I’ve said it a million times before, but I’m a hardcore fan of the zombie genre. I love anything and everything to do with the undead, from the video games to the movies to the long-running television series that should have ended a few seasons ago but I still watch anyway. So, when I had the opportunity to sit down with Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days, I took full advantage of the experience. I captured video and screenshots and spent days writing about the game. Now, I think I’m able to publish a review for Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days!
Editor’s Note: The Guide Hall received a review copy of the game from the developer/publisher/PR for this review. Their generosity does not impact our overall opinion or thoughts on the game!
If you have any experience playing popular zombie survival games, such as State of Decay 2, you’ll have an excellent foundation when tackling many of Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days’ gameplay mechanics. While it’s not a third-person action game like the aforementioned, the community-building, upgrades, survivor needs, and looting remind me of SoD2. But traversing the world, the combat and exploration primarily, remind me of This War of Mine. These are two comparisons you’ll hear frequently, and they’re not wrong, nor does it detract from the overall experience by likening Into the Dead to either game. It’s an incredible feat to nail the best aspects of both.
Now, with all of that out of the way, let’s talk gameplay. First and foremost, it’s important to note that this is still Early Access. A lot of what we see and experience may change during development, though it’s more likely bugs will wind up squashed and new content will flesh out the experience rather than drastic, sweeping changes.
Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days is tough as nails. I can’t tell you the number of times I died because of a misstep, a miscalculation as to how long my weapon would last me, or because I became too greedy. It happens. It sucks, especially when the rest of your survivors wind up grief-stricken. But there’s that “one more turn” sort of feeling, similar to looting houses in State of Decay 2, that keeps you pushing forward in search of more. There’s always something useful around the bend, right? Sometimes. Other times, it’s just zombies.
Speaking of zombies, my biggest gripe about Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days is its combat. It’s clunky, cumbersome, unwieldy. In some fights, you can cheese the zombies and stagger them repeatedly while swinging wildly with fists. Other times, with the strongest of melee weapons, the zombie gains the upper hand and staggers you repeatedly. It’s a coin toss.
Once you get a gun in your hands, however, it’s a different matter altogether. No zombie in the world can stop your looting efforts!
Once those looting efforts conclude, you return to your base. There, you can rest up, heal, cook and eat, repair barricades, and construct additional items or workbenches to make surviving the zombie apocalypse a tad easier. It’s satisfying to see your hard work, all those junk items you loot on a run, come together to create a thriving community amidst the wasteland.
But that’s just the beginning. If you’d rather not hang around Walton City, you can escape. It’s a challenge, but if you’re the type to see a game through to its conclusion, Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days already features several escape scenarios, with more to come during Early Access.
For being early days, these darkest days prove exceptionally bright. God, that was cheesier written down than it was in my head, but I’m leaving it there. For now, I highly recommend playing Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days!
Looking for more game reviews from the team of The Guide Hall? We’re expanding our coverage on all fronts, so check back often!