Everything We Know About Days Gone

With God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn, Marvel’s Spider-Man, and Uncharted 4, over the past two years Sony has solidified its position as this generation’s premier publisher of single-player games. And next week, it hopes to build upon this reputation with Days Gone, an open-world, single-player action-adventure from Bend Studio.

With its release date just around the corner, we’ve compiled everything we know about Days Gone, from its announcement at E3 2016 to our latest hands-on impressions.

The Announcement

Sony first mentioned the game that would become Days Gone in late 2015, when PlayStation Game Development Head Scott Rohde referred to Studio Bend’s next game as its “shining moment.” Less than a month later, Sony filed a trademark for “Days Gone.”

The official announcement would come later that year during Sony’s E3 2016 press conference. The reveal introduced us to protagonist Deacon St. John (played by frequent Star Wars voice actor Sam Witwer), as well as the action-adventure’s biggest threat: hordes of zombie-like creatures called Freakers.

The Release Date

Revealed without an official release date, Sony would eventually announce a 2018 window for Days Gone. Its first delay would come in March of that year, when the window was shifted to 2019. Shortly before E3 2018, Days Gone was finally given a specific release date of February 22. However, one last delay would push it to April 26.

With Days Gone having gone gold last month, it’s now officially set to be released next week.

The Story

Set in the Pacific Northwest, two years after a global pandemic, Days Gone is described as a story of hope that’s centered around Deacon St. John, a motorcycle club member turned post-apocalyptic bounty hunter. The mysterious pandemic is responsible for wiping out the majority of mankind, while transforming millions of others into the aforementioned zombie-like Freakers. Unlike zombies, these creatures are infected humans rather than undead. Like zombies, however, their lone objective is to eat you.

As Deacon, you’re tasked with surviving the apocalypse — including attacks from hordes of Freakers, murderous humans, and wild animals — with the help of your trusty bike, friendly encampments, and an arsenal of weaponry. As detailed on the PlayStation website, the story itself is “about survivors and what makes them human: desperation, loss, madness, betrayal, friendship, brotherhood, regret, love—and hope. It’s about how, even when confronted with such enormous tragedy, hope never dies.”

The campaign will run for an estimated 30 hours, with 20% of that runtime (six hours) devoted to cutscenes.

Hands-on Impressions

After seeing bits and pieces of the action-adventure since 2016, we finally experienced Days Gone’s open world during a five-hour demo earlier this year.

IGN’s Jon Ryan wrote Days Gone will feel “very familiar to anyone who’s spent time in an open-world action/adventure in the last few years.” Though familiar, he adds these elements are “executed extremely well.” The story, meanwhile, was interesting enough to leave him “legitimately frustrated that [he] couldn’t continue playing at the end of the demo.”

While our short time with Days Gone ultimately left us feeling good about the Freaker-filled open world, we were left with one big question: “Is Days Gone fun to play for 30+ hours?” The answer to that should become clear next week, when Days Gone is released exclusively on PlayStation 4.

IGN’s Days Gone Review

Our review is currently in the works and will publish on Thursday, April 25 at 5:01AM Pacific Time.

Preorder Bonuses and Special Editions

Preordering Days Gone from any retailer will net you four in-game rewards: a crossbow and three bike upgrades. If you preorder through the PlayStation Store you’ll also receive a dynamic PS4 theme.

Three editions will be available upon launch: Standard, Digital Deluxe, and Collector’s. Be sure to check out IGN’s Days Gone preorder guide for a complete breakdown of what’s included in each.

Jordan is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @jdsirani.

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