Days Gone Review: 8 Ups & 5 Downs

Ups...

8. The World Is Beautifully Realised

It's to be expected now that any first-party, AAA Playstation exclusive is going to look stunning, making the most of the best technology to bring cutting-edge visuals to consoles. Days Gone is no different, but it has one core feature other titles in the Sony family don't have: the way it brings to life the post-apocalyptic dystopia of Oregon.

The lighting (especially in HDR) makes the game look incredible, with the sun beaming through the tall trees and the fog creating the kind of old-school horror environment you'd expect to see in a classic movie, but it's the geography of the open world that makes it something special.

There's a huge amount of personality injected into the sandbox, with little touches and flourishes making it clear that the devs really did their homework in making the areas feel as authentic as possible. Even though the environments on paper are nothing new, made up of the kind of desolate towns and villages you've seen plenty of times in post-apocalyptic media, Sony Bend have been able to make each feel believable and real - somewhere people could have genuinely lived.

There's an attention to detail that makes the sandbox appear more natural, which goes a long way in increasing player immersion and ensuring exploration always feels rewarding.