Back in 2018, I got my first look at Days Gone, the post-apocalyptic open-world stealth/action game developed by Bend Studio, whose previous works, entries in Syphon Filter, were among some of my favorites to play on the first PlayStation. Granted, my impressions of it at a game show weren’t exactly colorful, but it did what it aimed to do, and by the time of release, Days Gone garnered a faithful audience that to this moment is still on Sony’s neck wishfully looking for a near-impossible sequel.
Later down the line, a PC port came about as part of the company’s new line of re-releasing PlayStation 4 (and now 5) on personal computers. It was a praise-worthy version for sure, one that was technically impressive, pushing the work the studio did to new heights, and most surprisingly, all done during a tumultuous time in our recent history, the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, we’re getting an even more tuned out release of Days Gone, one that aims to make use of the successor console’s more capable hardware, and by all accounts, it’s a hit.
But how does it feel to replay Days Gone years after its release, where its themes eerily resonate with our actual reality in some ways, especially after going through a traumatic point in time? Surely, us as videogame fans are no strangers to the post-apocalypse, especially one that’s tied to a vicious pandemic, but given that, unlike The Last of Us, Days Gone lets you roam around and see all the damage that has been done, even more now with the better visuals and other bells and whistles, heck, I found it to be even more disturbing.
Let’s start with exactly those, the bells and whistles. Days Gone Remastered features much higher fidelity just about everywhere: better resolution, a more stable framerate, but to me, the biggest addition is haptic feedback. If you’ve read my Returnal review, you know that I’m a big proponent of this technology, which was masterfully used by Housemarque in that game and is now part of Days Gone. It feels great having the resistance when pushing a trigger and the slight rumble of nearby threats and collectibles, for sure.
It would be hard to imagine them fumbling the presentation in a second re-release such as this, so in terms of visuals, for as good as they are now, they’re just something to be taken for granted. The feedback, yeah, it’s another aspect of the package entirely. It adds to the immersion and works magnificently well. Regardless of your own opinion of the base game, it’s difficult to deny that it was something that one could spend more than a handful of hours plopping about the Oregon wasteland, and having more ways to get yourself deeper into the experience can only be counter as a plus.
Speaking of pluses, we should talk about the new gameplay modes. Hardcore goes without saying – your chance to play through the game with a host of ease-of-life features turned off, most importantly, protagonist Deacon St John’s ability to respawn. One mistake and your days will be poof, er… gone. Then there’s an improved horde mode that starts you off with a peashooter and increasingly more plenty to shoot at as you struggle to survive for as long as you can.
Much like The Last of Us Part II Remastered, this horde mode brings a host of unlockables to be earned as you play, like new weapons and characters, and in the say way, all of them help change things up by introducing quirks and abilities, which will be welcome to those who decide to sink their teeth into this mode in particular. Coming in as someone who much rather stealth about and not attract too much attention, I wasn’t too drawn into playing it, but can appreciate having the choice to.
These modes along with the presentational additions compose the entirety of the Days Gone Remastered package. If you have somehow missed playing the game the first time around, even with it being part of PS Plus and a number of deep discounts over the years and have a PlayStation 5 ready to go, this is by far the best way to experience Days Gone.
