State of Decay (Video Game)
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Developed by Undead Labs
Published by Microsoft Studios
Rated M for Mature
Available for Xbox 360 (reviewed)
Undead Labs managed to put a unique spin on survival horror with the newly released State of Decay. The main focus of the game is to survive and you start out by getting dropped smack in the middle of the zombie apocalypse. Literally, you start the game in the middle of fighting zombies and asking the age old question, “What the hell is going on here?”
State of Decay is an open world game were you are left to explore and scavenge for supplies while you try to figure out what to do next. Players must micromanage their resources and even their party members in order to survive the destruction around you. You will be able to meet up at safe zones were you will find other survivors, and you will be asked to complete various assignments throughout the game. Players will also be tasked with looting houses and abandoned buildings to find useful items for their journey.
Once you come together with other survivors then you will be tasked with developing your skills for the overall good of the group. Your community has the potential of expanding by finding various other survivors and then building outposts around the game’s world. While this may seem like too much work to some players, you have to remember that the game is about survival, and no one could survive the undead for long without a little help.
State of Decay is currently only single player but the developers have stated that the game will eventually grow into a MMO were you can share the adventure with your friends. The game still has plenty of things to do and enjoy in single player, but we can’t wait to see how this can be expanded upon with multiplayer.
The game’s audio plays a pivotal role in the eerie atmosphere and scary gameplay featured in State of Decay. There are a few glitches were zombie moans and music are a little out of sync, but overall the voice acting and soundtrack are spot on. State of Decay features an intricate world were everything in your environment is rich and detailed from the characters to the tall forest trees. While all of the game’s graphics aren’t completely perfect due to frame rate drops and texture vanishing–State of Decay still manages to deliver a visually stunning world that fully engages the player.
State of Decay delivers an intriguing story were you must gather resources, find other survivors and basically rebuild humanity from the ground up. Your community will change with the choices you make and the way you play which is tied directly to the progression of the story. State of Decay mixes strategy and survival horror for an overall enjoyable experience. You will need to build your community and maintain it through smart planning and well-developed strategies. Members of your community will all have their various skill sets and strengths, and you can pick which characters you want to play at various points in the game. After you get the hang of how things work then you can build relationships and scavenge for needed supplies.
State of Decay is a fresh take on the zombie genre and adds a slew of interesting new ideas to the mix. State of Decay mashes together simulation, strategy, and RPG elements for an entirely new experience in killing the undead. The game suffers from a few problems but still manages to provide a fresh new take on the zombie apocalypse.
State of Decay is now available on Xbox Live Arcade for 1,600 MS Points. Players can also try out the demo now completely free. To learn more, visit the official State of Decay website.
Features
4 out of 5
Categorized:Horror Gaming Reviews
