State of Decay

First released in 2013, State of Decay is one of the more interesting games to be set during a zombie Apocalypse. Right from the off, you can tell that State of Decay is a game that is all about survival. While it may not blow you away with its less than amazing visuals, State of Decay is certainly a game that once it gets its grubby zombie hands on you will not let go.

Do What You Can to Survive

One of the things that make State of Decay quite a refreshing experience is the fact that they did not try and force multiplayer on you. This is very much a single player game and I actually really do like that about the game. The story of the game is that there is a zombie outbreak and you start off by playing as someone called, Marcus, but many other characters come into play. The area you are in is pretty much devastated thanks to the zombie attacks and you find out that as well as the zombies the army who you think is there to help is not exactly doing what they can to make sure that you survive. The story is not super in depth, but I think it does enough to keep you going.

This Is YOUR Zombie Apocalypse

State of Decay is the kind of game that has a lot going on. You, of course, want to survive, but to do this you have to make many decisions. You need to set up homes, bases, outposts and so on. Each of which can be upgraded, you need to help other people, manage them, gather supplies and so on. Each time you venture out into the wild you will come across some kind of choice a choice that you really do now know how it will affect you until you make it. For example, if you come across some more survivors, you can help them and bring them home. That is more people to help out, but it is also more mouths to feed and also potentially more people who are going to get moody. That is right, you have to pay attention to characters moods. When you go out and come across a building you always think “what if there are some good supplies in there?” But there is a bit of a risk and reward thing going on as usually when there is something good to be had, the undead is not far behind.

Get These Zombies Off Me!

I really like the way that State of Decay handles the Zombies. These are not your slow shuffling Walking Dead style zombies. They are more like the zombies from the remake of Dawn of the Dead or 28 Days Later. They are alerted to noise and if they hear you, you better be ready because they can turn into a swarm really fast. The combat is really fun and there is a nice selection of melee weapons and firearms for you to make use of. If you are into upgrading and making weapons better you can do that here. I love how brutal the melee weapons in State of Decay are, there is just something so satisfying about smacking around a zombie.

A Little Rough Around the Edges

State of Decay is a great game if you like zombie survival games, but you will have to look past a few issues. These are not game breaking by any means, but they are there. First of all, is the presentation, State of Decay even when it was first released was not regarded as a great looking game and it looks even rougher now. That though does not affect the fun factor! What may though is how the framerate and the controls can be a little clunky from time to time. This does not spoil the game for me, but it is certainly something that may for some people.

Pros:

• A large open world to explore
• The story is better than many give it credit for
• Lots of characters to experience
• The different weapons are fun to discover and use
• You always feel like what you are doing could be wrong, but you do it anyway

Cons:

• The game is not very easy on the eyes
• There are a few control issues here and there

It is pretty amazing to think that as of this point the first State of Decay game was released over half a decade ago. This is a game that is all about surviving in a world that has been ripped apart by zombies. Survive from the undead as well as the other humans in this exciting zombie game.

The Story

The original State of Decay was released at a time when many games were forcing multiplayer on people. So, in that regard, it is great to see a game that is designed with the single player in mind. This is fairly story focused and that is something I do really like about this game. The story starts off by having you play as a guy called Marcus. The whole world is decimated due to the zombie apocalypse, but there is also the army and other humans you have to watch out for. There is a nice framework for the story in State of Decay, but it never gets too deep into it which I feel was a missed opportunity. I say this because I do like the story that is here.

The Presentation

If I had to say that there was a weak point to State of Decay it is for sure those ugly visuals. Now you may be thinking that this is just because it is an older game. That is not the case, this was even ugly back when it was first released. There is just a lack of fine detail and polish all around.

I would not say that this spoils the game and you do certainly get used to it. However, State of Decay is never going to win any awards for the way that it looks that is for sure!

The Gameplay

Thankfully State of Decay more than makes up for those ugly visuals in the gameplay department. I really, really like what they have done here. While you start off playing as Marcus, you do play as many other characters in the game as you progress. Survival is the main aim of the game, but how you do this is up to you. You have to build your base and this is way more in depth than you would think. Setting up bases along with outposts and homes for your survivors to live in are all key ingredients to having a “happier” group of survivors.

Speaking of your group of survivors I thought it was pretty cool how when you do come across people you can bring them back to join your community. Of course, doing this has both plusses and minuses so you always have to think before opening your doors to more people. I found the combat in State of Decay to be a lot of fun. The way the game does zombies is actually really cool. These are not all slow and dumb zombies, if they hear you, they will come running. You have a nice selection of different weapon types at your disposal and they can be upgraded and enhanced as you play.

Final Thoughts On State of Decay

I think that State of Decay is still a fun zombie survival game. It is rather slow paced, but that is intentional as survival is what this game is all about. It is cool the way that you can play the game to your own strengths. It is easy to look at the less than amazing graphics and pass on this one, but I do feel that it is worth playing.

Final Score: 8/10

Pros:

• The game has a fairly large world to explore
• Many different characters to play as and deal with
• Lots of choice in how you play
• I enjoyed what little story was here
• The combat is super fun

Cons:

• Even the enhanced PC version is not that good looking
• Some technical issues can cause the game to stutter on occasion