State of Decay 2
Land of the dead
The first State Of Decay was a
good game that did itself no
favours. While players enjoyed
the freedom the open-world
survival horror title offered, the
glitch-prone gameplay made
investing time into it difficult. Despite this, Undead
Labs managed to shamble into making a sequel,
with full backing from Microsoft Studios to make its
brand of the living dead as potent as possible.
Along with a generally improved appearance, this
second outing boasts tighter action, more
advanced skill trees and settlement building, and a
more intuitive choice system for character
interaction. The emphasis this time around,
according to the team, is on developing the
relationship between advancing the story, searching
for essential supplies like ammo and medicine, and
taking care of your base. Balancing that lot will
become increasingly tricky, especially as the action
will be affected by how your gang back home are
doing day-to-day.
The lose-lose scenarios have increased, making
choosing who lives and who dies even more
unsettling. Certain skills, like Medic, are in short
supply, and making the wrong choice could mean
a world of pain later on. What’s worse, you can now
pick which member of your posse to play as,
meaning you can’t blame poor AI when your best
gunner gets torn to pieces. It’s all your fault now.