There has been a whole slew of survival-horror games that have come out in the past year. The emerging genre has seen several successes such as the ubiquitous Day-Z or the feverishly-running-around-naked-on-an-island-looking-for-shelter-simulator Rust. These games have been generally PC-centric in nature, and we haven’t really seen this style of game on current consoles. Developers Undead Labs aims to fill that void when State of Decay:Year One Survival Edition, comes out April 29th on the Xbox One. From the recent trailer to my hands-on time with it at PAX South this year, Here are 4 reasons why I’m excited for its release.
What I Played Of It So Far is Awesome.
I was lucky to have a hands-on demo with State of Decay earlier this year at Pax South, and with the released debut trailer, it revitalized my interest of the Xbox One port. My demo at PAX was my first time with the game, and it felt great. Running down alleyways searching for supplies in the fully realized environments was a rush, and even though I was playing in a convention hall, I got a glimpse of what to expect in the full release. One of the things that stood out to me was just the aesthetics of the world itself. It’s stark and ominous, but the color palettes the developers used for the environments really helps the game stand out, verdant fields at a nearby school, with vibrant foliage along tree lines. The third-person perspective definitely mixes things up, as most games in the genre stick to the first person field of view, having in third person surprisingly adds to tension.
Survival Genre On A Current Console
Like I mentioned previously, the survival/persistent world genre hasn’t really permeated on current consoles. With games like The Forest coming out on Playstation 4, and to a lesser extent Minecraft, hopefully State of Decay will hopefully spark some interest to get more of these games on the Xbox One. I’ve dabbled in games like Rust on my Mac, and while it was a lot of fun, to have these games in my living room on the big TV would be the most ideal. As the lines between PC and Consoles continue to blur, I hope developers take the clue that people primarily play on the home console want these experiences that traditionally have been exclusive to the PC. Although State of Decay was originally released on the Xbox 360 late in its life cycle, here’s hoping the transition to current generation consoles will generate more interest into the genre.
Exclusively Single Player
A lot of survival games are primarily multiplayer. Persistent worlds filled with other players trying to…well survive by acquiring items, shelter, and weapons. A lot of the appeal comes from those interactions with other players, and the strange, pseudo-psychological warfare that happens when you find humans in a virtual space with scarce resources, voluntary violence, and inevitable interactions. State of Decay is a single player game, and that intrigues me, leaving it up to me and my own wits without any other human interaction could be an interesting dynamic.
It’s the Complete Package
With all the downloadable content including the Breakdown and Lifeline expansions, Having the complete package will be nice for someone like me to really get what the buzz was about back in 2013. There are arguments that can be made on the role of “remastered games” and how they affect the industry and overall game development, but I enjoy the fact I have the option to experience older games to their fullest on the newer consoles with an updated resolution or added features. Also its a nice way to extend your game library without costing an arm and a leg.
State of Decay: Year One Survival Edition comes out April 29th on Xbox One.
