State of Decay has a lot to offer someone looking for a great survival experience that is challenging, yet rewarding.
State of Decay is one part Dead Rising and one part RPG with a subtle hint of Minecraft. There is a large focus on melee combat in the game, and for good reason. While an undeniably valuable resource, guns are loud and should not be your primary method of zombie removal. However, sometimes knowing the exact moment to pull the trigger can often mean the difference between life and death for your current survivor. Zombies die from headshots, and ONLY headshots, which is not always an easy feat when you have a large horde running at you. However, you can knock them back to get a few swift hits in from your 2x4 or ax. Which luckily for you, melee attacks make much less noise than shooting and while there are homemade silencers that last 10 to 30 shots, melee weapons are your best friend (unless you have a death wish, then by all means go in guns blazing). Zombies, however, can't see for **** (presumably because their eyes have deteriorated) so unless you are making a lot of noise, you can go pretty easily undetected as long as you keep a low profile. Also you have a stamina bar, so don't plan on infinitely sprinting past zombie hordes.
Much like how you have to manage your stamina, there many other things to manage in State of Decay. But don't worry, the game does not feel like a baby sitting simulator nor do you have to micromanage things. Your home base can usually stay up and running just by the survivors who like to stay in their comfort zone. Of course that's not to say that you won't have to go scavenging a bit to keep things in tip-top shape. You're going to need food and medicine to survive, and you will also need materials to expand your base (or move to a new one). These can be found in large backpacks called "rucksacks" when you scavenge buildings. When you find one of these you then have three options: load up, break it into components (your base cannot utilize this, only individuals can) or radio someone to come pick it up. I was scavenging a diner not too far from my base when I was faced with a tough decision. Inside were two rucksacks, one full of medicine and the other, food. Unfortunately for the player, you can only carry one of these at a time, and when you do your character literally trudges around like a pack of elephants. So there was no way I could just run back to the base unnoticed.
After about five nerve wracking minutes of crawling behind walls, cars and into bushes, I was finally home. But as you will learn in State of Decay, you need every last damn bit of supplies you can find. So I was back off into the night. Except in the mean time, a zombie horde had formed -- let me correct myself -- TWO zombie hordes had formed. Awesome. You have to be quick on your feet as every second is precious (another lesson you WILL learn the hard way) so I decided to jump in a large pickup truck modeled after a newer Chevy 2500 Crewcab. While yes it was noisy, it effectively plowed over both zombie hordes with only minor damages. I then crept back into the diner, got my rucksack and got the Hell out of there and back to my base.
While scavenging may sound like a pain in the arse, which it certainly can be if you aren't careful (remember they hear everything), it is often rewarding. I have found everything from a .45 revolver to a pump shotgun and even a few .50cal bullets (can't wait to see what those go to!) I was talking to my friend and he said he has even found a missile. As you can see, there is a pretty broad spectrum of weapons to arm yourself with. State of Decay includes an arsenal that is right up there with games like Call of Duty or Battlefield. Of course, you'll want to most likely limit your use of guns due to ammo limitations and the sound factor. But if you feel inclined to use them, they are most certainly there just waiting to be found.
One thing that I am not yet sure will hinder or help State of Decay is that is has a very specific target. It's for someone has a little bit more time to sit down and actually play a game that they have to think about. They are appealing to a very specific market, but quite honestly State of Decay pulls off its gameplay so well that I wouldn't be at all surprised if we see a few casual gamers picking it up. I certainly hope that they do, because although State of Decay can be a bit frightening in certain aspects, it provides an overall amazing game experience that is unparalleled by any other zombie game on the market to date.
Perhaps the most amazing feat of all is one that isn't even in the game itself. State of Decay was made by a team compromised of a little over 20 dedicated men and women. That is about 1/10 of what some development teams have, and State of Decay is just as good, if not better, than many retail games today. Take a minute to let that sink in...
The Verdict...?
State of Decay is an innovative and staggeringly immersive game that offers AAA quality at a 1/3 of the price tag. It definitely does not lack in any department, except the fact that there is no multiplayer as of right now. While running around with a friend or two would have been quite satisfying, State of Decay offers more than enough to keep drawing players back in over and over. While the difficulty may be more than what some players are used, they shouldn't let that affect their decision to buy it. The only thing that could have made this game better was if the team was larger and had more funding, because what this small team accomplished is nothing short of amazing. If nothing else, it proves that the few people over at Undead Labs are infinitely more competent than a whole house full of AAA devs... So if you like zombies, you have $20 and you own an Xbox, State of Decay is the best way to get the most bang for your buck. And I am most certainly looking forward to their future MMO, "Class 4".