kat.cr state of decay year one survival edition

Everything I said in my original review still rings true: This is a special game, and captures the post-zombie-outbreak survival experience I’ve always wanted to play. But, please, do not judge this book by its cover.

At least the annoying screen tearing has been rectified. Even running in 1080p with higher-resolution textures and a few other minor cosmetic upgrades, Year One Survival Edition still very much looks like an Xbox 360 game. Clipping bugs, warping characters, and frame rate problems all still plague State of Decay on Xbox One.

Submerged Jared Petty Unfortunately, being re-released on a more powerful console has not cured its technical and presentation-based ills like I’d hoped (and reasonably expected) it would. Each is clearly meant to be played after you complete the main game, but it’s refreshing that neither is simply more of the same. Each tells a side story with a different gameplay angle: the former being a sandbox-emphasizing, challenge-oriented romp, and the latter letting you play from the perspective of the military - a group at odds with the player in the primary campaign. Year One Survival Edition also bundles in State of Decay’s two excellent expansion packs: Breakdown and Lifeline. That may sound like an intimidating list, but through an easily understood and managed interface (press up on the D-pad to access it anytime), Decay’s elements are intuitive and digestible. You’ll need to manage: relationships with fellow survivors, your group’s resources, injuries to you and your group, your backpack weight, your influence, your fatigue, and more. It is, in fact, a systems-based role-playing game with permanent (and sometimes far-reaching) consequences for your characters. It’s neither a pure action game nor your typical open-world action-adventure. It’s deep, raw, unforgiving, and even emotional - all in the very best of ways. Coming back to it on the Xbox One for the Year One Survival Edition, I realized I’d forgotten how much I love State of Decay.

Kat.cr state of decay year one survival edition