**8/10 — One of those games that gets better the longer you play it.**
I went into Days Gone without really knowing what to expect, and after more than 50 hours, I can confidently say this game surprised me.
The first few hours were probably the weakest part for me. The game can feel directionless at the beginning, your bike constantly needs fuel, your weapons aren't great, and you're still trying to understand exactly what the game wants you to do. I genuinely hated running out of fuel early on. Once I understood the mechanics, upgraded my bike, got better equipment and stopped worrying about fuel every five minutes, the entire experience changed.
Days Gone feels like several games I already enjoy combined into one.
The infected, atmosphere and survival elements remind me heavily of The Last of Us. Riding through forests, mountains, dirt roads and abandoned areas gives me the same feeling of travelling through the wilderness in Red Dead Redemption 2. Clearing enemy camps without being detected genuinely reminds me of Hitman. There are even moments that remind me of 7 Days to Die, although Days Gone unfortunately doesn't have base building.
And honestly, base building is probably the biggest missed opportunity for me. Deacon and Boozer already have their tower. Being able to collect resources, improve its defenses, construct new facilities and gradually turn it into a proper home would have fit this game perfectly. If something like that had been properly integrated into the story, it would have made the world feel even more alive.
The motorcycle is also one of my favourite parts of the game. I almost never want to fast travel. Riding from one objective to another, stopping when I see something interesting, finding NERO sites, clearing nests, attacking ambush camps or suddenly getting myself into trouble is part of the experience. Fast travelling almost feels like skipping part of the game.
Combat gives you a surprising amount of freedom as well. I particularly enjoy stealth. I've cleared camps while barely being seen, picking people off one by one, and those sections can genuinely feel like I'm playing Hitman in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. But when everything goes wrong, the game transitions into complete chaos remarkably well.
And then there are the hordes.
Nothing prepared me for seeing my first proper horde.
I was casually approaching a NERO checkpoint when a massive horde came pouring out from around the train above me. There was no strategy. There was no bravery. There was only **RUN.**
More than 50 hours later, the game decided apparently I was ready to start fighting these things properly. I've now been forced through multiple horde encounters, and I still have the Sawmill Horde waiting for me. That thing deserves its own military operation.
The hordes are easily one of Days Gone's defining features. Fighting normal Freakers makes you feel powerful once you've upgraded Deacon. Fighting hundreds of them at once immediately reminds you that you are one man with a motorcycle and questionable life decisions.
The story also became much more interesting than I expected. Deacon isn't a traditional hero, and that's exactly why I like him. He's a drifter, veteran, survivor and extremely capable fighter who gradually becomes important to practically every group he encounters.
I have definitely disagreed with some of his decisions especially his obsession with finding Sarah when part of me thought he needed to accept what happened and move forward but the fact that I can argue with his decisions after dozens of hours means I actually became invested in the character.
Lost Lake, Iron Mike, Boozer, Sarah, O'Brian and eventually the militia all made the world feel bigger than I initially expected. The militia storyline especially changed the tone dramatically. You go from relatively small survivor camps to an organized military force with ranks, weapons, scientists and larger ambitions, while simultaneously realizing that some of the people leading it are completely insane.
One thing that consistently stands out is just how ridiculously useful Deacon is. Tracking someone? Send Deacon. Freakers? Deacon. Rippers? Deacon. NERO? Deacon. Need something recovered from somewhere everyone else is afraid to go? Apparently Deacon again.
At some point somebody needs to promote this man.
I also appreciate how the Freakers become a larger threat as the story progresses. It stops feeling like you're simply surviving individual infected and starts raising the question of what happens if humanity eventually can't keep up with them.
Days Gone certainly isn't perfect. The beginning is slow, some mechanics are frustrating before you upgrade, the story occasionally makes you question everyone's decision-making, and I still think a proper base-building system would have elevated the game significantly.
But the longer I've played, the more I've enjoyed it.
What started as a game I wasn't completely sure about became one where I willingly spend hours riding around instead of fast travelling, clearing camps because I'm in the mood for a gunfight, hunting NERO upgrades, exploring abandoned areas and preparing myself mentally for whatever horde is going to ruin my evening next.
For a game I initially wasn't sure I would stick with, more than 50 hours later I'm still here.
**8/10.**
Now please excuse me. I apparently have a Sawmill full of Freakers to deal with.
