Days gone dead before daylight challenge

Your one stop shop for all things Days Gone for the PlayStation 5 launch week!

In case you missed anything, check out all the new information below…

NEW LOOK

Bend Studio celebrated the launch of the PlayStation 5 this week with new artwork for Days Gone! When you search on the PlayStation Store or boot up your PS5, Days Gone will now be graced with an awesome new look. (Blue: Standard Edition, Red: Digital Deluxe Edition)

SHARE YOUR DAYS GONE PS5 SHOTS

Bend Studio is looking for your new photo mode shots from the PlayStation 5 over the next couple of weeks. Make sure to use the tag #DaysGonePS5 for a chance to be featured on their page!

FIRST REACTION TO DAYS GONE ON THE PS5

HANDS-ON IMPRESSIONS OF DAYS GONE ON THE PS5

NEW PHOTOS

Photos by @vikingdad278

Captured on the PlayStation 5 in Photo Mode

LIVE STREAMS

Starting the story all over again on the PlayStation 5!

November 14 – 9:30 PM EST & November 15 – 9:30 PM EST

Watch on twitch.tv/thebrokenroad

Hey Mongrels! The PlayStation 5 will be landing in my house on Thursday, November 12th! I am beyond excited to finally hold the DualSense controller in my hands, play more incredible games and experience the full effect of next gen. With the backwards compatibility function and Days Gone receiving a PlayStation 5 upgrade with up to 60 FPS and Dynamic 4K, I am treating this like a brand new game release. That means you can expect to see a lot of content showing off the PlayStation 5 version of Days Gone on the weekend of launch. Check out the schedule below:

Friday, November 13

• Hands-On Impressions

Saturday, November 14

• Live stream at 9:30pm EST as I start the story all over again with New Game + on Survival II difficulty

Sunday, November 15

• Continuing the story with another live stream at 9:30pm EST

Catch all the live streams at twitch.tv/thebrokenroad or view them later on YouTube. Plus, expect new in-game photos scattered over the weekend on Twitter and Instagram to display the graphics of Days Gone on the PlayStation 5. In the meantime, head on over to our Days Gone Discord or r/DaysGone to talk everything and anything about the game.

Earlier today, Bend Studio announced some exciting news. Days Gone will run up to 60 FPS with Dynamic 4K on the PlayStation 5. Plus, you will be able to transfer your saves from the PlayStation 4 to the PlayStation 5 via PS Plus cloud or by a USB drive.

If you're taking a ride on the Broken Road for the first time, or finishing up NG+, here's what you can expect when you boot up #DaysGone on the #PS5:

📺 Up to 60FPS w/ Dynamic 4K
💾 Save Transfers from PS4 to PS5 pic.twitter.com/qP2ugQO4hc

— Bend Studio #DaysGone (@BendStudio) November 3, 2020

You can take advantage of the new PlayStation 5 upgrade on launch day by visiting the PS Plus Collection. Days Gone is included here with 19 other generation-defining games on the PlayStation 5 with no additional cost (as long as you are an active PS Plus subscriber).

Rev up your Drifter bike and head out across the Broken Road to experience the best Days Gone has to offer on PlayStation 5 on November 12th.

*Patch 1.70 will be required to install before playing.

With the addition of Days Gone to PS Now today, I put together a “starter kit” for all new players who are about to embark on an epic ride. Below, you will find my previous blog posts that include My Thoughts on Days Gone, A Beginner’s Guide and how Bend Studio Proved the Review Scores Wrong. Each post is tailored to new players in mind and contains zero spoilers. (I’m a stickler for spoilers, so do need to worry on having your experience ruined.) You will also find a gallery of in-game photos that I captured to display the high quality graphics Days Gone provides.

*Days Gone will be available to play on PS Now until January 5, 2021. You can sign up for a free 7 day trial on PS Now HERE to begin riding the broken road.*

For PlayStation 5 owners, you can play Days Gone through the PS Plus Collection for free with an active PS Plus subscription. Days Gone is receiving a PlayStation 5 upgrade with up to 60 FPS and Dynamic 4K. Your PS4 saves will also transfer to the PS5 via the PS Plus cloud or a USB drive.

A Beginner’s Guide

Excerpt: The world of Days Gone is unforgiving, and any advantages you can get can be beneficial to your survival. There are four important elements in helping you survive the post-apocalyptic Pacific Northwest; bike upgrades, weapons, skills and boosts. I want to give you some advice on what to focus on and how it can help you gain an advantage early on.

Read the FULL VERSION

My Thoughts on Days Gone

Excerpt: Things are constantly changing in the game from enemies, to the environment, camps and hordes. It creates for fun gameplay when you must strategize with what weapons you should use on which enemy, but also how to keep your supplies lasting just long enough to finish the mission. You can enter a camp guns blazing or go in stealthy. There is an assortment of weapons to choose from to your specific playstyle. I never once felt bored in this world. If anything, I was constantly on the edge of my seat being terrified on what was coming for me next.

Read the FULL VERSION

Bend Studio Proved the Review Scores Wrong with Days Gone

Excerpt: Days Gone was nominated for multiple awards in 2019 and rightfully snagged a few of them. Days Gone received PlayStation Game of the Year and Best Storytelling for the 37th Golden Joystick Awards. Days Gone also won 2019 Best Visual Design for the TIGA Games Industry Awards.

Read the FULL VERSION

In-Game Photos

Browse the GALLERY

Download mobile wallpapers

For more Days Gone, go to:

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It’s October, so you know what that means – spooky season time! As the leaves begin to change colors, the air gets a little cooler, football is back on television and pumpkin spice flavored everything is here, our eyes are set upon the conclusion of the month with Halloween. This is the time of year when people watch horror movies, play scary games and delve into the creepy and dark stories that make our hairs on the back of our necks stand up. With that, this year I wanted to take advantage of the horror themes in Days Gone and enjoy the spooky month of October with… Days Gone FreakFest!

Days Gone FreakFest will run all month long ending at the end of the night on October 31st and will replace #VPDaysGone for this month only. This little event invites you to celebrate the Halloween season by sharing the horror of Days Gone. This can include video clips, gifs, screenshots, photo edits and anything else horrific and creative! From a short video clip of you taking down a horde, to a shot captured of a Freaker in photo mode and everything in between. All you have to do is use #DaysGoneFreakFest to participate. Have a spooktacular time!

*Due to the change for this month, there will be no #VPDaysGone Feature of the Month. Feel free to share as much Days Gone horror as you want! All your posts will be added to a Moment on Twitter at the end of the month. Plus, a weekly moment called Freaker Friday highlighting that week’s photos/videos for the event.

Boss fights in games aim to test your skill, introduce new enemies and aid in moving the story forward. Sometimes a fight may take you several attempts to defeat, but when you do it feels like a huge accomplishment. In my opinion, the best games have the most memorable and challenging boss fights. You immediately connect that games enemy to an encounter you had with them. For example, when we think of God of War our minds immediately go to the challenging Valkyries. Moments like that in games gets your heart racing, palms sweaty and a stubborn drive to beat that boss before you go to bed. Days Gone has multiple boss fights that checks those boxes. I present to you my top ten favorite boss fights in Days Gone… (I obviously did not include ALL the hordes, only the ones that connected to the story.)

**WARNING! Spoilers below!**

10. Bear

Luckily, this is just a normal bear but it is the first boss fight in the game. It still provides a challenge as you take it on with low ranked weapons. Make sure you grab some ammo before getting to Hungry Jim’s. Hint: There’s a police car on your way shortly after the house you find Lisa in. Find the flammable barrels and propane tanks to make the fight a little easier for yourself.

9. Skizzo

As bad as it sounds, it was the most satisfying conclusion to a character arc.  Deacon was stabbed in the back one too many times by this guy and he rightfully got what was coming to him at the end. This boss fight is rolled into one with the attack on Wizard Island as Deacon makes his way through the camp mowing down the militia. Only Skizzo remains. Right before you enter Colonel Garret’s chambers, you must roll between barrels avoiding his shots and then sprint forward to finish him off with a cinematic cut scene and quick time event.

8. Rager Bear (2nd encounter)

Heading back to the spot where Deacon lost his bike in the beginning of the game, he picks up the tracks to try and find Manny. To get to Manny, you must face a few Freakers (dead and alive) and a camp full of Marauders. Once they are all defeated, you may think you’re done with the mission. Then, here comes a Rager bear to enter the scene. Keep your distance and fire away!

7. Carlos

This was the most challenging fight for me. Boss fights that rely on countering attacks are a weakness of mine and Carlos proved that. No weapons, critically low health and a woozy Deacon made this fight unique amongst the rest.

6. Chemult Horde

The first horde in the story. Everything you’ve learned, the upgrades you’ve received and the weapons you’ve gained are for this moment. It’s time to test your skills and to see what the Napalm Molotov can really do. Plan your attack and execute.

5. Iron Butte Horde

The second biggest horde in the game with a fun playground to take it on. Use the propane trucks and flammable barrels scattered around to cut the horde down. Climb onto semi-trucks for a good vantage point as it provides a clear line of fire, and a perfect spot to throw down Molotovs on top of Freakers.

4. Rager Bear (1st encounter)

Riding over the Thielsen Pass was a beautiful moment. Once you reach the top of the Pass, Deacon takes the picture of Sarah out in hopes he will find her. However, that peace abruptly ends with a blast. Deacon rides down the trail to find two people trapped on a roof with a Rager bear below clawing at them. Now, it becomes a man vs. beast fight in the post-apocalyptic winter wonderland.

3. Reacher

As you make your way through the dark cave with the only directional light coming from the red glare of the flares, the anticipation looms. From O’Brian’s conversation you know that a new type of evolved Freaker lurks somewhere in the cave. Deacon finds a few NERO soldiers that died in gruesome ways, something he hasn’t seen out in the shit yet. You get to the end of the trail to discover a NERO scientist on his last breath. Then, a terrifying growl is heard as the Reacher flashes across the screen. It is faster and tougher than any Freaker yet! That’s not the only thing you should worry about though. Your consolation prize for defeating the Reacher is a… horde!

2. Breaker

The atmosphere is hard to beat with this boss fight. A memorable moment in Days Gone is painted in the middle of Ripper territory, pouring down rain and a crashed plane serving as the backdrop. This is where you get introduced to the Breaker, a strong, fast and tough enemy that will take a lot of ammo to take down. Not only is this a fun boss fight, but you know that you must recover the antibiotics to save Boozer’s life. 

1. Old Sawmill Horde

My favorite boss fight and favorite gameplay moment of Days Gone is the Old Sawmill horde. From the level design, to the technical achievement, the atmosphere and the pure adrenaline rush, this is not only my favorite boss fight in Days Gone, but of all games. Nothing compares to 500 Freakers on the screen at the same time chasing you down. This isn’t just a one on one battle. It’s a fight to survive, to use strategy and to use all your resources to get the job done. Just like the rest of the hordes in the game, there are multiple ways to defeat this horde due to the large sandbox they give you to tackle it whatever way you want.

Over the summer last year, Bend Studio added 12 free challenges to Days Gone to test player’s skills in various ways. Recently, I was reminiscing about the pure excitement I had every Friday waiting to get my thumbs on the sticks to play the next challenge. Feeling the adrenaline rush as you take on an unlimited horde, or the pressure as you race across the map on your drifter bike to complete a trial, the challenges were unique and an absolute blast to play. Occasionally I go back to the challenges to try and beat my previous high scores and move up in the leaderboards. Challenge modes usually are not my cup of tea in games, but these challenges were done so well that I couldn’t (and still can’t) stay away from them. That gave me the idea to rank all 12 challenges from hardest to easiest. If you are one of those players that haven’t tried the challenges yet, maybe this list will help you begin where to start to boost your confidence and start earning some credits.

*Each challenge shows a Gold rank run

12. OUTRIDE

This challenge took me way more hours than I would like to admit. You need to be almost flawless with your bike skills for this one to achieve the gold score.

Tip: Best rings to use – Engine, Tire/Snake

11. SURROUNDED

In my opinion, this was the hardest horde challenge and was actually the very first challenge that was released. It took me a few weeks to finally get gold on this one. Surrounded is the perfect name for this challenge because Freakers will come at you from everywhere!

Tip: Best rings to use – Bullets, Ram

10. SURVIVE

Headshots, headshots and headshots. Surviving this challenge is more than just taking down waves of enemies. You need to be proficient with your marksman skills to achieve the highest score possible and come away with gold.

Tip: Best rings to use – 1%ER, Lionheart/Joker

9. AMBUSH CAMP RUSH

There’s not another challenge like this one. Whether you go in guns blazing or take the stealthy approach, you must calculate each move to get the best possible score.

Tip: Best rings to use – Fleur De Lis, Vampire

8. DRIFTER’S RUN

You either love the bike challenges or hate them. Learn the best possible path, nail the ramps and drift to your heart’s content and you will achieve that sweet gold rank as you cross the snowy finish line.

Tip: Best rings to use – Engine, Snake

7. DEAD DON’T RIDE

Two words… Crazy Taxi.

Rings don’t matter here

6. DEAD BEFORE DAYLIGHT

Are you claustrophobic? This may not be the challenge for you. Survive the night in the cabin as Freakers barge through windows and doors as you fight for every breath. Hint: Head upstairs… There’s a surprise that you don’t want to miss.

Tip: Best rings to use – Lionheart, Reaper

5. RELOAD

What do you get when you have a sniper rifle and a horde of Freakers? A ton of chaos and fun! Plus, if you like explosions then this one is for you.

Tip: Best rings to use – Bullets, Ram

4. BLACK FRIDAY

Old Sawmill. Good luck.

Tip: Best rings to use – Bullets, Ram

3. HOG WILD

You will hit a lot of trees in this one. Riding the twists and turns of the Cascade region can be dangerous, but once you master steering you’re in for the funnest bike challenge out of them all.

Tip: Best rings to use – Engine, Tire/Snake

2. KEEP THEM SAFER

Whether I tackle this horde in the game or in the challenge, I came to the conclusion that it is one of my favorite hordes to face. It’s the second biggest horde in the game with 300 Freakers. In this challenge, you must avoid rolling and utilize your crossbow to earn gold. It sounds intimidating, but if you know the layout of the level well it should be easier than you think.

Tip: Best rings to use – Ram, Fleur De Lis

1. INFESTED

On my very first try, I achieved gold on this challenge. However, the sub-challenges are more difficult to achieve, which makes my number one easiest challenge tricky. If you want to simply get gold, then you can very well knock it out without getting gold on all the sub-challenges – it may just take a little longer.

Tip: Best rings to use – Bullets, Ram

There you have it, my personal rankings of all 12 challenges! Remember, the challenges that were difficult to me may be easy for you and vice versa. Jump into one of the challenges and give it a shot if you haven’t. Your skills may surprise you! Plus, by completing each challenge and ranking in each one, you get a new patch that boosts your stats and carries over to the main story. They look pretty snazzy on Deacon’s vest too! You can also equip the bike skins you unlock in the challenges to the story.

Let me know what challenges were the easiest and hardest for you in the comments below or on Twitter!

In last week’s PS I Love You XOXO podcast by Greg Miller and Blessing from Kinda Funny games, they conducted a 72-game tournament to decide the best PS4 exclusive ever. That got me thinking, how can I put my Days Gone touch on that?

I present to you our exclusive Days Gone Best Character tournament! The bracket includes 32 different characters in Days Gone that YOU will vote on to choose the best Days Gone character. Including bounties, minor characters and Freaker types there are over 50 total characters in Days Gone. I narrowed that down to 32 to fit the tournament style format. The 32 characters were based on screen time, impact in the story and how familiar the characters would be to the player.

Here is the bracket:

How It Works

Each day for the next 31 days, I will post one matchup on Twitter as a poll for you to vote on. The first matchup will be in the Lost Lake bracket with number 1 seed Deacon vs. number 8 seed Blair. The poll will stay up for 24 hours with the winner being chosen by you. The following day we will continue to move down the left side of the bracket. After the first round is complete on both sides, an updated bracket graphic will be shared to show you where the field stands before we move on to the second round.

I hope you enjoy this little event and I look forward to seeing the results! Bonus: Share your predictions with me by filling out your own bracket before voting begins.

First matchup will be up tomorrow!

After completing Days Gone again recently, I started to think about the future of the story and the possibilities that it could lead to. Days Gone provided players with a brand new world, new location, new enemies and a new story told through world-building pieces, environmental story-telling and the overall narrative. It gave us a lot of answers on the post-apocalyptic world, but left a lot of questions as well. Here are my top eight questions that Days Gone 2 might answer.

WARNING!

**MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!**

Will Boozer be able to ride again?

The tragedy Boozer faced in Days Gone was heartbreaking. He was on the verge of taking his own life after losing his arm during the Drinking Himself to Death mission. With the help of Deacon, Boozer found a reason to live and to keep going. He may not be able to ride anymore, but is it a possibility for the future?

It’s pretty difficult trying to ride a motorcycle with one arm, but that ice cream scoop can shift one hell of a gear in a truck. What will Rikki come up with to give Boozer the ability to ride the broken road again? If she weaponized the Boozeman, I’m sure she has more ideas up her mechanical sleeve. At the end of the game, Boozer gets pulled back to Lost Lake in a wheelchair attached to the back of Rikki’s bike. There was also concept art in The Art of Days Gone book that includes a three-wheeler bike that was not seen in the game. Maybe this is how we see the drifter boys riding together again?

Does Sarah find a cure?

The main question we should ask ourselves, is a cure even possible? Sarah’s time at Wizard Island consisted solely on research to try and find a cure. With Deacon, she gathered the final supplies she needed at Cloverdale and Chemult Community College to be able to test her research on a Newt. After all her work, her mission failed. Which brings us back to the question, is a cure even possible?

Since Colonel Garret and the militia are eliminated, Sarah now has free rein to conduct her research at Cloverdale. What other supplies will she need? How far will they need to travel to gather the said supplies? If anyone can create a cure for the virus, Sarah is the one to save humanity.

How many more “O’Brians” is there?

The biggest twist in the game comes post-credits from the mission There’s Nothing You Can Do. This is where we see the big reveal from the man behind the mask we’ve been following the whole game. The Freakers are evolving and in ways we didn’t see coming. O’Brian takes off his mask and we see that young intern we encountered at the beginning of the game slowly turning into one of “them.” This is called the Intelligent Freaker type and the only one we have seen so far. O’Brian implies that there is more of him at NERO with the chilling words…

“They’re coming.”

“There’s nothing you can do to stop them.”

How many Intelligent Freakers are under NERO’s control? That’s the question that should terrify us. Do we see a horde of this type of Freaker? Will they be able to carry weapons? (That would just be unfair!) This scene should get you really excited for the future of Days Gone!

Do we find the headquarters to NERO?

Will Deacon make it a mission to search out the headquarters for NERO? I don’t think Deacon is a man to just ignore the warning O’Brian gave him. Just like the strategy he used for Wizard Island with “hitting them first,” Deacon will want to find exactly what O’Brian warned of. Following the helicopters is the only lead Deacon has right now, but how far will he have to follow them? If Deacon is able to find the headquarters, will the camps be enough to take NERO on? How close do you think NERO is to our camps in Oregon? There are so many questions to this world that we still need to uncover and that’s what makes this story fascinating!

Will we see Kouri again?

After Kouri saved Deacon from being hung at the hands of Colonel Garret, Kouri and a couple of his men went east heading towards Reno. That was the last we saw from him after the passing of mutual respect between him and Deacon. Kouri asked Deacon to come with him, but he respected and understood Deacon’s actions to continue on to save Sarah and defeat the militia. (A part of me thought that we were going to see Kouri come back at the end and fight Wizard Island with Deacon.) I truly believe “Reno” was mentioned for a reason here.

Does Kouri make it to Reno? If so, I could see him building a new camp where he takes command and helps build a network to the other camps in Oregon. Maybe he doesn’t make it to Reno due to unforeseeable reasons and heads back to help Deacon with Lost Lake? Whatever the case, I surely hope we see Derrick Kouri again.

Will a new leader rise from the Rippers?

Yes, Deacon and Boozer single-handedly (see what I did there) took out the Rippers including their leader Carlos. However, there are some stranglers that still roam around. Not all the Rippers were at their camp when the dam exploded and flooded it. Will one of the Rippers want to take revenge for Carlos after they find out what happened? Will the legacy of Carlos live on and still unite the cult in One Mind? The Rippers have been around since after the outbreak happened and they have accumulated a lot of followers. I wouldn’t be surprised if a small band of Rippers rise up and become deadlier than before…

Does Lisa stay at Lost Lake?

After the credits roll, we get one last scene with Lisa Jackson. She rides up to the gate of Lost Lake and gets misidentified by the guard thinking she is a Ripper. Deacon arrives just in time to deflate the heated conflict and talks to Lisa for the first time since they parted ways at the Ripper’s camp. She comes to Lost Lake with a bag full of bounties and insisting to Deacon that she does not want to stay.

Lisa is a survivor and now taking on the role of drifter. As she speaks to Deacon about not wanting to stay at a camp, we immediately see the resemblance of Deacon from the beginning of the game. That brings us to the question, will she continue her daily life as a drifter, or will Deacon and the others convince her to stay? I for one hope she does stay, and becomes part of the camp with our core group of characters. Watching her tragic storyline unfold, I anticipate seeing a larger role for Lisa in the next game.

Do we leave Oregon?

The militia is defeated, the hordes are eliminated and the main camps are for the most part united. I really enjoy riding around the high desert of Oregon and taking in the beautiful landscape is one of the best things about Days Gone, but how much longer can we stay? Cloverdale is a critical piece in the puzzle and could be the main reason why this will always be the central point to the story. We may even see a camp move there to live due to the electric fence, crops and large building to hold survivors. I have a feeling we may have to venture out further than the areas we already explored.

Finding the NERO headquarters or meeting up with Kouri at Reno are two possibilities that could lead Deacon and company out of Oregon for a period of time. Another possibility could be in search of rare supplies to help with Sarah’s research at Cloverdale. If we do leave Oregon, I believe this will be one of the reasons why.

What are some of your burning questions you want Days Gone 2 to answer? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter!

It’s time to let the past die. Kill it, if you have to. That’s the only way to enjoy a video game that was meant to be great. No, I’m not trying to bring anyone to the dark side here, but am referring to video game review scores especially concerning Days Gone by Bend Studio.

We are in an age of video games where we are spoiled by the quality of graphics, storytelling and developers pushing the creative envelope. Games are so large and ambitious that sometimes players run into a glitch or two. Before, once a game was released nothing could be done, but now any known issues that arise can be patched and updated to give the players as perfect of a game as possible. I think us as players take that for granted. Post-launch support from studios should be praised more because it shows they care about their work. Games take a long time to make and there is a lot behind the scenes we don’t see in the development process. So, next time you play a game that isn’t 100% perfect, sit back and just relax. The people who make these games are gamers just like you and I. They want to enjoy the game the same way you do.

Unfortunately, those immediate bugs don’t receive the same forgiveness by the critics. Days Gone won’t get the same treatment as games like No Man’s Sky or Star Wars Battlefront II because single player driven games don’t get the luxury of having their review scores updated. Both games mentioned prior rightfully deserve that praise after turning a sour launch into two successful games as a service for their communities. What I’m trying to say is that launch scores don’t correlate to the successfulness of a game. We all know Days Gone received mediocre scores when it was released, but you also have to take into consideration the state of the game that the reviewers had before the game was even out to the general public yet. When is it time for the players to throw away the review scores?

A little over a year later since Days Gone was released back in April 2019, word of mouth from players and the financial selling success makes those review scores moot at this point. According to the NPD Group (via Venture Beat), Days Gone was the 8th best-selling PlayStation 4 game of 2019, making it the top PlayStation selling exclusive last year. Plus, it made the top 10 best-selling digital games in 2019 too, selling more than major titles like Mortal Kombat 11 and Borderlands 3 according to @BenjiSales. However, I still receive so many questions whether to buy the game even now because of those same review scores. If you are still on the fence about purchasing Days Gone, I am here today to show you that you need to ignore the scores at this point because it is not a fair reflection of the current game. I honestly never understood the review scores in the first place, but thats a topic for another day. Bend Studio showed massive support for Days Gone from day one all the way up to January of this year. From general fixes and performance issues, to free added content, accessibility options and more.

Free Added Content

During the summer months of 2019, players were able to jump into brand new challenge modes every Friday for 12 straight weeks. The challenge modes aimed to test your skills in a variety of ways including timed trials on the bike, unlimited hordes, crazy taxi using a golf cart and surviving ambush camps. Each challenge consisted of three sub-challenges where you could earn credits by receiving gold, silver or bronze rank to unlock character skins, bike skins, rings to help achieve higher scores and patches with boosted stats that carry over to the story. All of this was completely free! The challenge modes are a permanent feature on Days Gone and they can be accessed at any time. Whether you are a brand new player who hasn’t started the story yet or a veteran that’s beaten the game multiple times you can hop right into the challenges from the main menu.

Customizing your drifter bike is a huge component in Days Gone. From performance upgrades, to visual upgrades and the color or design of your bike’s paint job there is a wide range of selection to make the bike your style. Bend Studio collaborated with other Sony studios such as Santa Monica, Naughty Dog, Guerilla and others to create unique bike skins based on their games. You can choose to ride the broken road using a God of War bike skin, Horizon Zero Dawn, Uncharted, Concrete Genie and Death Stranding. Bend Studio even added a nod to their previous games, Syphon Filter. Once again, all of this was free to every player!

The most requested feature from players was also added to Days Gone, New Game Plus. Bend took it one step further though and added a brand new weapon to New Game Plus, the BND-150. This weapon is a powerful sniper rifle with multiple different types of ammo serving as another nod to Syphon Filter. Not only did they add this game mode, but added more gameplay difficulties as well including Hard II, Survival and Survival II. The Survival modes eliminate the HUD (you can momentarily pull it up by pressing L3) and fast travel creating an immersive experience in the harsh Pacific Northwest.

Another added feature was the ability to reset Hordes, Ambush Camps and Infestation Zones as much as you want. This gives you more playability and let’s you experiment different ways to tackle the open world. Take a look at Patch 1.60 notes HERE on the conditions needed to activate this feature.

For you PlayStation trophy hunters out there, new trophies were added for the challenge modes, New Game Plus and the survival mode difficulty too.

Fixes and Improvements

From the first initial patch during launch week to the final patch in January, Bend Studio proved that they were committed to Days Gone and they wanted to provide you the best possible experience with it. Even after 5+ years developing the game, they continued to show support to the community by listening to the player’s requests and fixing any issues that needed to be addressed.

You can go HERE to see the final patch notes and all the updates that were released.

Improvements to stability and optimization were constantly made post-launch and the technical issues that you may have read in reviews from a year ago are no longer an issue. In fact, if you already own a digital version of Days Gone and you haven’t taken advantage yet, you have the option to redownload the game data freeing up more hard-drive space creating an up to date compiled file. Plus, the update brings optimization improvement to all players.

A simple, but important quality of life fix was added early on as players can pick up and swap weapons on the ground with the “Triangle” button. Before, all items were picked up with the use of the “Square” button causing you to grab items off the ground you weren’t aiming to get. Everything was looked at and improved by the team at Bend and no stone was unturned.

Accessibility Options

Accessibility options make any game more accessible for all players. Instead of giving you a description of each option, you can see the list below on everything that was implemented. You can adjust any of these options in the pause menu under Options.

• Inverted Horizontal/Vertical Camera Controls
• Camera Follow Tracking
• Disable Controller Speakers
• Subtitle Size
• Subtitle Background
• Subtitle Speaker Names
• Repeated Button Presses
• Repeated Button Size
• Easier Sprint Activation
• Touchpad Dead Zones
• Motion Sensor Function Aiming
• Auto-complete QTE (Easy Mode Only)
• Controller Dead Zone
• UI High Contrast Color Mode
• New Linear Option for Aiming

Awards

Days Gone was nominated for multiple awards in 2019 and rightfully snagged a few of them. Unfortunately, it was snubbed out of the popular Game Awards (still not happy about that). However, Days Gone received PlayStation Game of the Year and Best Storytelling for the 37th Golden Joystick Awards. In my opinion, these two awards are worth more merit because they are voted on by the players who purchase and play the game. Days Gone also won 2019 Best Visual Design for the TIGA Games Industry Awards.

Days Gone won multiple awards for the 2019 PlayStation.Blog awards including Best PlayStation Console Exclusive, Best Narrative, Best Performance and Best Soundtrack. Recently, it also picked up another award for Best Music/Sound Design in The Webby Awards.

The composer behind Days Gone, Nathan Whitehead grabbed multiple nominations for his beautifully haunting and raw score including the Jerry Goldsmith Awards, Hollywood Music in Media Awards, Gamemusic.net’s Reader’s Choice Album of the Year and ASCAP Composer’s Choice Award. You can read more about his process of creating the Days Gone score in an interview I had with him last year.

Conclusion

There is no better time to start riding the broken road than now, especially with the current Days of Play sale running up until June 17th in North America. Days Gone is listed at its lowest price yet at only $14.79 on the PS Store! Recently, the same sale was held in the UK where Days Gone took advantage and moved into the top 10 (number 6) of best-selling games for the month of May, according to Push Square. If you need to see how the game looks, go HERE for a gallery of in-game photos I captured with photo mode.

*UPDATE 10/6/20: Days Gone was added to the PS Now lineup today and will be available until January 5, 2021. You can sign up for a free 7 day trial on PS Now HERE to begin riding the broken road.*

Stop thinking about the review scores and try Days Gone out if you haven’t. It’s time to throw the review scores away and decide if you like the game for yourself. Bend Studio proved the review scores wrong. The players have spoken, the numbers don’t lie and the proof has been laid out above. Fuel up your bike and hit the broken road, but remember… This world comes for you.