I Hear a Game Calling My Name
Introduction
There are few games out there that made me go from openly mocking them to singing their praises, and for that, SIE Bend Studio, you have earned my respect. If Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us is supposed to be Sony’s post-apocalyptic cinematic golden boy, then Days Gone is their open-world survival horror underdog. Days Gone is the first original IP since the legendary Syphon Filter Franchise back on the PSone.
Plot and Setting
Days Gone has you ride the open roads of Oregon in the biker boots of Deacon St. John, a drifter searching for answers to the whereabouts of his wife alongside his best friend Boozer. The world of Days Gone has been reduced to ruins due to the effects of a zombie-like virus transforming everything into aggressive flesh starved monstrosities called Freakers.
While Days Gone does hit similar notes to games such as The Last of Us, it feels a lot more self-aware of its ridiculousness than the former. There is even a cult of heavily scarred masochists, and Mad Max rejects calling themselves the Rippers running around murdering those who do not believe in their perverted idea of freedom. That being said, it does manage to tell an endearing story about friendship, love and determination which had me hooked for most of its playtime.
I would say that my biggest gripe with the narrative had to mainly do with some of the early cutscenes, particularly during Deacon’s flashbacks. The game would take control and would force the player to take a backseat in scenes with romantic driving sequences. Seriously Days Gone, I could have done that myself!
Characters and Performances
Deacon
While Sam Witwer does a relatively good job as Deacon, his portrayal of the biker can be seen as a bit too aggressive at times. He is depicted as having a short fuse, muttering with discontent like a madman at times during in-game dialog. Yet, he slowly grows on a person like a rash, the more you play as him. However, his constant backseat comments to my in-game actions came out as annoying for the mundane such as when I would pick an item and borderline menacing in combat. I mean seriously Deacon, stop judging me!
Boozer
One of the most standout character relationships is the beautiful bromance between Deacon and his best friend Boozer. Initially, I hated this character as he was injured early on in game and had me running errands, all the while moaning about riding north on my radio, and boy, did that get old fast. To be fair, he was in a delusional state due to his injury during those moments, but thanks to Jim Pirri’s heartfelt performance, Boozer becomes one of the most enjoyable characters to listen to in the entire game.
Secondary Characters
This game has a lot of faults, but its secondary characters are actually quite fun. Nishi Munshi, who portrays Rikki, brings out a sense of optimism in a zombie-infested world that everyone calls The Shit. It is not until Rikki and her settlement are introduced that the game begins to find its stride.
Then there are the characters who shine during the last third of the game. Courtnee Draper’s and Darien Sills-Evans’s performances are like a fine wine, improving with every second they are on screen.
Gameplay and Performance
Mechanics
Days Gone rarely feels like a horror game due to its fast-paced controls and its optimistic view of everything. It does take queues from other horror-oriented games and media such as The Last of Us and the more satirical media such as Z Nation. Nevertheless, the gameplay screams that this is an action title, with fast gunplay, explosive barrels lithered everywhere like they are going out of style, and the ability to get out of dodge with the bike if things get hairy. That is not to say that the game does come with its own sense of tension.
The game’s controls remind me of the Grand Theft Auto franchise, from its cover-based gunplay to the ringed weapon inventory. While the game includes some stealth mechanics as well, I found them to be too lackluster by today’s standards. The hiding in tall grass trick has been overused for a while now.
Having a personal bike to invest in does give one a sense of personal accomplishment. I love the game’s range of customization options for the bike. One can upgrade its parts for more efficiency, but you can also augment your road beast to make it more aesthetically pleasing, such as by changing the paint job. I recently fell in love with the Syphon Filter custom skin.
Journeying cross country with the bike is actually quite relaxing. That is until the motorbike breaks down in an area swarming with Freakers. Then our little joyride becomes a fight for survival until the bike is repaired or refuelled.
Enemies
Freakers
Speaking of the Freakers, they are dangerous foes that charge at their targets with no hesitation, yet unlike zombies, they will make an effort to dodge bullets and cover their faces from incoming fire. They gather in swarms inside caves and houses during the day but break out for a stroll (and a snack) during the night.
The ordinary, run-of-the-mill types are nothing special and can go down easily with some light weaponry. However, some variations can be exceptionally difficult to put down. Even late in the game, I was terrified to go up against Breakers, as these mini hulks can obliterate my health bar with a single swing. Something that did surprise me about these bulking opponents was that they would attack anyone, even smaller Freakers so they could satisfy their hunger.
Screamers as they are rightfully called summon more Freakers to your position, even hordes if you are not too careful. To make matters worse, their scream can also disorient the player, and that is why I suggest targeting these sirens of doom with great prejudice.
Freakers spawn from nests that cover the entire map. Burning these nests down stops Freakers from respawning in that area. However, it will make them charge straight towards Deacon. Pro-tip, I do suggest a hit and run tactic when dealing against them mid-game. Let out your inner arsonist run wild, then run!
The final thing to talk about is the hordes. The hordes, by all means, can be classified as boss fights. These massive groups of freaks can tear down everything in their path like a tsunami and require enough firepower and preparation to make the Punisher look like Paul Blart in order to deal a sizable blow on their numbers.
Human Groups
Human adversaries are also a great threat in this game, one could say even more so than the Freakers. While Deacon does become a human meat tank by the end of his adventure, a Ripper with a light machine gun and an excellent aim can still rip our hero apart.
Of all the human groups that I have run into during the game, I found the Rippers to be the most unpredictable group. Rippers are also the only enemy that would gladly set themselves on fire and go on a suicide run to try and kill you, so think before using any Molotovs on these guys because your plan can backfire badly.
Regular bandits are generally the weaker of the enemy groups outside of Rippers and more militaristic factions, and probably the one’s that you will probably have to deal with the most. They will try and ambush you by sniping you off your bike and attack then attack you will you are confused.
I found that during stealth, human enemies were rarely able to keep up with my movements unless I happen to do something incredibly stupid like fire my gun off in the middle of their base. However, I can lose them very quickly after being discovered by diving into the bushes. I should also mention that enemies do take a couple of seconds after noticing you for it to dawn on them that they should shoot you.
Content
Outside of the main storyline, there are also some smaller objectives scattered across the map. These shorter tasks while adding some extra plot to the game, don’t really change the experience if you happen to skip them, but they do help with completing specific storylines. These include paying respect to a lost friend’s grave or climbing a tower for a radio conversation with Boozer. Thankfully, these tasks are short and rarely appear in the game’s runtime.
As you ride through the empty roads of Oregon, you will eventually come into contact with encampments. Some function as friendly settlements where you can restock supplies, fix your bike, and sleep to swap between night and day time cycles. Others are just bandit camps waiting for a one-man terminator to drive right in and reduce their population to zero. Once you eliminate the previous occupants, you can claim it for yourself. These camps become the equivalent of safehouses or pitstops, giving Deacon a chance to rest up and refuel before going off to his next destination.
Once you complete a certain amount of story missions in a settlement, you can opt to do jobs for them to improve your relationship with that group. Your relationship with a settlement functions similarly as a form of respect. Improving your relationship with these groups unlocks better weaponry and upgrades for the bike. Even NPCs are even friendlier towards you upon your arrival. However, you not only need respect to purchase items, but you also need cash, and every settlement has its own currency.
There are many ways to earn credits for a settlement, but the most effective way is to just get a job. Improving your relationship with these groups grants Deacon better weaponry and upgrades for the bike. These jobs vary from bounty hunting, rescue missions, and camp assaults. You can also earn respect and camp currency through Freaker bounties. Every time you kill a Freaker, you can take its ear as proof of the kill. The more ears, the more money, and respect.
Days Gone is an incredible game, yet it does suffer from its fair share of bugs. While the majority of these are insignificant, such as watching a crow getting clipped into a building, others can be game-breaking. I once entered a cave under instruction that I had to eliminate the horde inside of it, so I could proceed with the story, only for me to end up trapped inside, and ended up eventually giving up and restarting the mission.
Graphics and Presentation
While the graphics by 2019’s standards are fine, the rendering processes of light and textures does take its sweet time. Riding through Oregon makes one feel rather short-sighted as trees and landmarks are often slow to render when as one rides towards them. The strangest offender regarding texturing happens to Boozer’s head tattoos during the initial sequences of cutscenes, which often appear as blurry and can be very distracting, especially when the guy is pouring his heart out to you.
Another thing that bothers me about Days Gone is its use of lighting. I would have never expected the middle of nowhere in Oregon to be just so well lit up by starlight alone. It is actually tough to tell the time of day without having to look at the sky like a complete idiot. I am aware that humans get the Purkinje effect whenever they are traveling in minimum light, but Deacon must have the eyes of a hawk to be able to see so clearly.
Sound and Music
I have to place credit to where credit is due to Nathan Whitehead as Days Gone has a great soundtrack. Freakshow is an exceptionally eerie track at providing an uneasy atmosphere whenever Freakers are nearby. I could compare this with some of the classical scores of Resident Evil’s as they have a similar effect.
The other melodies feel similar to those of neo westerns, drawing similarities to The Last of Us’ composition by Gustavo Santaolalla. However, Days Gone’s themes are just a lot more intense. Rest in Peace, for example, starts with a slow rhythm but then escalates, creating the atmosphere fitting for a showdown.
Conclusion
Days Gone, while plagued with a lot of glitches, is stuffed to the brim with a lot of splendid ideas. However, for every good feature the game tries to dish out, a bug accompanies it. That is to say there are a lot of games that are littered with glitches and are loved anyway. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is one such example, yet Days Gone’s glitches ended up diminishing my experience.
By now, one would have probably noticed the similarities I have mentioned between Days Gone and The Last of Us. While the latter is the superior game, I would not close my eyes on this mongrel. The Last of Us uses a realistic or grimdark method of storytelling that can even make fighting an opponent feel like an intimate life or death affair. Days Gone does none of that and drifts to a different end of this spectrum. Similar to games such as Dead Island and Dead Rising, Days Gone is at its best whenever it is not taking itself seriously, tearing through hordes of these pseudo-zombies like a hot knife through butter.
