When Days Gone’s trailer and gameplay demo were first released in 2016, I was stoked at what it will bring to the zombie survival genre. With its interactive environment, terrifying hordes, and visually stunning graphics, I knew from that time I will have to try this game out one day.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t until six years after its announcement and three years after its release that I got to play it.

However, I must confess something. While I do enjoy the zombie survival genre, I am almost always too afraid to play them. So, I played Days Gone… but with infinite health cheat.

I am not going to get into it too much, and I will take any criticism that doing such a thing takes away part of Days Gone’s charm. But even with this safety net on, I can confidently say that I was still immersed in Days Gone’s story and gameplay.

I felt so attached to Days Gone’s characters, awed by their actors’ acting, hooked by the story, and deeply immersed in its world that I believe it is one of the best zombie survival games in terms of storytelling and gameplay mechanics.

There are many reasons I can write down as to why I think of Days Gone that way, but I feel that there are a few that make it stand out from other zombie survival games.

Here, I shall list down what I loved about Days Gone.

Depression and Isolation: Deacon and Boozer.

The game introduces us to Deacon St. John; the protagonist, and Boozer, two former outlaw bikers stuck in a Zombie-ridden version of the state of Oregon.

Their close relationship as “brothers” is apparent from the start, and we see the extent of their care for each other throughout the game.

As Boozer loses his arm, his slow descent into depression is shown through vocal outrage and abandonment of duties. On the other hand, Deacon St. John’s depression is often overshadowed by this and is shown more subtly.

Deacon’s recklessness and self-talk show his deep feeling of sorrow and isolation. After losing Sarah, Boozer’s state of incapacitation and depression intensified Deacon’s feelings.

Fortunately, their love for each other and growing community helped both Deacon and Boozer pull themselves out of the rut.

Cycle of Violence, Carlos and the Rippers.

While Deacon and Boozer are shown to be anti-heroes with strict moral codes even in an apocalypse, there were times when their dark nature turned into unjust cruelty.

This is reflected through Jessie Williamson, also known as Carlos and the leader of the Rippers.

Before the Freaker outbreak occurred, Deacon, Boozer, and an unseen man named Jack tortured Jessie Williamson. The burn marks they inflicted weren’t the only ones that remained on Jessie.

Once the Freakers finally took over the world, Carlos became a king in his empire with his cult of followers spreading and pain and torture his colleagues inflicted on him — a brief reminder that we always leave a trail, and our pasts can get back to us.

Struck by Fate, Lisa.

Another victim of the cycle of violence is Lisa, a poor girl lost and isolated for years in her home.

The Lengths We Go through to Survive.

There is this short moment in Skizzo’s mission Something of a Freak Expert where we find Evans and Torres; Skizzo’s men, in the mines. However, they are not alive anymore and there were some signs of… extreme struggle for survival.

As it turns out, Evans was forced to eat his buddy Torres to survive in the mines. Yet this was all for naught as rescue never came, and eventually, he took his own life.

A haunting moment that shook me to the core when I saw the clip above. Days Gone shows both the serene and brutal moments of an apocalypse.

Sometimes Death is Necessary.

Continuing the theme of brutal deaths, Days Gone featured mercy kills such as Leon at the start of the game, the Ripper hostage Deacon encounters with Skizzo, the dog Boozer found in the store, and Wade Taylor in the militia mission.

Not all of these characters have their backstories told to us, but all of them told more about Deacon. If anything, Deacon will want to quickly end anyone’s suffering, if possible, even his enemies.

While it shied away from killing some of its main ensemble cast, there were enough memorable deaths for me to find more brutality in its world.

The Reluctant Ally, James O’Brian.

My favorite boy, James O’Brian. First introduced as a NERO intern who eventually became a full-time scientist on NERO.

The relationship between O’Brian and Deacon was shaky from the get-go due to the particular circumstances they are in. Deacon often acted aggressively and indifferent to O’Brian but eventually, Deacon’s humanity is unveiled and he thanks O’Brian after discovering Sarah’s fate.

Aside from O’Brian’s fate — that was a pretty big twist — my favorite part about O’Brian is actually the actor who, for me, completely astonished me with his performance. I need more of Bernardo De Paula’s in serious voice-acting roles.

Relationships in an Apocalypse? Still complicated, sadly.

A little more mundane, but Rikki Patil used to be a drifter who rode along Deacon and Boozer until she settled down at Iron Mike’s encampment. After a year or so, the three are reunited after Deacon sought their help to cure Boozer’s illness.

As it turns out, Rikki likes Deacon despite her already having a partner. It was a weird turn of events, but it dabbled a bit on the reality of relationships’ volatility and needs for creature comfort during times of misery.

Undying Love.

Days Gone is at its core a love story. Deacon’s main driving force is his search for Sarah whom he eventually finds after a few years of living alone with Boozer.

During the hundreds of days away from her, Deacon clung to hope and got the ending he wanted.

Seasons Change, Literally.

This is less about the story and more about the world design of Days Gone. Just like how people change in Days Gone’s story, seasons change as well.

I was first amazed at how well-made the sections of the maps are and how they showed the different climates in each region. However, I was even more awestruck when I realized the seasons change all over the map.

It might only be a little game feature for others but for me, it was a big deal; a great touch of realism.

Days Gone is more than its Zombies

That pretty much sums up what I love about Days Gone. I could go on more about the zombie hordes, graphics, stealth, and fluidity of game play but that seems to be a given already.

If anything, the core gameplay meshed so well with the narrative that it just became part of it. That should speak for itself.

Days Gone featured some of the cruelest and sincere stories ever thanks to the writing and its actors. If I could experience it for the first time once again, I would.