Developer: SIE Bend Studio
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Platform: PS5
Tested on: PS5
Days Gone Remastered – Review
Somehow, in our mind, it felt as if Days Gone only came out a year or two ago, but in reality, Days Gone was a PlayStation exclusive title in 2019. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience and only had minor remarks about pacing and some bugs that caused additional bike upkeep during our playthrough. Nonetheless, Days Gone was a fun exclusive title that certainly deserves a second lease on life or a sequel. While we didn’t immediately think this zombie survival title would be receiving a remastered version any time soon, we were quite pleased to see Days Gone Remastered being announced with dedicated PlayStation 5 upgrades, support, and even a new mode. As always, we suggest checking out our original review if you want to learn more about the base game, as we’ll mainly be discussing the changes and updates in this short review of Days Gone Remastered.
Unexpectedly, the main experience remains the same for the most part. The story plays out the same, the mechanics have not really changed, and you’re still treated to the same open world adventure title in a post-apocalyptic zombie setting. That’s not a bad thing, as Days Gone didn’t really require any additional content for its campaign mode. In the years after the release, a Challenge mode was also added, which is still present here. The main changes are found in the overall graphical prowess of the game and the DualSense support. The game has never looked better thanks to improved lighting, better textures, and small improvements overall. It’s not a massive difference, but it’s noticeable nonetheless. The DualSense support adds a bit of extra immersion to the mix, as you’ll feel the subtle rumble of the terrain when driving your bike, you can feel the raindrops when it is pouring, and so on. It’s all these minor changes combined that unlock more of Days Gone’s hidden potential.
A plethora of accessibility options has been added to the mix, which we can only applaud. We personally liked the high contrast mode, which clearly marks the player character and enemies. You can further tweak the settings by also changing the backgrounds for items you can interact with, making these stand out more as well, for example.
Additional modes come in the form of the Permadeath mode, which makes you restart the game (or act 2) if you meet your untimely demise. It’s mainly a setting directed towards hardcore players. Speedrun is also a mode if you want to try to break a few records. These additional modes are entertaining, but they do feel a bit like fluff to make the Remastered version a more attractive package. Both modes mainly have to do with altering the base game experience.
The Horde Assault Mode is a standalone mode that is reminiscent of a roguelike mode. You get to choose between different characters to play as, which is a nice touch, and then you’re off to survive as long as possible. There are four maps currently available, and each has its own designated supply points and random enemy encounters. You’ll have to survive waves of enemies to get rewarded with a higher score. As you progress and level up, you’ll also unlock modifiers that either give you bonuses or penalties, giving you a score penalty or bonus at the end. It’s a fun mode that stands rather tall by itself. Perhaps it would have been nice to have a few other starting loadouts than the basic one that is currently available, but that’s just us nitpicking.
Coinclusion
If you were content with your first playthrough of the original Days Gone, then there’s probably not that much to win you over here, safe for the improved visuals, DualSense support, and the Horde Assault Mode. If you were looking to give the game another go, or simply never picked it up when it originally came out in 2019, then we suggest going for the Remastered version, as this is pretty much the definitive way to experience what Days Gone has to offer. We personally enjoyed revisiting the desolate world of Days Gone, and we were pleasantly surprised by the Horde Assault Mode, which made us lose track of time several times.
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