Days Gone is one of the big (perhaps the biggest) PlayStation 4 exclusives of 2019. It is a game that many people had very high hopes for. I myself got a real “Last of Us” kind of vibe from Days Gone. This is actually rather unfair as Days Gone is a very different game to The Last of Us.
How to Download Days Gone
The game can be downloaded from PlayStation Store. To begin, click on the Download button below this review.
The Game Review
One thing that I was very interested in about Days Gone is the story. First-party Sony Exclusive games tend to nail it when it comes to the story. Days Gone I feel is actually a very good story. The critics are not really blown away by the story, but I actually found myself really invested in it. Sure, it is a slow starter, but overall, I really enjoyed it.
Days Gone sees you playing the role of Deacon St. John. He is a badass biker, but he has a softer side and at the end of the day, I would say that he is a good dude. The world he lives in has been decimated by a plague that has turned people (and animals) into “freakers” which are basically zombies.
Deacon’s story is told in part through flashbacks and his motivation is that of seeing his wife. This does not pan out the way he would like, but he does have his best friend, Boozer, and the bromance that these two have is a major part of the game that I liked. Not many games have a story that features two guys who are really close, but this game does and it does it very well.
While I liked the story, what about the gameplay? Well, Days Gone is a third-person action and adventure game and it is one that I really enjoyed. As well as Freakers there are other groups of humans that you need to take care of and deal with. There can be a ton of enemies coming at you sometimes and it is pretty nervy stuff to deal with.
The way you go about the game is really up to you, but I do like the way that the AI is. For example, you sometimes will need to get rid of a body to avoid detection. Also, there are some stealth missions that are there to break the “action” up, but these for me are the weakest part of Days Gone.
Remember how I said that Deacon St. John was a badass biker? Well, his bike plays a major role in the game. You can ride on the open road and the bike handles really well. Being a biker is a major part of his personality and it is something that I really enjoyed. You can improve your bike as you progress in the game and that is a lot of fun too.
Days Gone has a decent progression system in the form of a skill tree. It is pretty easy to get to grips with and some of the skills that Deacon can learn come in really handy. He can slow down time a bit which is really neat (although not exactly realistic) and he has other skills that you can upgrade too.
Some of the missions do feel rather samey, but Days Gone is actually a pretty massive game. I have heard that it has taken some people over 60 hours to beat and I could actually believe that as there is a ton to see and do here. Plus, just screwing around on your bike and letting whatever happens happen is a lot of fun.
As well as plenty of missions, Days Gone also has more enemy types than you would think. I found this pretty amazing as it was not something that the trailers really gave away. So, while the missions can be a bit similar, the foes are not always the same which I feel helps things get too repetitive.
I have had a great time with Days Gone. I think that it is getting a bit of a bad rap if I am honest and it is way better than some of the 5 and 6 out of 10s, I am seeing it getting. I would not say it is a “masterpiece” like The Last of Us or Uncharted 4. I will say that in its own right, despite the slow start, Days Gone is a very good game and well worth checking out.
