Days Gone Review: 8 Ups & 5 Downs

3. Exploration Isn't As Compelling As It Should Be

The survival loop in Days Gone is the best thing the game has going for it, but it could have been even better if exploration was a little more rewarding. Sure, it's essential to venture out into the wild to find resources, and exploring is enjoyable in order to see the environments the devs have poured so much passion into, but the tangible, in-game rewards for dedicating a lot of time to this aren't all that appealing.

Items rarely change from hour one to hour forty, and it's easy to find yourself stuck in a repetitive routine, searching for the same old things over and over again. There's rarely a cool, interesting or original trinket waiting for you to stumble across while exploring, and the limited inventory space (especially early on) often means that exploration will only net you resources you can't pick up anyway.

It didn't have to be a new weapon or item you could find either, even a little piece of environmental storytelling, a note from a survivor or a voice recording would have been enough to encourage active exploration.

The random encounters aren't much better either. Often, these aren't worth going out of your way to pursue, as they rarely result in a substantial story, and more often than not have you falling for the same bandit ambush again and again. They feel like a missed opportunity, thrown in because it was on the open-world checklist.