I’m still perplexed as to whyDays Goneexists. Looking at the release timelines of both titles,Sony Bend’s open-world biker adventure must have been awareNaughty Dog’sThe Last of UsPart 2 was in development, and whether they intended to cannibalise one another or not, it was destined to happen. Deacon St John’s debut outing falling short in terms of narrative and gameplay didn’t help its favour either, turning this game into a decent hit that was far from greatness.
But that lukewarm initial reception didn’t stop Days Gone Remastered from becoming a thing, since it launched both PS5 and PC late last week with a slew of new graphical features, neat quality-of-life additions, and even a few new gameplay modes to dig into. Given that I tried out the original and bounced off its obtuse design decisions and awful characters,I wanted to give it another chance.
The pacing of Days Gone in the first few hours is diabolical. The opening cutscene — intended to describe how the outbreak began and why we should care about Deacon St John and his recently stabbed anddefinitely not deadwife — unfolds in a weird menagerie of jump cuts and stilted dialogue, before our protagonist decides to inexplicably stay behind to take care of his close friend Boozer who can obviously look after himself.
Character actions and motivations make no sense from the beginning, so when we fast-forward two years into the future and are taken on a whistlestop tour of tutorials, it becomes an endurance test to remove the stabilizers.
But I’m trying to be more positive about Days Gone this time around, so I kept on going as I discovered my first outpost, upgraded my bike, and gained a few skills that made the cycle of biking, gunplay, and stealth that much more enjoyable. And enjoying myself I am, even if it’s so easy to predict the enemy behaviour of scavengers and freakers that I can pick them off at a distance without ever worrying about causing damage.
There is something brilliant about how I need to manage the fuel and condition of my bike, or how it reacts dynamically to the world as I take my foot off the accelerator to plummet down hills or veer around corners. I began to put the narrative and characters aside for a bit as well, or at least convince myself I was not going to ever take them seriously.
Days Gone, as a zombie biker adventure with a hero that speaks to himself way too much, is a lot more appealing than viewing it as a PS4 exclusive of narrative prestige equal to The Last of Us. It’s not that, even if it desperately wants to be.
How Does Days Gone Remastered Work On PS5 Pro?
From a technical perspective, Days Gone works a treat onPlayStation 5 Pro. It has already received a patch for the current-gen hardware to enable 60 frames per second performance, so in many ways, this remaster feels like a cherry on top. On base consoles, you can choose between Quality (30fps at 4K) or Performance (60fps at 1080p), while Pro features a distinct Enhanced mode which lands somewhere in the middle.
After six or so hours of play, I noticed very few performance drops, even while fighting off an entire horde of freakers with several explosions going off at once. The additional details found in clothing, enemies, and the environment are also appreciated, even if other effects like fire and rain leave much to be desired.
This isn’t on the same level as the recentHorizon Zero Dawn Remastered, which effectively reworked entire environments from the original. Here, it feels like a thin, yet noticeable coat of extra polish. Sadly, all the performance and visual improvements in the world can’t make up for both gunplay and melee combat, which simply don’t feel very good in action.
There is a noticeable lack of impact in both bullets hitting enemies and pieces of wood cracking them over the head, which are made worse by lacklustre enemies and the feeling that every single piece of offense I dish out is connecting with the human equivalent of a memory foam mattress.
If a worthwhile yarn was stringing all of these disparate elements together, I’d be significantly more charitable, but the mediocre plotting is merely a reminder I could be playing something much better. And yet there is an unusually rural charm to it all, and one I find myself drawn to consistently as I play.
I’m unsure it will be enough to see me through to the end, but maybe I can see why a delusional cult following has formed around a game like this. I refuse to listen to any argument that Deacon St John is a compelling character, though: he is bizarrely acted and wrought with so many clichés you can’t help but root against him most of the time.
Is Days Gone Remastered Worth Playing For Fans And Newcomers?
If you’re already a ride-or-die Days Gone fan, this remaster is only $10 and a great excuse to dive back into one of your favourite games. Its small asking price, new trophies, and loads of new content in the form of challenge and horde assault modes make the return trip worthwhile.
I’ll be covering the new modes and gameplay additions in a separate piece because they’re pretty impressive and a whole lot of fun.
But despite all the fancy new visual upgrades and quality-of-life improvements, this is still the same lacklustre open-world game at its core. I’m trying my best to put aside its bad story and forgettable characters to enjoy the undead biker fantasy, but only time will tell if I’ll stick with it until the end.
