Plat Runner 07: Days Gone

For my 60th Platinum I was going to get Uncharted 3 or maybe Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell, instead I set my sights on finishing a larger task and finished those two before hand. 

Days Gone wasn't received too well by a lot of critics on release. The quote I recall reading was this: "Days Gone is a game that tries to do many things and does none of them well..."

This put me off of buying the game when I got my PS4 and it could not have been further from the truth. Days Gone is easily one of my favourite gaming experiences of all time. The world is so rich and well considered, the story emotive, yet not gruellingly depressing like most releases I have played of late. The games story is a solid 40-45 hours and the platinum you're looking at 60-70 depending on your play style.  

At the start of the game you are faced with the task of surviving the post apocalyptic state of Oregon. To begin with you are under-equipped and your bike is poor. The fights are a struggle and even small skirmishes are a very real mortal threat. As the game progresses your skills and firepower scales with the environment. When you get to the final regions you are dealing with hordes of undead in the 200+ bracket, bringing a different level of intensity to the experience. 

While many have said there are better games and other games do certain aspects better, there is nothing quite like Days Gone. The social drama is better than The Walking Dead, more believable and grounded in our reality. It isn't a soap opera, the characters feel real and the narrative touches on a whole host of world issues. None of this is shoved down your throat either, it is subtle world building. Small glimmers in conversations and found collectables really reveal the greater world. While it is possible to plough through the game, you would be missing most of what makes the game special. 

Days Gone brings content in spades and keeps both the sandbox gaming and horror genre fresh and enticing. Once the game is over there is still a rather large amount of side missions to be carried out that tie up all of the loose ends nicely. While there is more than enough room for a sequel, if one never came I would still feel fulfilled and content. 

I would recommend this to any plat hunter that hasn't played it yet, who has the time to dedicate to the game. 

Hints and Tips

• There are no missable trophies, so play the game and enjoy it.

• If you are finding fighting hordes hard just avoid them until the end game.

• If you are skilled enough to wipe out hordes early the weapon rewards make the entire game much easier. 

• There is no difficulty requirement. You can play on easy all the way.

• If at the end of the game you are getting worn down hunting collectables Iron Butte has 13 RIP Sermons that are all very close to one another (They are speakers that broadcast religious sermons).

• There are two points of no return, but do not fear as by the end of the game everything opens up again, allowing you to tie up any loose ends.

• You've Got Red on You, requires you to loot 541 corpses, which you cant do if your inventory is full. Make sure to craft and use items often or this may be a real grind at the end of the game. Even actively looting corpses I only got this towards the end of the game. The undead don't count here.

• For the more intense trophy hunters the DLC trophies require you to play on harder difficulties and also a New Game +, as well as gold ranking the challenge mode, which is hard!