Zombies again. Will we ever get bored of them? If you’re not yet sated for shuffling nasties that want to eat you, State of Decay on the Xbox One may be worth ago. If you missed it the first time around on the Xbox 360, this version includes both the DLC packs and apparently updated graphics, although it does look very dated indeed.
You start the game being attacked by zombies as you beat them down and find your way to relative safety and are then introduced to the mechanic of finding a vantage point to scout around your location and also foraging for supplies to keep you alive. These range from the basic health and stamina items to keep you moving and breathing, to guns and weapons that deteriorate as you use them and random items that can be stashed for later.
The game’s not really a horror game, although there are moments of tensions and panic if you find yourself outnumbered – it’s more of a resource management and strategy game as you find your base, set up camp and try to get along with the survivors you find and bring back to base camp.
Combat is a mixture of melee action and gunplay and you’ll have to watch your stamina. Go in too heavy and you’ll be no good to anyone and end up being chewed on.
Cars around the unnamed area of the US can get you quickly from A to B but you’re more likely to be heard and seen by the walking dead. You can run them over or attempt to sneak round some of the hordes to avoid being chased down and nibbled on.
There’s also a progress system in play so the more you run the better your cardio gets, the same goes for aiming when firing guns and how effective you are when hitting soft heads with big sticks.
It’s a shame that State of Decay didn’t really grab me. The graphics certainly don’t hold up to scrutiny compared even to other games that have been re-mastered for the console and the controls are clunky and unwieldy. The permadeath system is interesting though. If you die when controlling one of the characters, you’ll respawn as a new survivor and have the option to go looking for what your previous guy was carrying – a bit like Zombi U on the Wii U.
If you really, REALLY like zombies and can’t get enough of them, you may want to give this a go. However, you may be better off playing some of the other ten million games out there that also have dead people walking around in them. State of Decay gets a decidedly average 5 out of 10.
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