Days Gone is a 2019 action-adventure survival horror video game developed by Bend Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Windows. Set in a post-apocalyptic Oregon two years after the start of a global pandemic, former outlaw-turned-drifter Deacon St. John discovers the possibility of his wife Sarah still being alive, which leads Deacon on a quest to find her. Days Gone is played from a third-person perspective, in which the player can explore an open world environment. Players can use firearms, melee weapons and improvised weapons, and can use stealth to defend against hostile humans and cannibalistic creatures known as Freakers. A major game mechanic is Deacon’s motorcycle, which is used as the player character’s primary mode of transportation as well as mobile inventory.
Originally slated for a 2018 launch, Days Gone was delayed several times. The game eventually released on April 26, 2019. Upon release, it received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the open-world aspect, gameplay, and Sam Witwer‘s performance as Deacon, although the story, lack of character development, and several technical issues were criticized.
As part of Sony’s efforts to bring more of its first-party content to Microsoft Windows following Horizon Zero Dawn, Days Gone released on Windows on May 18, 2021.
Gameplay
In this gameplay screenshot, protagonist Deacon is being chased by a horde of Freakers.
Days Gone is an action-adventure survival horror game set in a post-apocalyptic open world, played from a third-person perspective. The player controls Deacon St. John (Sam Witwer), a former U.S. Army 10th Mountain Division Afghanistan War veteran outlaw-turned-drifter and bounty hunter who prefers life on the road to wilderness encampments.[3] The game takes place two years after a global pandemic occurred which killed almost all of humanity, and transformed millions of others into “Freakers”, mindless nocturnal zombie-like creatures that are quickly evolving.[3] In the E3 2016 stage demo, two types of Freakers were revealed, Newts and Swarmers.[4] In the E3 2017 stage demo, infected animals such as bears and wolves were revealed to also comprise the Freakers, and human enemies are revealed to be featured in the game as well.
The player can complete objectives in multiple ways, such as by using stealth mechanics, and long and short ranged weapons. A dynamic weather system and day-night cycle make Freakers weak and slow by day but fast and aggressive by night. Deacon’s main transportation vehicle is a motorcycle that can be modified with parts to enhance its speed, durability or maneuverability, among other parameters. The player can craft weapons that can be repaired after extended use. Player can pick up already crafted weapons from enemies. The player is able to craft new items to improve combat efficiency.[5]
Plot
In near future Oregon, the Freaker Virus has decimated the globe, turning a large portion of humanity into violent cannibals. Outlaw bikers Deacon St. John (Sam Witwer) and William “Boozer” Gray (Jim Pirri), alongside Deacon’s wife Sarah Whitaker (Courtnee Draper) attempt to flee to safety, and manage to find a helicopter run by the National Emergency Restoration Organization (NERO), with room for two more. While Sarah boards the helicopter, critically injured from a stab wound, Deacon decides to stay behind with Boozer. He promises to reunite with his wife.
Two years later, Deacon and Boozer work as mercenaries in the Pacific Northwest. Sarah is believed dead, as the NERO refugee camp where she was believed to have been staying was overrun by “Freakers”. The two men plan to head north, fleeing their enemies and searching for a better life, but their plans are interrupted when they are attacked by a gang of cultists, the Rippers. Boozer receives serious burn wounds on his arm, and he and Deacon hide in a safehouse to recover, where they learn that the Rippers have placed a bounty on their heads. Deacon sees a NERO research team being transported by helicopter, and he tracks down one of the scientists, James O’Brian (Bernardo de Paula). O’Brian reveals that Sarah’s helicopter was diverted to a different camp mid-flight, leaving the possibility that she is still alive.
Boozer’s health continues to decline, and Deacon takes him to the Lost Lake camp, led by “Iron” Mike Wilcox (Eric Allan Kramer) and Raymond “Skizzo” Sarkozi (Jason Spisak). As a doctor amputates Boozer’s gangrenous arm, O’Brian contacts Deacon, offering to help him find Sarah if Deacon aids in NERO’s ongoing research investigation. Meanwhile, Skizzo is distrustful of the Rippers’ uneasy alliance with Lost Lake, and cuts his own deal, turning Deacon over to the cult in the process. Deacon learns that the Rippers’ leader, “Carlos”, is actually Jessie Williamson (Scott Whyte), an enemy from his motorcycle club days. He manages to escape from the Rippers’ camp and breaks the dam above, drowning Jessie and the other Rippers.
Later, Deacon remembers that Sarah, a government researcher with federal security clearance, would have been prioritized during a camp evacuation, and O’Brian confirms that she was moved to a military outpost at Crater Lake, now under control of the Deschutes County Militia. He also warns Deacon that the Freakers are evolving, and becoming more dangerous over time. Deacon wins over the militia leader, Colonel Matthew Garret (Daniel Riordan), and reunites with Sarah, who is working to create a bioweapon to destroy the Freakers. Deacon and Sarah decide to head to her old lab to obtain a DNA sequencer, whereupon they discover that her research was used to develop the Freaker virus.
At the lab, Sarah reveals that she is not working to destroy the Freakers, but to cure them. Deacon suggests that they finish the cure at her lab, but an increasingly paranoid Garret puts Sarah under protective custody. Deacon attempts to save her, but is foiled and arrested by Skizzo. A sympathetic officer, Derrick Kouri (Phil Morris) frees Deacon, who returns to Lost Lake to find it decimated by the militia, who killed Wilcox. Deacon rallies the remaining members of the Lost Lake camp to strike back against the Militia by attacking their headquarters with a truck bomb. Deacon kills Skizzo and Sarah poisons Garret, dismantling the militia.
Deacon, Sarah, Boozer, and their friends settle at Lost Lake. Deacon is contacted by O’Brian again, who reveals that NERO always knew about the virus’ mutagenic effects, and that he himself is a mutated Freaker. He warns Deacon that NERO is coming, and that nothing will stop them.
Development and release
Production of Days Gone began in early 2015 under the working title Dead Don’t Ride. Technical director Christopher Reese stated that Bend Studio wanted it to “push the [PlayStation 4] somewhere it’s never been before.”[6] The game was revealed by Sony at their E3 2016 panel.[7] It was announced by Reese the game would utilize Unreal Engine 4[8] and would have “a very strong narrative”.[9] The original score was composed by Nathan Whitehead.[10]
John Garvin is the creative director and writer of the game, and Jeff Ross is the game director. The game was scheduled to be released on February 22, 2019, but was delayed to April 26, 2019, to allow the development team to polish the game. Announced via Twitter, development studio Bend confirmed Days Gone‘s gold status in a celebratory tweet and accompanying photo.[11]
Jason Schreier of Bloomberg reported that Bend Studio had pitched a sequel to Days Gone in 2019, though the proposal was rejected due to the mixed critical reception and lengthy development of the first game.[12]
A version for Microsoft Windows released on May 18, 2021.[2]
Gameplay design
During a Reddit Ask Me Anything event, lead designer Eric Jensen revealed that the open world mechanics of Days Gone were designed by a small team of five or six developers, and that they “had to think smart and efficient with all of our design choices knowing the manpower limitations”.[13]
Music
Nathan Whitehead composed the score for Days Gone, which was performed by the Nashville Scoring Orchestra and soloists.[14] The instrumentation was centered around guitar, which Whitehead said was an “obvious choice” both for the character of Deacon, a bounty hunter and biker, and for the Pacific Northwest setting.[15] To accommodate the interactivity of the video game medium, the score for Days Gone was built in layers that the game engine could add or subtract. As a result, the score dynamically changes in accordance with the actions of gameplay.