''Days Gone'' is a 2019
action-adventure
The action-adventure genre is a video game hybrid genre that combines core elements from both the action game and adventure game genres.
Typically, pure adventure games have situational problems for the player to solve to complete a storyli ...
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
developed by
Bend Studio
Bend Studio (formerly Blank, Berlyn & Co., Inc. and Eidetic, Inc.) is an American video game developer based in Bend, Oregon. Founded in 1992, the studio is best known for developing ''Bubsy 3D'', the ''Syphon Filter'' series, and ''Days Gone'' ...
and published by
Sony Interactive Entertainment for the
PlayStation 4. A
Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for ser ...
port was released in May 2021.
The game is set in
post-apocalyptic
Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which the Earth's (or another planet's) civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; ast ...
Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
two years after the start of a pandemic that turned a portion of humanity into vicious zombie-like creatures. Former
outlaw-turned-drifter Deacon St. John discovers his wife Sarah, having been assumed dead, may still be alive and goes on a quest to find her. ''Days Gone'' is played from a
third-person perspective
Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to convey a story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to deliver information to the ...
in which the player can explore an
open world environment. Players can use firearms,
melee weapon
A melee weapon, hand weapon or close combat weapon is any handheld weapon used in hand-to-hand combat, i.e. for use within the direct physical reach of the weapon itself, essentially functioning as an additional (and more impactful) extension of th ...
s, and
improvised weapons
An improvised weapon is an object that was not designed to be used as a weapon but can be put to that use. They are generally used for self-defence or if the person is otherwise unarmed. In some cases, improvised weapons are commonly used by attac ...
, and can use
stealth to defend themselves against hostile humans and cannibalistic creatures known as Freakers. A major game mechanic is Deacon's motorcycle, which is used as the player character's main mode of transportation.
''Days Gone'' was Bend Studio's first open-world project, its first original property since ''
Syphon Filter
''Syphon Filter'' is a third-person shooter stealth video game series developed by Bend Studio (formerly Eidetic) and published by Sony Computer Entertainment (previously 989 Studios), for PlayStation, PlayStation 2 and the PlayStation Port ...
'' (1999), and its first development project for home consoles after spending decades working on spinoff games for handheld consoles. The game's development took approximately six years; Bend Studio expanded nearly three-fold to support it. Major sources of inspiration for ''Days Gone'' were ''
World War Z
''World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War'' is a 2006 zombie apocalyptic horror novel written by American author Max Brooks. The novel is broken into eight chapters: “Warnings”, “Blame”, “The Great Panic”, “Turning the Ti ...
'', ''
The Walking Dead'' and ''
Sons of Anarchy''. The game was unveiled at
E3 2016
The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2016 (E3 2016) was the 22nd E3, during which several hardware manufacturers and software developers and publishers from the video game industry presented new and upcoming products to the attendees, primarily re ...
; its release was originally planned for 2018 but was delayed several times.
Upon release, it received mixed reviews from critics, who criticized the story, mission design, and technical issues but praised the graphics, artificial intelligence, and
Sam Witwer
Sam Witwer (born October 20, 1977) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Crashdown in ''Battlestar Galactica'', Davis Bloome in ''Smallville'', Aidan Waite in '' Being Human'', Mr. Hyde in '' Once Upon a Time'', Ben Lockwood in '' ...
's performance as Deacon. ''Days Gone'' was a commercial success; it sold more copies than all of Bend Studio's previous games combined and became the 19th-best-selling game of 2019 in the US. In 2021, it was reported that the development team had unsuccessfully pitched a sequel to Sony.
Gameplay
''Days Gone'' is a
third-person action-adventure
The action-adventure genre is a video game hybrid genre that combines core elements from both the action game and adventure game genres.
Typically, pure adventure games have situational problems for the player to solve to complete a storyli ...
game set in a
post-apocalyptic
Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which the Earth's (or another planet's) civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; ast ...
open world. The player controls Deacon St. John, an outlaw-turned-drifter-bounty-hunter who prefers life on the road to wilderness encampments.
The game takes place two years after a pandemic killed almost all of humanity and transformed millions of others into "Freakers", mindless,
zombie
A zombie ( Haitian French: , ht, zonbi) is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. Zombies are most commonly found in horror and fantasy genre works. The term comes from Haitian folklore, in w ...
-like creatures that evolve quickly. Swarmers, a nocturnal type of Freaker, hide in their nests during daytime but often congregate, wander around, and search for food and water at night. Players can lure Swarmers toward other enemies, causing the two groups to fight one another.
Other enemies include Newts, who are infected adolescents and opportunistic hunters who only attack Deacon when he enters their territory or has poor health. The game includes infected wildlife (called Runners and Ragers) and hostile human enemies.
Players can be overwhelmed by hordes and must keep their distance. Deacon can use firearms, melee weapons, traps, explosives and
choke point
In military strategy, a choke point (or chokepoint) is a geographical feature on land such as a valley, defile or bridge, or maritime passage through a critical waterway such as a strait, which an armed force is forced to pass through in order ...
s to kill Freakers.
The game is set in an open world in the
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Tho ...
. Players can freely explore the world on foot or using a motorcycle. The bike consumes fuel and becomes disabled if excessively damaged. Players must regularly refuel the bike at gas stations and camps, and repair it using collected scraps. Deacon must establish trust with settlement camps and earn "camp credits" by completing missions, and by completing bounties and selling food. As the level of trust increases, players can purchase new weapons, supplies and motorcycle parts that can be used to enhance its speed, durability and maneuverability. The bike's appearance can be customized.
As players explore the world, they must collect valuable resources and components for crafting weapons and supplies. In addition to the main quests, the game has a number of side objectives, which include clearing Freaker nests, rescuing hostages, clearing enemy camps, capturing bounty targets, and restoring power to National Emergency Response Organization (NERO) checkpoints.
Inside NERO checkpoints, players can use NERO injectors to boost Deacon's health; stamina, used when Deacon is sprinting or dodging; and focus, which allows Deacon to temporarily slow down time while aiming his ranged weapons.
Fast travel
Fast travel or teleportation is a video game mechanic used in open world titles that allows a player character to instantaneously travel between previously discovered locations (teleport waypoints or fast travel points) without having to traverse ...
consumes fuel and causes time to pass. Before players can fast travel, they must destroy all Freaker nests between the two fast travel points. As players complete missions and objectives, they gain
experience points (XP). With sufficient XP, players can level up and unlock new abilities, allowing them to increase the efficiency of Deacon's melee weapons and ranged weapons, and to enhance his survival skills.
Players can complete objectives in multiple ways, such as by using
stealth tactics to distract enemies or silently kill them from behind using a combat knife. Noise suppressors can be attached to various firearms to prevent attracting nearby enemies. Deacon can use "survival vision", which, once activated, highlights items of interest and the locations of nearby enemies. Players can use Deacon's binoculars to locate enemies.
Alternatively, players have access to a wide variety of firearms such as pistols, shotguns, sniper rifles, submachine guns and crossbows. Different weapons have different statistics and higher-tier weapons are generally more powerful. Purchased weapons can be stored in a gun locker, though weapons that are picked up in the field cannot be put into storage. Players can use explosives such as
proximity mine
A land mine is an explosive weapon, explosive device concealed under or on the ground and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets, ranging from combatants to vehicles and tanks, as they pass over or near it. Such a device is typically d ...
s and
grenades, and may craft
molotov cocktail
A Molotov cocktail (among several other names – ''see other names'') is a hand thrown incendiary weapon constructed from a frangible container filled with flammable substances equipped with a fuse (typically a glass bottle filled with fla ...
s to defeat enemies. Melee weapons can be used but they will break if not repaired regularly.
Plot
![Sam Witwer by Gage Skidmore](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/Sam_Witwer_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg)
A virus has decimated the globe, turning a large portion of humanity into violent zombie-like creatures called Freakers. In near-future
Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
, outlaw bikers Deacon St. John (
Sam Witwer
Sam Witwer (born October 20, 1977) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Crashdown in ''Battlestar Galactica'', Davis Bloome in ''Smallville'', Aidan Waite in '' Being Human'', Mr. Hyde in '' Once Upon a Time'', Ben Lockwood in '' ...
) and William "Boozer" Gray (
Jim Pirri
James Pirri is an American actor and fight choreographer best known for voice acting Angelo Bronte in Rockstar Studios' ''Red Dead Redemption 2'' and is also known for playing Tori Vega's dad on the Nickelodeon show ''Victorious''. He also voiced ...
), alongside Deacon's wife Sarah Whitaker (
Courtnee Draper), attempt to flee to safety. They find a NERO helicopter that has room for two more occupants. While Sarah boards the helicopter, Boozer is injured and Deacon stays behind to help him after promising to reunite with his wife.
Two years later, Deacon and Boozer are working in the
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Tho ...
as mercenaries. Sarah is assumed dead because the NERO refugee camp she was believed to have been staying in was overrun by Freakers. The two men plan to head north in search of a better life but they are attacked by a gang of cultists, the Rippers. Boozer's arm is burned in the attack and Deacon searches for medical supplies to help him recover. Later, the two learn that the Rippers have placed a bounty on their heads. Deacon sees a NERO helicopter and follows it, eventually meeting James O'Brian (Bernardo de Paula), the researcher who evacuated Sarah two years earlier. O'Brian reveals that Sarah's helicopter was diverted to a different camp mid-flight, leaving the possibility that she is still alive.
Boozer's health continues to decline and Deacon takes him to the Lost Lake camp, which is led by "Iron" Mike Wilcox (
Eric Allan Kramer
Eric Allan Kramer (born March 26, 1962) is an American actor and fight choreographer. Kramer has appeared in numerous feature films and television programs including ''True Romance'' and '' Robin Hood: Men in Tights'' and is also known for his ...
) and Raymond "Skizzo" Sarkozi (
Jason Spisak). As a doctor amputates Boozer's gangrenous arm, O'Brian contacts Deacon and offers to help him find Sarah if Deacon aids in NERO's ongoing research project. Skizzo is distrustful of the Rippers' uneasy alliance with Lost Lake; he makes his own deal and turns Deacon over to the cult. Deacon learns the Rippers' leader "Carlos" is actually Jessie Williamson (
Scott Whyte
Scott William Whyte (born January 8, 1978) is an American actor best known for his role as Chris Anderson on ''City Guys''. He has also appeared in television series such as ''That '70s Show'' and ''Just Shoot Me!'' and the films '' D2: The Migh ...
), an enemy from his motorcycle-club days. Deacon escapes from the Rippers' camp and returns to Lost Lake where it is under attack by the Rippers. Deacon exposes Skizzo to Iron Mike, and Iron Mike talks down Jesse, ending the attack. Skizzo is arrested. With Boozer's help Deacon uses explosives to destroy the dam above the Rippers' camp, flooding the compound and drowning most of the Rippers while Deacon kills Jessie in single combat. After Deacon returns, Iron Mike reveals he released Skizzo to spare his life.
Deacon realizes that Sarah, a government researcher with federal security clearance, would have been prioritized during a camp evacuation, and O'Brian confirms that she was moved to a military outpost at
Crater Lake
Crater Lake ( Klamath: ''Giiwas'') is a volcanic crater lake in south-central Oregon in the western United States. It is the main feature of Crater Lake National Park and is famous for its deep blue color and water clarity. The lake partly fill ...
, which is now controlled by the
Deschutes County Militia. He warns Deacon that the Freakers are evolving rapidly and becoming more dangerous. Deacon wins over the militia's leader, Colonel Matthew Garret (
Daniel Riordan
Daniel Riordan is an American actor. He is best known for providing the voice of Alduin, the main antagonist of '' The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim''.
Filmography
Film
Television
Video games
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSO ...
) and reunites with Sarah, who is working to create a bio-weapon to destroy the Freakers. Deacon and Sarah decide to obtain a
DNA sequencer
A DNA sequencer is a scientific instrument used to automate the DNA sequencing process. Given a sample of DNA, a DNA sequencer is used to determine the order of the four bases: G (guanine), C (cytosine), A (adenine) and T (thymine). This is the ...
at her old lab, where they discover that her research was used to develop the Freaker virus.
At the lab, Sarah reveals that she is working to cure the Freakers rather than destroy them. Deacon suggests they finish the cure at her new lab, but an increasingly paranoid Garret puts Sarah into protective custody. Garret, shown over time to be a
religious fanatic, reveals that he believes other human factions are a bigger danger than the Freakers, and declares a holy war against all other camps. Deacon attempts to save Sarah but is foiled and arrested by Skizzo, who has joined the militia. A sympathetic officer Derrick Kouri (
Phil Morris) defects from the militia and frees Deacon, who returns to Lost Lake. Lost Lake camp successfully defends against the militia attack, but Iron Mike is mortally wounded and dies shortly after. Deacon rallies the remaining members of the Lost Lake camp together with the members of Copeland's and Tuck/Alki's camps to retaliate against the militia by attacking their headquarters with a truck bomb. Deacon kills Skizzo and Sarah poisons Garret, ending the militia.
Deacon, Sarah, Boozer and their friends settle at Lost Lake. O'Brian contacts Deacon and reveals that NERO always knew about the virus's
mutagenic
In genetics, a mutagen is a physical or chemical agent that permanently changes genetic material, usually DNA, in an organism and thus increases the frequency of mutations above the natural background level. As many mutations can cause cancer i ...
effects, and that he himself is a mutated Freaker. He warns Deacon that NERO is coming and that nothing will stop them.
Development
''Days Gone'' was developed by
Bend Studio
Bend Studio (formerly Blank, Berlyn & Co., Inc. and Eidetic, Inc.) is an American video game developer based in Bend, Oregon. Founded in 1992, the studio is best known for developing ''Bubsy 3D'', the ''Syphon Filter'' series, and ''Days Gone'' ...
, one of Sony's
first-party developer
A video game developer is a broad term for a software developer specializing in video game development – the process and related disciplines of creating video games. A game developer can range from one person who undertakes all tasks to a large ...
s. The game's core development team included studio director Christopher Reese, game director Jeff Ross, and creative director John Garvin, all of whom had worked at Bend Studio since the 1990s, when it was creating ''
Syphon Filter
''Syphon Filter'' is a third-person shooter stealth video game series developed by Bend Studio (formerly Eidetic) and published by Sony Computer Entertainment (previously 989 Studios), for PlayStation, PlayStation 2 and the PlayStation Port ...
''. ''Days Gone'' is the company's first
open world game,
its first original
intellectual property
Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...
since ''Syphon Filter'' (1999), and its first game to be released for home consoles since ''
Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow'' (2007).
Full production of ''Days Gone'' commenced in early 2015 and the game's development cycle lasted for six years. The developers were inspired by ''
World War Z
''World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War'' is a 2006 zombie apocalyptic horror novel written by American author Max Brooks. The novel is broken into eight chapters: “Warnings”, “Blame”, “The Great Panic”, “Turning the Ti ...
'', ''
The Walking Dead'' and ''
Sons of Anarchy'', which were popular at the beginning of the game's development,
during which Bend Studio significantly expanded and the development team increased from around 50 to 130.
The game's development was completed on March 10, 2019, and Bend Studio confirmed it had been declared
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...
, indicating the game was being prepared for duplication and release.
Design
During the game's pre-production, the team decided it would be an open world project. The game is set in
Central Oregon
Central Oregon is a geographic region in the U.S. state of Oregon and is traditionally considered to be made up of Deschutes, Jefferson, and Crook counties. Other definitions include larger areas, often encompassing areas to the north towards ...
, where Bend Studio is located. According to Garvin, Central Oregon has diverse terrain and landscapes ranging from snowy mountains to deserts, making it an ideal setting for a sandbox title. According to lead designer Eric Jensen, the open world mechanics of ''Days Gone'' were designed by a small team of five or six developers who "had to think smart and efficient with all of our design choices knowing the manpower limitations". The studio initially underestimated the manpower needed to develop the project, thinking a team of 50 people would suffice.
While the game is open world, the team omitted a good deal of
filler content. Most of the game's missions are scripted and connected to its main story. The team's goal was to replicate the successes of linear games such as the ''
Uncharted
''Uncharted'' is an action-adventure video game franchise published by Sony Interactive Entertainment and developed by Naughty Dog. Created by Amy Hennig, the ''Uncharted'' franchise follows a group of treasure hunters who travel across th ...
'' series in an open world setting.
While the enemies featured in the game are similar to zombies, Bend Studio named them "Freakers". The Swarmers in the game were inspired by "a guy who was doing a YouTube video where he was moving weird", while the Newts were inspired by contortionists.
Swarmers may congregate to form a horde of 50 to 500. To better optimize the horde, Swarmers are divided into small clusters. If they are close to the player, some of these horde clusters will split off from the main group, making them easier for players to manage. In a large horde, there are eight Swarmer character models; the team modified the height of each one to make their appearance and behaviors unique. The team spent a lot of time working on the group
artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech r ...
(AI) to ensure the horde would not only charge at Deacon in a straight line but would also make use of the terrain to overwhelm the player character.
''Days Gone'' has multiple, intertwined stories, which allows players to switch between narratives. The team wanted to keep the narrative interesting and fresh. The game constantly keeps track of player's progress. The team were inspired by
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...
's menu. The game initially allowed Deacon to make decisions that can change the narrative; this feature was removed from the final game because the team had difficulty showing players the impacts of these decisions. According to Garvin, by removing these narrative choices, Deacon's personality would be better reflected because some of these choices may allow him to commit egregious or cruel actions that do not fit his personality.
According to Garvin, the game's main theme is "redemption". The journey would see Deacon, who is often seen as an outsider, grow and evolve into a capable leader.
Garvin added that despite the game's post-apocalyptic setting, the team aimed to deliver a more hopeful theme because the story of Deacon concerns the way he can make the world a better place and explores the idea that surviving is not the same as living. The game's story and themes were inspired by ''
The Road
''The Road'' is a 2006 post-apocalyptic novel by American writer Cormac McCarthy. The book details the grueling journey of a father and his young son over a period of several months across a landscape blasted by an unspecified cataclysm that ha ...
'', ''
The Passage'' and ''
I Am Legend''. Because Deacon is a member of a motorcycle club, the team researched the biker gang
Hells Angels
The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC) is a worldwide outlaw motorcycle club whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In the United States and Canada, the Hells Angels are incorporated as the Hells Angels Motorcycle Corporati ...
.
Music
Garvin, who was impressed by his work on ''
The Purge: Anarchy'', invited Nathan Whitehead to compose the music for ''Days Gone'',
which was performed by the Nashville Scoring Orchestra and soloists. Whitehead spent two years working on the game's soundtrack.
The instrumentation is centered around guitar, which Whitehead said was an "obvious choice" for both the character of Deacon—a bounty hunter and biker—and for the Pacific Northwest setting. Whitehead added that the game's music, which combines "
folk Americana and a touch of rock elements", is a good fit for the setting. To accommodate the video game medium's interactivity, the score for ''Days Gone'' was built up in layers that the
game engine could add or remove. As a result, the score dynamically changes in accordance with the gameplay.
Release
Publisher
Sony Interactive Entertainment unveiled ''Days Gone'' at
E3 2016
The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2016 (E3 2016) was the 22nd E3, during which several hardware manufacturers and software developers and publishers from the video game industry presented new and upcoming products to the attendees, primarily re ...
. While the game was originally planned for a 2018 release, it was delayed to the following year. The release was postponed from February 22, 2019, to April 26 in the same year to avoid competing with other triple-A titles such as ''
Metro: Exodus'' and ''
Anthem''. As part of Sony's efforts to bring more of its first-party content to
personal computer
A personal computer (PC) is a multi-purpose microcomputer whose size, capabilities, and price make it feasible for individual use. Personal computers are intended to be operated directly by an end user, rather than by a computer expert or tec ...
s following ''
Horizon Zero Dawn
''Horizon Zero Dawn'' is a 2017 action role-playing game developed by Guerrilla Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The plot follows Aloy, a young hunter in a world overrun by machines, who sets out to uncover her past. The ...
'', ''Days Gone'' released for
Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for ser ...
via
Steam and
Epic Games Store
The Epic Games Store is a digital video game storefront for Microsoft Windows and macOS, operated by Epic Games. It launched in December 2018 as both a website and a standalone launcher, of which the latter is required to download and play gam ...
on May 18, 2021.
Upon release, Bend Studio supported the game with free
downloadable content
Downloadable content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can either be added for no extra cost or it can be a form of video game monetization, enabli ...
. In June 2019, Survival difficulty mode, which modifies the
head-up display
A head-up display, or heads-up display, also known as a HUD (), is any transparent display that presents data without requiring users to look away from their usual viewpoints. The origin of the name stems from a pilot being able to view informa ...
and disables options to fast travel, was introduced. This was followed by 12 weekly challenges, in each of which players' performances are classified into Gold, Silver and Bronze rankings. Players receive credits that can be used to purchase new characters and other accessories. In September 2019, Bend added
New Game Plus
A New Game Plus, also New Game+ (NG+), is an unlockable video game mode available in some video games that allows the player to start a new game after they finish it at least once, where certain features in NG+ not normally available in a first ...
and the MB-150, a sniper rifle from the ''Syphon Filter'' series, into the game. Bike tanks, decorations, and frame paint inspired by ''
Death Stranding
''Death Stranding'' is a 2019 action game developed by Kojima Productions and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 4. It is the first game from director Hideo Kojima and Kojima Productions after their split from Kona ...
'' were released in November 2019.
Reception
Critical reception
At
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
, ''Days Gone'' was met with "mixed or average reviews" for the PS4 version and "generally favorable reviews" for the PC version.
The game's
open world and design received mixed reviews. Matthew Kato from ''
Game Informer
''Game Informer'' (''GI'', most often stylized ''gameinformer'' from the 2010s onward) is an American monthly video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and associated consoles. It debuted in August 1991 w ...
'' was disappointed by the lack of content in the world; he said most side objectives were filler content that was neither engaging nor interesting.
This sentiment was shared by ''
Eurogamer
''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 and owned by alongside formed company Gamer Network. Its editor-in-chief is Martin Robinson.
Since 2008, it is known for the formerly eponymous games trade fair EG ...
''s Malindy Hetfeld, who said in ''Days Gone'', players are "doing the exact same thing, in the exact same way, for hours on end."
Leon Hurley from ''
GamesRadar'' said the open world design is fairly unoriginal despite being entertaining.
''
Shacknews''s Bill Lavoy liked the way the game remembers the player's actions through its systems. For instance, once players clear out a horde, it does not respawn, and the area becomes safer. Lavoy, however, noted the small scale of the map and criticized the way ''Days Gone'' uses environmental obstacles to force players to navigate longer distances.
Several reviewers felt that the world is empty and sparse because the game's locations were not given a strong visual identity or backstory, making exploration meaningless.
Defeating a horde was often singled out as one of the game's highlights.
Kato described the experience as "terrifying" and "tense", and applauded the artificial intelligence for being unpredictable, meaning that different trials may lead to vastly different outcomes.
Kallie Plagge from ''
GameSpot
''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
'' liked fighting the horde, calling it "exhilarating" and "satisfying," though she criticized several campaign missions that tasked the players to clear these hordes in a nearly back-to-back manner, making the experience exhausting.
Stealth mechanics were commonly criticized by reviewers for being too basic and boring.
Dean Takahashi disliked the clunkiness of the shooting mechanics, since the game lacked an option to shoot backward while being chased by Freakers.
Both Takahashi and Hurley liked the progression system, and remarked that Deacon gradually became more powerful in the game. The motorcycle, which was the only way to navigate the world, received mixed opinions, with Hurley adding that he slowly grew attached to Deacon's bike because the game required the player to care for it during the campaign.
However, the need to refuel the bike discouraged some reviewers from exploring the game's world,
and some regarded it as a major source of tedium.
Many reviewers were not impressed by the Freakers because of their similarity to zombies.
The story received mixed reviews. Writing for ''
VentureBeat
''VentureBeat'' is an American technology website headquartered in San Francisco, California. It publishes news, analysis, long-form features, interviews, and videos.
History
The ''VentureBeat'' company was founded in 2006 by Matt Marshall, ...
'', Takahashi said the story is engaging but that he was disappointed that some storylines were not completely resolved by the end of the game.
Lavoy said the story and some of its elements were too long.
Some critics said the story gradually became more interesting as more characters and more emotional moments were introduced.
Andrew Webster from ''
The Verge
''The Verge'' is an American technology news website operated by Vox Media, publishing news, feature stories, guidebooks, product reviews, consumer electronics news, and podcasts.
The website launched on November 1, 2011, and uses Vox Media ...
'' called the story bland and compared the game unfavorably to ''
The Last of Us
''The Last of Us'' is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Players control Joel (The Last of Us), Joel, a smuggler tasked with escorting a teenage girl, Ellie (The Last of Us), Ell ...
'', which was also published by Sony.
Hetfield criticized the interwoven storylines, which he said distracted players from completing the central mission.
Narrative missions were also criticized for lacking impact, consequences and any form of meaningful conclusion.
O'Brien was unimpressed by the game's overly serious tone. While she liked the supporting characters, she said the antagonists were one-dimensional.
Deacon as a protagonist received mixed reactions; Takahashi described him as an "interesting and flawed character," and enjoyed seeing Deacon grow and evolve. Plagge was critical of Deacon as a character, calling him "selfish" and adding that the story is centered around "validating his actions and feelings above all else."
Webster disliked Deacon's personality and said he found connecting with the character very difficult.
Witwer's performance was generally praised by critics.
The game was criticized for its technical issues. Kato said the game lacks the polish found in Sony's other first-party games.
Takahashi criticized the game's
bugs and unstable
frame rate.
The game's frequent loading screens, which appear between gameplay and
cutscene
A cutscene or event scene (sometimes in-game cinematic or in-game movie) is a sequence in a video game that is not interactive, interrupting the gameplay. Such scenes are used to show conversations between characters, set the mood, reward th ...
s, were also criticized.
Sales
''Days Gone'' was the best-selling physical game in the United Kingdom in the week of release. It went on to be the best-selling software release in all the format sales charts for three consecutive weeks. In Japan, ''Days Gone'' outsold two other PlayStation 4-exclusive games at launch, ''
God of War
A war god in mythology associated with war, combat, or bloodshed. They occur commonly in both monotheistic and polytheistic religions.
Unlike most gods and goddesses in polytheistic religions, monotheistic deities have traditionally been p ...
'' and ''
Horizon Zero Dawn
''Horizon Zero Dawn'' is a 2017 action role-playing game developed by Guerrilla Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The plot follows Aloy, a young hunter in a world overrun by machines, who sets out to uncover her past. The ...
''. ''Days Gone'' exceeded the lifetime Japanese sales of ''God of War'' and ''
The Last Guardian
''The Last Guardian'' is a 2016 action-adventure game developed by Japan Studio and GenDesign and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 4. Players control a boy who befriends a giant half-bird, half-mammal creatur ...
'', another exclusive PlayStation 4 game. In the first three days after its launch, ''Days Gone'' sold approximately 114,319 physical units.
In North America, ''Days Gone'' was the second-best-selling video game for April 2019, behind ''
Mortal Kombat 11
''Mortal Kombat 11'' is a 2019 fighting video game developed by NetherRealm Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. It is the eleventh main installment in the ''Mortal Kombat'' franchise and a sequel to 2015's '' Mortal ...
'', making it the seventh-highest debut in sales for a Sony-published title, and the best-selling game developed by Bend Studio. By June 2019, ''Days Gone'' was the eighth-best-selling video game of the year. It was the 19th-best-selling game of 2019 in the US. According to game director Jeff Ross, ''Days Gone'' sold more copies than all of Bend Studio's previous games combined.
In January, 2022, game director, Jeff Ross, claimed on Twitter that the game had sold over 8 million copies by late 2020. However, this stat was disputed by several gaming outlets.
Awards
Possible sequel
On April 9, 2021,
Jason Schreier
Jason Schreier (born May 10, 1987) is a journalist and author who primarily covers the video game industry. He worked as a news reporter for ''Kotaku'' from 2011 to 2020 and was recognized for several investigative stories, particularly on the ...
of
Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News (originally Bloomberg Business News) is an international news agency headquartered in New York City and a division of Bloomberg L.P. Content produced by Bloomberg News is disseminated through Bloomberg Terminals, Bloomberg Tele ...
revealed
Bend Studio
Bend Studio (formerly Blank, Berlyn & Co., Inc. and Eidetic, Inc.) is an American video game developer based in Bend, Oregon. Founded in 1992, the studio is best known for developing ''Bubsy 3D'', the ''Syphon Filter'' series, and ''Days Gone'' ...
had pitched a sequel to ''Days Gone'' but that the first game's mixed critical reception and lengthy development process caused Sony to reject the proposal.
Shortly afterward, Ross confirmed ''Days Gone 2'' had been pitched to Sony but that many of the details could not be confirmed due to a
non-disclosure agreement. He revealed that part of the plan for the sequel was a "shared universe with co-op play," which was not included in the original ''Days Gone'' due to staffing constraints.
While appearing on a podcast with
David Jaffe
David Scott Jaffe (born April 13, 1971) is an American video game designer best known for creating the ''Twisted Metal'' and ''God of War'' series.
Biography
Jaffe is originally from Birmingham, Alabama and currently resides in San Diego, Cali ...
, the creator of the ''
God of War
A war god in mythology associated with war, combat, or bloodshed. They occur commonly in both monotheistic and polytheistic religions.
Unlike most gods and goddesses in polytheistic religions, monotheistic deities have traditionally been p ...
'' franchise, Garvin said, "If you love a game, buy it at fucking full price," and implied ''Days Gone'' did not receive a sequel partly because it did not turn enough profit. Garvin came under fire for his remarks; commenters said ''Days Gone'' had already benefitted from fan support during its release, and that it was unreasonable to ask someone to spend US$70 on an unknown game. Others noted that Sony ultimately controls sales of PlayStation games and offers free demos, and the onus could not be placed entirely on the purchasers. Following Garvin's comments, Jensen thanked players for their support, no matter when they had purchased or played it.
According to David Jaffe, then chief executive officer of
SIE Worldwide Studios,
Shawn Layden had vigorously supported ''Days Gone''. But as soon as Layden left his role in September 2019, Jaffe said "''Days Gone'' was dead".
Jaffe said that when trying to pitch a sequel "it was just an uphill battle the whole time" and Ross stated that Sony requested if Sony intellectual properties could be used instead like ''Syphon Filter''.
Ross said the sequel would have explored a more technical direction among detailing other features.
Ross claimed that the game sold over eight million copies, yet was treated as a "disappointment" by local studio management.
This was in response to the announcement that ''
Ghost of Tsushima
''Ghost of Tsushima'' is a 2020 action-adventure game developed by Sucker Punch Productions and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The player controls Jin Sakai, samurai on a quest to protect Tsushima Island during the first Mongo ...
'', another SIE first-party game (developed by
Sucker Punch Productions
Sucker Punch Productions, LLC is an American video game developer based in Bellevue, Washington. It is best known for creating character action games for PlayStation consoles such as '' Sly Cooper'', '' Infamous'', and '' Ghost of Tsushima''. ...
), had sold over eight million copies.
The sales numbers provided by Ross were disputed as they were based on a
PlayStation Trophy data tracking site.
Ross went on to say that whilst at Bend Studio he saw ''Days Gone'' sell over five million copies, the tracking site at the time suggested 5.8 million copies sold.
Film adaptation
In August 2022,
''Deadline'' reported that a film adaptation of the game was in the works with
PlayStation Productions
PlayStation Productions, LLC is an American production company owned by Sony Interactive Entertainment.
History
Sony Interactive Entertainment launched PlayStation Productions in 2019 with a focus on adapting the company's video game franchis ...
and Vendetta Productions producing the movie, and with
Sam Heughan
Sam, SAM or variants may refer to:
Places
* Sam, Benin
* Sam, Boulkiemdé, Burkina Faso
* Sam, Bourzanga, Burkina Faso
* Sam, Kongoussi, Burkina Faso
* Sam, Iran
* Sam, Teton County, Idaho, United States, a populated place
People and fictional ...
in consideration to play the role of Deacon St. John.
References
External links
*
*
{{Bend Studio
2019 video games
Action-adventure games
Golden Joystick Award winners
Horror video games
Motorcycle video games
Open-world video games
PlayStation 4 games
PlayStation 4 Pro enhanced games
Post-apocalyptic video games
Single-player video games
Sony Interactive Entertainment games
Survival video games
Third-person shooters
Unreal Engine games
Video games about cults
Video games about viral outbreaks
Video games about zombies
Video games developed in the United States
Video games set in Oregon
Windows games
Works about outlaw motorcycle clubs