want to fast travel throughout the map, but I chose the latter as I enjoyed riding my bike more often than not. Taking down Freaker nests is rewarding, but at the cost of almost blowing through all of your ammo didn’t sit right with me, and I chose to skip out on that task.

 

Animal Instinct

  In Days Gone, Freakers aren’t the only creatures trying to take you out. Wolves, yes, I said wolves!. Those bastards will track you down and attack without notice. Having my Turtle Beach headset set to full blast, the sound of a growling wolf made the hairs on my neck stand up. Listening to a bear creeping behind a dumpster wasn’t fun either, and my stamina bar quickly depleted as I ran faster than Usain Bolt to my bike. Days Gone does a great job depicting animal behaviour and stood out as a strong point for me.    

 

Skills To Pay The Bills

Days Gone has a small but beneficial skill tree. Unlocking skill points during your time with Days Gone will help more than you think. The skill trees consist of Melee, Ranged and Survivalist. Upgrading your skills to your play style is recommended, in my opinion, and I found myself boosting the melee tree as I would often see myself up close and personal with the Freakers. Ranged perks will help increase your weapon skills, and the survivalist will aid in tracking down resources to help you craft and repair. The skill system seems to go unnoticed, and you often forget about it, but make sure you don’t.    

The Rundown

My time with Days Gone was quite enjoyable, and like any other game, you have your occasional bug or glitch, but that can be quickly forgotten. Riding down the open road on my bike seemed fulfilling, and the realism of running out of gas and having to search for a gas can felt real and eerie. The authenticity in Days Gone is what I enjoyed the most; trying to find ammo or resources to some may feel daunting, but to me, it was rewarding. Overall, Days Gone could have been put together better, and with a pretty forgettable story, this is where Days Gone falls short. Freakers pose a viable threat, and stealth at times is your only option, and it works well. Days Gone isn’t the masterpiece everyone thought it would be, but overall, my experience as a badass biker was great, and Days Gone should be on your must-play list for 2019.