Review: Deadly Days
Two things I like are:
- Zombies. Though only in movies and games. Don’t think I’d be too keen to meet one in real life.
- Silly humour. Give me Rik Mayall in ANYTHING and I’m laughing like mad.
Deadly Days takes the 2 things from above, mixes them in with a whole load of other stuff, and ends up being a video game (another thing I like) that keeps me thoroughly entertained and challenged every time that I dip into its world.
A rogue-lite, Deadly Days tasks you with trying to reach the ultimate goal of closing down a burger factory which has inadvertently caused a zombie apocalypse…damn those cow burgers!
You start with just 2 survivors, both of whom are not too adept at anything. Fear not though, as when you begin your daily missions and venture into town to acquire weapons, food and allies, you’ll soon get to upgrade a whole load of stats and supplies which makes each day just that little bit easier for you.
Equipment/character management options are aplenty, and everyone’s play through of Deadly Days will be vastly different, especially as the beginning of each day gives you a selection of missions to choose from. The choice of which you go for is dependant on how confident you feel with the various difficulty sliders associated with each mission, as well as what you could potentially gain if completing it.
Everything begins from your base, which also has upgrade options, though I usually favour upgrading weapons, abilities, and items first. Don’t get too attached to those named characters though as they will inevitably succumb to a zombie…possibly one wearing speedos…honestly!
With a short timed period to complete the missions, the pressure ramps up as you desperately try to find that one item you know is on the map somewhere that you’ve been after for ages, but the timer is counting down and the zombie hordes are gathering around you. Sometimes it’s just best to run back to your transport and hope for a better day tomorrow.
The pixel art style is delightful, though the sparking objects that signify something important can be hard to see in handheld mode. Despite the lack of high resolution characters, the zombies definitely take on a life (undead?) of their own and have character.
As time passes and your encampment and its survivors become stronger, so do the zombies, with different types appearing that will definitely surprise you the first time you come across them. Some are best avoided to begin as they can kill you instantly, whereas others have some very original ways in which to turn you into a zombie and are worth dying just for the hell of it.
Though there isn’t a huge variation in the locations (due mostly to the art style), every time I play it gives me a different (and enjoyable) experience. Always scratching that “just one more go” itch which is a sign of a game that has its hooks in you.
Any game that has me thinking about it while not playing is a winner in my book. Add the fact that it makes me giggle too as I play, even when one of my longest surviving characters gets killed, and Deadly Days is added to my rota of “must play” Switch games.
- 60 crazy objects that make every game unique, including tooth paste
- 30 powerful special abilities that can dramatically alter the outcome of fights
- Three different specialties in which you can activate new abilities, survivors, objects, and types of weapons
- 25 types of weapons with randomly generated modifications
- Procedurally generated cities and missions
- 50 different survivors with 50 different abilities
- More than 10 different types of zombies who want only one thing: brains
- And three bosses who must be vanquished at the end
- Over 45 achievements that need to be unlocked
- Lovingly crafted pixel art
Review by Dave from a Switch review code kindly supplied by Assemble Entertainment.
