While We Wait For State Of Decay 3, This Punishing New Zombie Game Is Hitting All The Right Notes

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For quite some time, State of Decay has stood out as an engaging middle ground between accessible zombie games such as Days Gone and Dead Rising, and challenging survival simulations like DayZ and Project Zomboid. I haven’t found another series or game that strikes the same balance – tough but manageable. However, it seems that might no longer be accurate. As I eagerly anticipate updates about State of Decay 3 from Undead Labs and Xbox, Into The Dead: Our Darkest Days offers a comparable experience with some refreshing tweaks to the formula.

Previously known as Into The Dead, this title may be familiar to fans of the undead. Prior to now, it was the name of a first-person auto-runner series on mobile devices. Although they’re enjoyable games, they essentially stick to being a gritty, frightening first-person adaptation similar to Jetpack Joyride – a fun, yet simple, distraction suitable for bus journeys or quick breaks at work. However, Our Darkest Days strays far from this simplicity and aligns more with what console or PC players would anticipate from a zombie game.

In a 2.5D visual style, “Into The Dead: Our Darkest Days” appears to be a side-scrolling version of “State of Decay,” with an added layer of difficulty, as it seems to have been influenced by the challenging gameplay of “This War of Mine.” I had the opportunity to try out a demo of this forthcoming PC game, and I must say, I was so captivated that I chose to pause my playtime at a point where I could’ve continued, in order to preserve as much of the immersive experience as possible for when the full game launches and my progress will be saved. While my demo session didn’t allow me to delve too deeply, what I did see has piqued my interest enough to warrant a closer look at this promising title.

Each game begins by allowing you to select a duo of characters to play with initially. You’ll find a white-haired high school coach and one of his student-athletes on a quest to find their families; an unlikely pair—an animal rights advocate and a rodeo performer who were once set to clash, but now expecting a baby together; a therapist and her client dealing with anger issues, among others. If you’re familiar with the State of Decay series, it might remind you of the game’s starting point, as it also provides a few groups of characters for you to pick, although in that case, they are usually a trio.

In Our Darkest Days, much like in Undead Labs’ acclaimed series, every character has distinct stats that include two passive advantages and a disadvantage. Additionally, similar to State of Decay, the risk of permanent death is always looming, and a horde of more than a couple of zombies can be disastrous for both a beginner player or a character who might be exhausted, wounded, or famished.

To ensure your initial characters stay active, it’s essential to balance time management and their health. For instance, the day-night cycle dictates that you’ll delegate tasks to your characters, then progress through time for them to be executed. If a character appears exhausted, it’s advisable to send them to rest while others might be required to venture into levels that seem to randomly generate certain aspects like loot distribution and zombie density. I discovered this within just a few nights as both my characters started underperforming. In my case, Darrel, the coach, was a poor cook, and Leo was too fatigued to handle cooking duties himself. So, I made him rest while Darrel embarked on a scavenging run, not at full capacity. That was my first misstep.

In this game stage, the objective is to delve as extensively as desired within its boundary constraints before returning home safely. You might decide to gather items to the fullest extent of your inventory, or you could rush back once you’ve discovered that elusive resource for healing, cooking, or crafting. However, whatever approach you opt for in this perilous area, it’s easier said than done, particularly when your character isn’t at peak performance. Weapons deteriorate swiftly, and if you don’t execute a silent assassination, combat can be loud enough to alert any other nearby undead entities.

In your journeys, you may encounter other survivors who can join you, but whether or not you decide to assist them is up to you. As in the games that served as inspiration for this one, another survivor means an additional person to provide for. Each stranded individual presents a calculus of cold costs and benefits. Do you have the resources to sustain another member of your group? However, having an extra pair of hands could prove beneficial when it comes to cooking, building structures, or fending off hordes of undead. With your own community struggling as it is, this extra help might just be what you need to keep everyone afloat.

In the early demo I tried out, it appears that survivors who are found (and intentionally brought back) can return home regardless of whether you’re there or not. This became clear to me when Darrel discovered another lost soul, Rahul, but unfortunately didn’t make it back to base himself before he passed away. Even though I hadn’t known Darrel for long, his death had a noticeable impact at the base, as those who mourned him, Leo and Rahul, were affected by a grief penalty due to their loss. The days ahead looked tougher for my remaining, injured group in a land that was overrun by the dead, like a gruesome takeover through bites and tears.

As a fan, my first impression upon encountering Our Darkest Days was a yearning for something more expansive. However, after dabbling with the demo, I’ve uncovered a multitude of intriguing layers that I can’t wait to delve into, promising an engaging and unique zombie narrative. Though I typically lean towards 3D open-world settings, the 2.5D perspective in this game has its charm. Plus, considering State of Decay 3 is rumored for release someday, this innovative twist on familiar concepts serves as a satisfying interim choice.

In my view, Into The Dead: Our Darkest Days appears to have the potential elements necessary for a compelling emergent narrative, which is what ties together the finest zombie video games. For instance, games like State of Decay, DayZ, and even Left 4 Dead often provide systems that allow me to craft tales of despair or bravery, unity or anarchy.

The complete version of the game will be released towards the end of this year. Currently, it’s only scheduled for release on PC, but I have reason to believe that might evolve as we move forward.

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2025-02-22 03:39