Off the Shelf Media

I can see why people wouldn’t like this game. There are repeatable mechanics, fluff missions that consist of long flashback cutscenes, and the main character constantly talks to himself to fill space in the wasteland. I can see why you’d hate this game but I’m here to tell you, friend, that I am not one of those fools. 

Days Gone is an excellent, post-apocalypse narrative-driven game with unique, likable characters that don’t overstay its welcome. I’m a sucker for a zombie game and this game hit all the right buttons for me. 

It’s not a perfect 10, but it’s pretty damn close. 

Gameplay: 1

This is an open-world RPG, so you can expect many of the same mechanics. The map is segmented and you unlock certain areas as you progress into the story. Each area has a list of collectibles to find, challenges to complete, and in this case, “Freaker” hordes and nests to clear out. 

I admit, it is repetitive, and by the time I got 50 hours in and was on the last area of the map, I didn’t care to clear out the hordes or the nests. It’s fun early game because you unlock new craftable items or better weapons, but once you’re 75% done with the game, you’ve reached god-tier and already have the best weapons so clearing them out was pointless. 

I will give credit to the motorcycle mechanics though. Zipping through Oregon on a motorcycle was a lot of fun. You have to keep your bike gassed up and repaired with scrap you find during your travels. Or if you’re lazy you can fast travel to a camp and pay to have it gassed up or repaired with camp credits. You also unlock plenty of skins and customizable items for the bike, so if you want a giant butterfly on the gas tank, you’re in luck. 

Camp credits were annoying at first because if you run out of gas but only have 200 credits at Copelands Camp, you’re kind of screwed. Certain camps specialize in one thing too. Coepalnds Camp was good for upgrading your bike but you couldn’t buy any new guns. If you want better guns, you go to the Hot Springs. 

This is different from anything I’d seen in other games. Different camps have different currencies to unlock different items. It forces you to do missions for both camps and build up your reputation so you can afford everything. Plus, it all ties together at the end of the game so it’s a mechanic that makes sense and fits in with the rest of the game. 

And, of course, there’s a crafting system. You can craft everything from health packs to Molotov cocktails to baseball bats with a saw blade modification. I’ll say this about the crafting, it wasn’t cumbersome. It takes a second to make something and the resources to make everything are all over the place. You can adjust the settings and make them scattered but I like how the game gives you an option. I prefer my apocalypse filled with empty bottles, kerosene, and rage so I can make as many Molotovs as I like. 

The skill tree is separated into three sections: melee, ranges, and survival. I got my melee up early because your guns are pretty poopy from the jump and melee is always something you need. There comes a time when it doesn’t matter what you pick because, like I said, you get to god-tier by the 75% completion mark. 

Overall, I was happy with the gameplay. The bike is fun, the crafting system doesn’t make me want to put my fist through my monitor, and the uniqueness of each camp was a pleasant surprise. Unfortunately, it does get repetitive, and towards the end of the game, I was focusing on the story mission only to finish the game and write the review. 

Story: 2

Speaking of the story, I love the story of this game. 

You play as Deacon St. John, a drifter and former biker gang member trying to survive in the shit and collect a few bounties for local camps. He’s super sad because his wife died during the initial outbreak, or did she? Deacon can’t accept his wife is gone and when a NERO chopper is seen flying overhead, his hope is restored and he goes on a quest to reunite with his long-lost wife. 

That’s the gist of the story but woven in are plots focused around a cast of memorable characters like Boozer, Iron Mike, Skizzo, and all of the Rippers. A game like this needs strong characters and as a player, I genuinely wanted Boozer to live. I couldn’t wait to kill Skizzo. I disagreed with Iron Mike’s philosophy, but I understood why he thinks like he does and respect him for it. 

Outside of the quest to find Sarah, you have to keep Boozer alive and that leads to the reunion with Iron Mike and the rest of Lost Lake. Lost Lake is on the brink of war with the Rippers, a crazy cult who modify themselves be more like the Freaks than humans. You have Iron Mike who wants to keep the peace and Carlos whose motives aren’t known until late in the story. Out of all the story arcs of Lost Lake, the Rippers was the most fun. It’s well written with twists and turns alongside a handful of memorable missions. 

Then there’s O’Brian and the NERO teams. This storyline was the most interesting. I got into the backstory of how the outbreak happened and what Nero was doing in the two years since. There are NERO sites all over the map with recordings and you can piece together what happened and how it all fell apart. 

My one gripe is that the storyline was left unfinished. O’Brian has you do research into the Freaks and you learn the virus is mutating. You fight one Super Freaker towards the end of the game but it doesn’t go anywhere after that. I don’t know if Sony planned DLC or a sequel but I know fans are clamoring for one. 

As much as I enjoyed this game and the story, I don’t think we need a sequel. The story wrapped up in a nice spot and the only thing that can push the story forward is the mutating Freaks and that could have been tied into this game’s story or additional DLC. If there was a second game, it would be packed with a lot of fluff and little conflict beyond killing Freaks. 

Atmosphere: 2

The game looks beautiful. The Freaker caves and nests look disgusting and I can only imagine what they smell like. There are plenty of different landscapes like mountains, snow, industrial areas, wooded areas, caves, lakes, and ruined towns. 

I have this game on max graphics settings on my PC and the graphics are stunning. It’s easy to take a drive along the highway, look at the landscapes, and truly appreciate how beautiful Oregon is. I played it on my Steam Deck as well and the graphics held up there too. 

The Freaks have good design and there’s enough variety to keep it interesting. 

There are the standard Swarmers that act as cannon fodder. There are the Newts, which are infected kids. It isn’t often in modern videogames that your enemy is a child (even if it’s a mutated one). Then we have the Screamers that, you guessed it, scream and attract a horde of swarmers. If you get caught by a Screamer, there’s an effect where you can’t see and the screen shakes. It’s jarring and a solid detail to give to this character. Finally, we have the Breaker which is your tank. 

As you get deeper into the game, you run across wolves and bears who are infected and they are terrifying. 

There are times in this game where the story transitions to be all scenic shots with an emotional song to set the mood. Those moments are when the game is at its visual best. You get into the moment and feel exactly what the developers want you to feel. The sound of the engine blends in with the guitar riff or lyrics and for a split second, you forget this is a game about the end of the world and your wife is dead. 

Value: 2

As of writing this review, Days Gone is $49.99 on Steam and in my opinion, that’s worth every penny. There’s a lot to do in this game between the story, clearing out Freaks, fighting Rippers or other gangs, or scavenging a nearby town for parts and ammo. 

In addition to a long story, there is a New Game+ and challenges on the main menu to test your skills. And all of it is optional. I appreciate a game for adding in a ton of features and I get to pick and choose what I want to do. I feel I got the most bang for my buck because I skipped the challenges and still felt like the purchase was well worth it. 

Duration: 2

I put 66.5 hours into Days Gone and very few hours were wasted. I’d say the story is around 45 hours of gameplay, including the cut scenes and missions. That is a lot, but again, I was satisfied. It didn’t drag too much and by the time it ended, I felt the story had run its course without overstaying its welcome. It hit that Goldilocks zone where I cared more about finishing the story while losing interest in the extra features. It could have used some DLC but that would have had a lot of fluff to justify a $20 price tag that would negatively affect the overall experience. 

If you have a game where the story is the most important feature and you deliver on that, then guess what, you have a good freaking game. 

Total Score: 9/10

I didn’t know what to expect from Days Gone. I didn’t know much about it other than motorcycles in the apocalypse. That was a good enough hook for me and it was a 66.5 hours well spent. 

I’m glad it came to PC because exclusivity to consoles is stupid and well past its prime. Games are for everyone and we, the consumer, should have a choice in how we want to play the game. But that, friends, is a rant for another day. 

Coming up, I’m picking back up with my Harry Potter reviews and then I’m going back to 2009 and reviewing Dragon Age: Origins. I played it back in 2009 and recently beat it again on the PC. It was even better than I remember. Hell, it might even be a perfect 10. I’m not sure, I need to get writing. 

I’ll see ya there, but until then, y’all take care.