Days Gone Remastered is supremely pretty and not much else

I love zombie stories. Always have and probably always will. Even the bad ones have something worthwhile to keep me invested, and it takes a lot for a zombie property to be so bad that I'd dismiss it outright.

Days Gone isn't quite in that latter camp, but it's a far cry from the iconic films and comics that it tries to emulate. When it came out for the PS4, I walked away unimpressed by its muted design choices, awful writing, tedious missions, and immense number of bugs. A few years later, the PC port fixed technical issues, which only highlighted the design failures.

Now, arriving on the PS5, Days Gone has never looked better. For the first time, I can appreciate Bend Studio's vision of the apocalypse as it should be seen. From animations to intricate details, this is a gorgeous nightmare from beginning to end.

But it's still the same crummy gameplay experience, and that's all that matters.

Story & Gameplay

Days Gone is set in the aftermath of a global pandemic which has turned most of the world into Freakers, or zombies-in-all-but-name. Our hero, the hilariously named Deacon St. John is a biker scrounging up a living in a fictional version of Oregon, where he roams the countryside with his best pal Boozer.

Like most protagonists of his type, Deacon is haunted by a traumatic past involving a dead wife and a major mistrust of authority. Just before he and Boozer prepare to ride north for a better life, Boozer is injured and Deacon is forced to make do with what they've got until his buddy recuperates.

Much of that is spent by doing busywork for surviving townships, saving people from lunatics and Freakers, and trudging it through a self-serious plot that never picks up the pace nor gives reason to care. It hits every note and plot point others in this genre have, but does it so gracelessly that even if the same notes worked elsewhere, they fall flat here.

A lot of the blame falls on the writing and characterization. Deacon is a miserable lead character to spend time with. He's a psychotic, mumbling wreck, and it feels nauseating to control him as he rambles to himself about how much he enjoys this while plunging an axe into someone.

The reactionary politics and prepper-antics have aged equally poorly. Days Gone present a variety of archetypes that fit into the more rural areas of America, but that's all they ever get to be. There's no nuance, wit, or subtlety to be found here. Instead, the repetitive Radio Free Oregon became a bane of my existence from the very moment it first erupted on the airwaves.

A lot of the blame falls on the writing and characterization. Deacon is a miserable lead character to spend time with.

Gameplay is familiar to anyone who has played an open world action title in the past decade. Traveling is done on motorbike, and it's one of the most pleasurable aspects of the game.

Or it would be, if Days Gone didn't include awful repair and fuel mechanics into the process. Most of the first ten plus hours are spent fixing the bike, refueling the bike, and cursing the bike for merely existing. It hits a weird halfway point between hero fantasy and survival horror, and neither really works. Just as you ease into a post-apocalyptic Easy Rider, Days Gone forces you to go find screws so you can hold the circle-button next to your bike for a few seconds. It's tedious and the antithesis of fun.

Combat is similarly a mixed bag. While outright gun play is fine, stealth mechanics are a chore and melee combat is clumsy at best. There are mandatory stealth sections as well, which feel like a punishment for no reason.

It hits a weird halfway point between hero fantasy and survival horror, and neither really works.

It doesn't help that weapons, like your fragile bike, can and will break quite regularly. As with any game with breaking weaponry, this mechanic is awful. It wasn't fun when Zelda did it, and it's certainly no fun here, either. Instead, the first thing you'll do is work to upgrade your skills so that both the bike and your gear last longer, which makes me question why even include the mechanic in the first place.

Towards the end, once your character is better geared and skilled, Days Gone reveals itself as what it should have been all along. By the time you can ride your trusted bike from one town to the next without worry of running out of gas or breaking down because you hit a pine cone, you can focus on the melancholy devastation around you. The world grows more vivid, and you can finally focus on building a rapport with the flimsy characters.

But getting there takes at least ten to twenty hours. That's a lot to ask from anyone, let alone on a third release. At least on a PC, you can mod Days Gone to be a more user-friendly experience. Even if that's probably not what the developers intended.

Accessibility

The remastered edition of Days Gone is a huge step in the right direction in terms of accessibility. While not as plentiful in options as, say, The Last of Us, Days Gone shows how a remastered version of a game can make fantastic additions to gameplay that helps everyone get a chance to play.

One of the major key features is the high contrast mode, which is entirely customizable. The original PS4 release featured a high contrast HUD that, while welcome, only went so far in navigating the dense world that Bend Studios had built.

The update mode, however, allows players to highlight everything from the main character to items, enemies, and points of interest in a way that helps visually impaired players interact with the surroundings on their terms. There are a total of 11 different colors to choose from, which is fantastic for those with color blindness.

While I have my problems with the game itself, there's no denying that Bend Studio has done impeccable work on the accessibility front. If you've always wanted to try out Days Gone, this is the best version to play.

You can also toggle settings that help with disabling quick-time events or adding chimes to collectibles hidden around the world. There's UI narration and audio descriptions for interfaces and on-screen items. Controls are customizable as well.

The remastered edition also allows for players to set the game speed from the accessibility menu. This can be toggled between 100% all the way down to 25%, which is an incredible addition for players with motor function disabilities or those who are simply easily overwhelmed by the content.

While I have my problems with the game itself, there's no denying that Bend Studio has done impeccable work on the accessibility front. If you've always wanted to try out Days Gone, this is the best version to play.

Technical Aspects

Days Gone Remastered has a completely revised audio mix which, for the most part, sounds fantastic. I tested the game on both my high end stereo system hooked to my home theater and the PlayStation Pulse 3D headset, and both provided an immersive, deeply satisfying experience.

It's the first time that Days Gone has ever played or looked this good.

On a visual level, the game runs in performance mode at 1440p with a solid 60fps, while the resolution mode aims for a 4k/30fps presentation. Both look stunning and I honestly did not need the 4K version, opting instead for the solid frame rate during my time with the game. I tested the game on the base PS5.

Sadly, at the time of writing there is no news on a physical release for the game, so the only way to experience the best visual fidelity is through a digital purchase or update to a prior version. This is a shame, as it's the first time that Days Gone has ever played or looked this good. It would be a massive loss if we didn't get this complete on a disc.

Who's It For?

Days Gone remains a mixed bag. The Remastered version is arguably the best the game has ever looked or sounded, and it's the most fun version to play. But the main gameplay loop, coupled with a terrible story and lead character, still continues to frustrate. The resulting game is a contradictory experience that's gorgeous to look at yet not much fun to play.

If you're dying for a zombie game and don't mind a myriad of compromises, Days Gone does provide solid fun for dozens of hours. It's not the best of its kind, nor is it the worst. But it has the potential for something far greater, which makes its failings hurt that much more. Especially now that we're not getting a sequel, which could have given this promising title a second chance.