It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of Days Gone. I got the Platinum Trophy when the game first came out, played the DLC challenges (I still need to finish those trophies, though), and even wrote an article on why people should give the game a chance. I love everything about this game, but when the chance of a sequel looked non-existent, I begrudgingly accepted it. But then rumours of a remaster floated onto the internet, and a spark of hope ignited in my Days Gone-loving heart. And now it’s been confirmed with a trailer at the recent PlayStation State of Play that Days Gone Remastered is real! This remaster includes new modes, updated visuals, and sparks hope there may be a tiny chance that we may get future games in the series.
Days Gone was already a very good-looking game on the PS4. The environments, character models, and weather effects were all top-notch. I would go so far as to say that it’s probably one of my top five best-looking games on the console. Which is why I’m very interested and excited about the enhancements this remaster is going to bring. Days Gone already had a PS5 performance patch that helped it run better on current systems, but this is more than just a compatibility patch. It’s been confirmed that the team at Bend Studio has made visual upgrades across the board to make this the best-looking version of Days Gone ever. Improved draw distance, better lighting, upgraded graphical fidelity, and the option to change between quality and performance modes for the optimal experience. And you’ll most definitely need to have the game looking its best when you tackle all the new modes they’re adding in this remaster.
Updated visuals aren’t the only new things in this remaster, because a handful of new modes are included to give returning players more of a reason to jump back in. The big one is the new Horde Assault mode, a survival mode where you need to hold out for as long as possible against endless zombies. You’ll have access to the whole map, which means there will be more areas for enemies to ambush you. And that’s not even mentioning the increased freaker horde sizes, which means all-new levels of stress as you frantically fight for your life. The longer you stay alive in this mode, the larger the hordes become, so you’ll have to keep on your toes if you want the best score possible.
Aside from Horde Assault, there’s also a new permadeath mode. If you’ve played a permadeath mode for any other game before, this is that, except you can choose to either start from scratch when you die or at the start of the game’s second act if you’ve made it that far. My big concern for both of these modes isn’t the added difficulty but the new trophies. I just know those masochistic bastards over at Bend Studio will make me beat the game on the hardest difficulty in Permadeath mode without the safety net of being able to start at the second act, or survive a stupid amount of time in Horde Assault without being hit (I would actually cry if that was real). But I’ll hunt these bullshit trophies because I just love this game that much.
While it’s nice to get a revamped version of one of the most overlooked games of the previous generation, that’s not why I’m most excited for Days Gone Remastered. The main reason is that this gives Days Gone a second chance at life as a franchise. Fellow contributor Andrea has already written a full breakdown of the original plans for Days Gone, which you can read here. I won’t repeat what she already said, but the crux of it is that Days Gone was planned for so much more but was never given the chance to shine.
Now, with the game being available on PC and this remastered version coming soon, there’s a chance that we may still yet experience the full story of Days Gone. Am I huffing mad amounts of copium? Possibly, but this sliver of hope is all that I need to believe that we will get the continuation of Days Gone (and maybe that film adaptation with Sam Witwer reprising his role as well, please and thank you).
Hopefully, Days Gone Remastered can bring this series back to life. The updated visuals and new modes may convince people to give this game a chance, and maybe, just maybe, we can get a Days Gone 2 (probably on the PlayStation 6, though).
People who’ve already purchased Days Gone can get the Remastered version for $10 (similar to The Last of Us Part II). However, this doesn’t extend to people who got the game through PS Plus (again, similar to The Last of Us Part II), which could be a dealbreaker for some. Regardless of when you decide to buy it, I still think you should give Days Gone Remastered a shot.
Have you played Days Gone? Are you excited for the remaster? Do you think Days Gone deserves a sequel? Let us know in the comments!
