PlayStation is known for its hard-hitting and genre-defining console exclusives. Major titles such as Uncharted, God of War, The Last Of Us, and Spider-Man have shown time and time again that PlayStation exclusives are well worth the time and investment in the console. These titles have helped build the expectation of quality that PlayStation exclusives have earned over the years. This is precisely why one of the most underrated exclusives of 2019 is a must-play and deserves way more love than it received at launch.

Bend Studio’s Days Gone launched on April 26th, 2019 with very mixed reviews. Many complained about the performance of the game and detailed how such an unfinished product could launch as a PlayStation exclusive since so many titles before it had defied expectations and quality assurance. Well. I was one of those lucky fans that played the game on day one expecting it to be a total train wreck. What I got out of my 80-something-hour playthrough was pure astonishment at how much this game did not deserve the negative treatment it received.

Days Gone is a fantastic open-world action game with light survival mechanics and heavy zombie shooting. The premise is easy enough to excite any zombie fan, with the promise of enormous zombie hordes to annihilate and a story that progressively unfolds the longer you play.

The issue with Days Gone was not the gameplay, but the lack of polish that the game launched with and the sporadic dips in performance that just weren't common in PlayStation exclusive titles. This was a time during the end of the PS4’s life cycle and the expectations for this game were set high. Very high.

Not long after launch, Bend Studio released a patch that fixed the majority of the issues that plagued the game and started releasing post-launch content. The free updates included a brand new game mode that placed players in a challenge mode with hordes of freakers and pitted them to last as long as possible. Players can choose to play as a number of different characters helping add replayability to an already huge game. With the addition of a Survivor difficulty and New Game Plus option, the game had evolved into a fuller package and offered more content for its players.

The story of Days Gone had been critiqued by many and rightfully so. It doesn't deliver on the same level as The Last Of Us or God of War, but it does mold its main protagonist in such a way that keeps you invested in the character throughout the game. Deacon’s struggles, relationships, and overall arc are thoroughly explored in this game and it is a rollercoaster of emotions. 

No spoilers here, but although the game starts off slow with the plot and character development it straps you in for one hell of a ride by the end of the game. The build-up to the end is a very “edge of your seat” thrill and it delivers not only a satisfying end but also raises questions for what’s to come next. For a zombie game, a trope that has been done a thousand times over, this feat is exceptional and more than anyone could ask for.

As for gameplay, Days Gone offers an open world zombie action game at great scale. The world map is very large and pleasantly diverse, the zombie hordes are a sight to behold and arguably have the most zombies on screen next to the Dead Rising franchise.

Bend Studio had recently streamed Days Gone to celebrate the third anniversary of the game. You can check out the stream on their official Twitch and celebrate along with them. This game may not be absolute perfection and might have been unfairly compared to The Last Of Us one too many times. But it absolutely is an incredibly fun open-world title that any action survival fan needs to try. Here’s to hoping PlayStation decides to greenlight a Days Gone sequel so we can get more answers to that crazy cliffhanger ending!

Days Gone is available for free for all PlayStation Plus subscribers as part of the Playstation Plus Collection for PS5. It is also available on PC via Steam and EGS.