Is Days Gone a Bad Game? Why This PS4 Exclusive Remains Divisive

To answer this question upfront – no, I would not consider Days Gone a bad game. However, it is certainly a divisive one amongst reviewers and players. While it has its fair share of flaws, particularly with its writing and mission design, Days Gone still succeeds in delivering a thrilling and addictive open-world zombie experience for PS4 owners. As someone who loves the post-apocalyptic genre, I found a lot to enjoy despite understanding many of the valid criticisms.

Breaking Down Mixed Initial Reviews

When Days Gone first launched in 2019, it received very mixed reviews with scores averaging around 70 on Metacritic and 61 on OpenCritic based on nearly 80 critics. For context, this placed it in the 50th percentile of games ranked on OpenCritic – so right down the middle in terms of critical reception.

Reviewers tended to praise the detailed open world, natural Pacific Northwest wilderness, satisfying motorcycle traversal and combat, as well as the massive 500+ freaker hordes that could create insane levels of tension and chaos. However, many also cited issues with the generic story and characters, a very slow pace and uninteresting opening act, plenty of repetitive missions like clearing ambush camps, and also various technical glitches.

Jeff Ross, the game‘s director, controversially blamed "woke reviewers" who disliked playing as the gruff, white, male biker Deacon St. John as a reason for lower review scores. But this political explanation was heavily criticized and did not seem to fully explain the mixed reception. Ultimately, while disappointing for Sony, the lukewarm critical consensus seemed to unfairly damage Days Gone‘s reputation from the outset.

Strong Sales and Dedicated Fanbase Reveal Its Appeal

Despite receiving only passable reviews, Days Gone impressively sold over 8 million copies as of 2020 according to Jeff Ross. While some debate the accuracy of this number, it aligns with the game topping sales charts in multiple regions at launch. For comparison, God of War 2018 has sold over 23 million copies, demonstrating Days Gone‘s commercial success even if not at the same meteoric level.

A passionate fanbase also emerged praising Days Gone, indicating the game clearly connected with many players despite reviewers‘ misgivings. They cite the immersive atmosphere, the well-realized world, Deacon as a compelling gritty protagonist, and the absolutely thrilling horde combat. Many argue it stands as one of the most underrated PS4 exclusives.

While a sequel was initially considered by Sony Bend, the chances now seem low after Ross‘ past inflammatory comments about reviewers and reports of a lack of enthusiasm from Sony. Still, fans continue to hope to see more of Days Gone‘s world one day.

In-Depth Analysis of Key Gameplay Elements

By taking a deeper dive into the major gameplay elements, we can break down the merits and issues that caused such divergent opinions on Days Gone:

Story and Characters

The narrative follows Deacon St. John, a biker turned bounty hunter in a post-pandemic Oregon overrun by Freakers. While conceptually interesting, many described the plot and characters as generic and uninspired, especially in the early chapters. Deacon as the gruff protagonist drew mixed reactions, as some found him compelling while others viewed him as another clichéd video game tough guy. The pacing was also criticized as too slow in the opening act before accelerating.

Open World Design

Easily one of the most acclaimed parts of Days Gone was its immersive open world. The rendered Pacific Northwest wilderness with changing weather, day-night cycle, and dynamic Freaker migration across the map created a lived-in post-apocalypse. Exploring the world via motorcycle felt fluid and engaging. Environmental storytelling with locations like abandoned towns also added haunting atmosphere.

Missions and Activities

While the open world itself stood out, the missions and activities available in it often fell into repetitive territory. Taking out small ambush camps grew stale quickly. Many main story missions also relied on simple fetch quests or linear shootouts without much player agency. However, big set pieces like horde battles did deliver memorable thrills. Overall, mission design lacked diversity.

Hordes

Nothing captured the excitement and terror of Days Gone like confronting a roaming horde of 500 Freakers. These optional challenges forced players to stealthily plan traps and attack these massive zombie crowds from a position of weakness using fire, explosives, and the environment. Successfully conquering a horde provided an unmatched adrenaline rush. This feature was easily the crown jewel of the gameplay.

Technical Performance

Rough technical performance was one area where Days Gone was rightfully critiqued at launch. The PS4 version suffered from slowdown, lag, frame rate dips, and visual bugs – sometimes frustratingly during key horde fights. Patches alleviated but did not eliminate these problems. The PC port runs remarkably smoother. But technical hiccups understandably hurt initial reception.

Lasting Appeal and Content

For players invested in the world, Days Gone offered solid longevity and content. Completing the critical path took approximately 30-40 hours. Those wanting to fully clear ambush camps, find collectibles, conquer hordes and complete all side content could spend 80+ hours. The robust length gave the game grinding, addictive gameplay for those hooked on its core appeal.

How It Compares to Top PS4 Exclusives

Looking at Sony‘s other flagship PS4 exclusives helps contextualize Days Gone‘s achievements and shortcomings:

The Last of Us – Nearly universally praised for its narrative, characters like Joel and Ellie, and polished cinematic presentation. Arguably better in almost all respects.

God of War – Also gritty and gory with a father-son dynamic. Superior melee combat system and level design.

Horizon Zero Dawn – Open world traversal and bow-based combat on par with Days Gone. Crafting system also similar. But Horizon received better writing and quests.

Ghost of Tsushima – Another excellent open world with smooth traversal albeit on horseback. Overall scope and detail falls slightly short of Days Gone‘s.

Bloodborne – Dark Souls-inspired action RPG with tighter melee combat, more RPG elements, and incredible boss design.

While Days Gone comes up short of these PlayStation classics in most regards, it still carved out a niche in the open-world zombie action genre they don‘t occupy. The emphasis on motorbikes, hordes, crafting and firearms gave it unique strengths.

The Bottom Line – Flawed but Still Enjoyable

In summary – is Days Gone a bad game? No, I don‘t believe so. It certainly has its fair share of issues, mainly with its writing, pacing, missions, and technical problems. However, for fans of post-apocalyptic open-world action games, it still delivers an enjoyable experience. Driving through the hauntingly realized Pacific Northwest, scavenging for survival resources, and taking on rampaging freaker hordes retains a vicious thrill and tension. If you don‘t mind some repetitive missions and a slow start, the dread-fueled gameplay creates an addictive feedback loop. While a sequel seems unlikely, I hope Days Gone eventually gets the renewed appreciation it deserves as a flawed but still engaging PS4 exclusive. It stands as a divisive but ultimately underrated entry in Sony‘s catalog that deserves more positive reappraisal.