My thoughts on State of Decay

There is a trend in the video game market for survival games where players have to survive a hostile environment, especially from zombies. Not sure what started the trend but I believe it is largely influenced from the Walking Dead TV series. Average people trying live in world of constant danger; the show is heavily dramatized and has some shocking climatic scenes. Average people, not military trained soldiers, not equipped with high-tech weaponry, just you’re everyday people.

I would like to introduce to you another zombie survival game, State of Decay. Apparently it is a based on another game (not sure). You start in the middle of park discovering for the first time the zombies that roam the game world. The controls are immersive, the character movements decently fluid and pacing is little faster than realistic. Combat is easy to get into; you can go melee with your weapon or shoot with your gun (if you have one). The game works like an RPG, equip your character in the inventory screen and killing zombies increases your fighting experiences. Collecting XP lets you choose your skills and upgrade your current ones.

Incoming zombie

Hiding from zombies

From there you are given missions to accomplish, accomplishing story mission will lead you to explore the environment. The level of detail in the game is good but not state of the art. Despite that the world is very believable and the lighting creates life to the scenery. There is a day and night cycle and travelling at night is terrifying. It is harder to see where the zombies are. As you progress through the story, you will find yourself in what seems to be a rural county. You’ll find small towns, barns and… zombies. You can travel by foot or by driving car. There is no other kind of transport; this may seem discouraging but the types of cars found in the game vary.

A drive into town

Finished the game in four days, in a on and off cycle. The game isn't a grade A game but it is a great experience for all kinds of gamers. Although hardcore gamers may find this game unsatisfying, the experiences are worth the cost of purchase. The gameplay is good, presents nicely and the voice acting is good as well.

Creepy night