Don't let the technical flaws push you away; State of Decay is one of the best Arcade Games to date
Game Play:
Do you like RPGs? Good. Do you like Zombie games? Even better. Do you like an intense, survival experience that forces you to the edge of your seat consistently? Well you might have a winner here in this game. For a long time, many have wanted the ability to have an open world, zombie survival experience, and that is what this game delivers. And be prepared; this game is going to challenge your normal play styles. If your goal is to Rambo through every game, you may want to look somewhere else. In State of Decay, you play with normal humans, who have normal human flaws. They require rest, they can't run forever, and eventually, your weapons will break. It's as pure of a "zombie survival" as you are going to get in games today, much more so than a "Dead Island," or a "Dead Rising."
And these aren't the only important features of game play. I mentioned RPGs above, and State of Decay does a phenomenal job of integrating RPG features throughout. Upgrading your base, managing your resources, and using the in game currency, known as "influence," to manage these situations throughout the game provide an incredibly detailed experience, that forces you to take care of your survivors. And as touched on, the "influence" system works perfectly. See a shotgun you really like in the safe house? Best make sure you've brought back your fair share of supplies to keep the camp up and running, or else your influence won't allow you to pick up the beauty. It provides an intriguing mechanic, and keeps much of the game play's RPG elements fresh and new throughout.
Next, one of the other big game play mechanics that must be mentioned is the always divisive "Permadeath." For some, permadeath only heightens the sense of realism, providing a more intense, and many times more satisfying experience. For others, the prospect of losing all of the hard work put into a character on a slip up, or a mistake, is an experience terrifying enough to keep them away from the game. As a fan of the "Fire Emblem" series, one that has made the "permadeath" a mainstay of their series, it is a mechanic that is easy to get behind. And State of Decay allows you to cycle through all available survivors in your group who are "friends," meaning that if one character dies, you move on the next in your group, and so on. While it is daunting that you may lose the experience you have accrued, it only increases the intensity of every action taken while playing.
Finally, we'll touch briefly on the controls, and the action. Aside from technical flaws (which is what you could consider these), the control schemes and smoothness of the controls are the only other flaws to be had in this game, and it's understandable for an "indie" arcade game. The hand-to-hand, and melee combat is as entertaining as expected. Mashing a zombie's brain, curb stomping them in a "Gears-esque" style, and performing beautiful stealth kills are all immensely satisfying. Unfortunately, just as it was in games such as "Dead Rising," and "Dead Island," gun controls are still a bit jumpy. While effective, and not hard to get a feel for, it is not nearly as satisfying as the melee combat.
Vehicles also play a large role, allowing for quicker transportation, and a fun and messy way to wreck zombies. But as with the gun controls the driving isn't as smooth as you might want it, although it is easy to look past.
Visuals:
Let's get it out of the way right now: This isn't going to be a visual masterpiece. The frame rate can crap out on you at times, zombies can clip through items occasionally, and the game isn't as "realistic" looking as you might like. But the game still *looks* really good at times. The world is a nice one, with solid rendering distance, and multiple locales to explore. Getting by the technical flaws can be irritating at first,but it doesn't take long to accept that they are there, and enjoy a pretty strong world for an arcade game.
Difficulty:
As I touched on when talking about the "permadeath" feature, this game is going to test you. There really isn't a worse feeling than dumping ten+ hours on a character, only to make a mistake and have that character done for. Indeed, the difficulty of State of Decay is going to be off-putting for some gamers. There isn't a huge amount of hand holding, and the difficulty ramps up very quickly. There is no plowing through 20 zombies like they are nothing (assuming of course, you aren't in a vehicle). After about the third or fourth kill, you will find yourself surrounded, out of stamina, and liable to have a dead character on your hands. It's difficult, but all the more entertaining because it simply heightens the sense of realism throughout the game. And while it might be a struggle at first, eventually, the process that needs to be taken to survive almost becomes routine.
Value:
And this is where the game shines, perhaps more so than the extremely entertaining game play. While many might bemoan the $20 price tag for an "arcade" game, the experience you are getting FAR surpasses that of a $20 game. There are many, many $60 games that don't even offer a quarter of the experience you will get from State of Decay. The game has very solid length, clocking in anywhere from 10 hours if you really push the pace of the game, to 25+ hours if you take your time, trying to find every nook and cranny there is to explore. But the true value in this game is in the potential it possesses. Not since Dead Space has a "Survival/Horror" game attempted to push the boundaries of what can be done in this genre, and for that, the game excels. And with the potential for a coop patch in the future (note, this isn't a promise, just in the "plans."), and potential for more smoothing of the mechanics and visuals, State of Decay is well worth the mere $20 you spend on it
Conclusion:
Overall, State of Decay is a game that will attract more than just your average zombie fan looking for his fill. The game provides a strong RPG experience, an entertaining action/adventure experience, and a phenomenal survival/horror experience. While graphically, the game can't compare to a "Last of Us," or any other AAA title, the game shows just how much is possible for a pure downloadable indie title (and that isn't the say the graphics are bad; at times, the world looks stunning). The value in the game, added into the incredibly entertaining game play, more than cover the few technical flaws the game possesses. Enjoy the gaming experience, and support what is a boundaries pushing effort by "Undead Labs," and I promise you won't be disappointed.
Official Game Score: 8.8