So the Steam summer sale is an evil, evil…glorious thing.
Thus far I have managed to only buy one game, but boy what a game it is. I
picked up State of Decay on impulse, seeing the description mention a blend of
third person zombie shooter and resource and team management, and I have
already put 7 hours into it this past weekend. Considering this was not a
gaming binge weekend and I have been fairly busy away from my computer, that’s
a good chunk of my at desk time. Going to be a bit vague on the story points,
even though in my opinion the overall story isn’t the big driver of this game,
but the small character stories and the game-play itself.
You start off with a buddy coming back from a camping trip,
secluded on your own little island away from the world for two weeks. In those
two weeks, as it usually goes in zombie stories, the world has gone to hell and
you return to a, well, State of Decay. This epidemic seems to have struck hard
and fast, because most of the places you go have much more dead than living. The
introductory area introduces you to a basic home base, little more than a space
where you have storage space, as your character can only carry what their
backpack allows, 8 for a small and 10 for a large (that’s all I have found so
far). This storage space works off a sort of currency you need to earn. By
completing missions and adding to the stockpiles you earn reputation with that
group of survivors. You then can spend this reputation to take things out of
storage. So if you have a gun that you toss into storage, it may earn you 50
reputation, which you can then use to get some food, medicine, and a couple
rounds of ammunition.
So in this first area, you mop up the campsites, and the
story then brings you to the local town. Here you meet a group of survivors
that take you in, some more grudgingly than others, and you are introduced to a
true home base. At your home base, you are allotted a set number of expansion
points in which you can build a garden, an infirmary, a workshop, a lookout
tower and more. You need to balance the needs of the group with the allotted
space of your base, which can be a bit tricky at times. The base is also where
your supplies are kept and managed, and where you will find your fellow
survivors with which you can readily interact. Some of these interactions get a
bit heated, as it is a post-apocalyptic setting, and not everyone (read no one)
is thrilled with it. Mini missions with different group mates increase your
reputation with them and can settle some short fuses in a less explosive
manner.
The supplies your party relies on are found through
scavenging, rightfully one of the largest parts of the game. You get to scout
from house to house, garage to shed, seeking anything and everything you can
use to survive. These items range from the all hallowed Twinkie, a snack that
can quickly boost your stamina in a pinch, to guns, various melee weapons and
painkillers for a quick healing boost. The more vital supplies, medicine for
your infirmary, substantial food for your group, lots of ammo, building
supplies for home base expansion and fuel are found in these scavenging runs
too. Unlike normal supplies you can fit in your pack, these vital supplies are
carried as rucksacks. They are heavy, slow you down significantly and you can
only carry one at a time. Bringing these back, as well as adding any of the
smaller items to the stockpiles, earns you reputation with your party, as well
as a boost to morale.
In addition to growing the group as a whole, skill management
comes down to the character by character level as well. Each character gets
four basic skills: Cardio, Wits, Fighting and Shooting; and an assortment of
specialized and joke skills as well. By using these skills, such as beating
zombies up for fighting, or shooting zombies in the face for shooting, they
level up and are then allowed to take specializations to further customize
them. Something I need to work on in my gameplay is spreading my gameplay out
amongst the playable characters. You need to get to a certain reputation level
on a character level to unlock them as playable, but it seems like most, if not
all, characters are playable. I keep thinking of the starting character of
Marcus as my player character, and the rest as alternates I can play when
Marcus needs a rest, but this has lopsided their skill-sets greatly.
Part of the game plays a bit in the GTA line of thinking;
that is there is a main storyline to follow with main quests, but there are
multiple side quests that pop up seeking my attention. They usually win in my
gameplay.
State of Decay is definitely a surprising favorite in my
books, with a great mix of action gameplay and team and resource management. I
know it’s only a matter of time before I screw up and one of my team members
who I have come to know and love will up and die, and the anxiety of that draws
me into the game even further. I just moved my base from the initial church to
a large warehouse to allow expansion of my survival group, and I look forward
to the new challenges the game has to offer.
The game isn’t without its faults, of course. The AI is
decent, though sometimes your team members refuse to move out of your way and
stand blocking a doorway as you try to toss a firebomb through. Luckily there
seems to be no friendly fire, or I’d be a lone survivor. I’ve noticed at times
the controls get a bit wonky, but that could just be my G13 keypad not playing
nicely, either way, it’s minor and usually is fixed by letting the game have a
second and then continuing on. The zombies will shift around a bit, sometimes
sitting, then suddenly standing, or halfway through a fence to suddenly on top,
but they are very minor things that have yet to hinder my enjoyment.
State of Decay can be found
here or on Steam for $9.99
There are 2 DLC packs available as well:
Breakdown adds a true open
world, infinite survival setup with a fully unlocked map. Your survival earns you points which you can
then compare to players around the world.
Lifeline
adds a new map to the game, as well as new players and a game-play mode where
you need to defend your base using all the best military equipment available.
If you need me, I’ll be in State of Decay……
-Mac
Sociopathic Score
The game is about surviving, but there is plenty of potential for Sociopathic tendencies, such as throwing members of your group out for no reason, or getting in a loud car PURELY to lure zombies towards you to run over, then back up over, and run over again....
Sophomoric Score
I've yet to see any real indication of immaturity programmed in. I'm sure you can find or add your own....
Strategic Score
You are leading a band of survivors in an attempt to stay alive in an ongoing zombie apocalypse, in charge of keeping on hand food, medicine, building supplies while making sure everyone is getting along and not suffering from depression or getting too trigger happy. I'd say this defines strategy.
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