GAMING WORLD
REVIEW ON
The Limping Dead
S tate of Decay 2 sometimes feels like a far too real representation of the mundane reality that comes with surviving a zombie apocalypse . Consistently being on the hunt for food , resources to craft ammunition , and survivors to bolster your ranks doesn ’ t always translate into a captivating game play loop especially when you ’ re faced with horrors other than the countless undead that roam around you .
Like the first game from Undead Labs , State of Decay 2 infrequently checks in with an overarching narrative . You ’ re given the choice of three pairs of survivors to start off with , each with their own bare-bones background stories . Those stories don ’ t really matter , but your decision does define your starting area and the preliminary survivors you ’ ll team up with to combat a growing sickness called the Blood Plague . The plague is the singular goal for you to work against , as your community strives to eradicate it from your town and build towards a brighter future .
That mission boils down to finding zombie-invested settlements that you ’ ll need to first scout out and ultimately destroy , with grotesque , beating Plague Hearts at the center . These fights are the only real way to measure progression through State of Decay 2 ’ s otherwise open-ended campaign . Each settlement you conquer strengthens the rest , forcing you to step back and regroup before attempting to blow up the next . They ' re the toughest challenges the game has to offer , too , serving up waves of foes for you to fight as you valiantly lob another Molotov at the heart , hoping it vaporizes and takes all the nearby undead with it . Unfortunately , they are basic action set-pieces at their core , without much variety to help shake up the otherwise monotonous scavenging that surrounds them .
State of Decay 2 is primarily about survival , and it bears all the baggage the genre is known for . Although you ’ re spared the stress of dealing with individual meters for hunger and thirst , you ’ ll instead be engaging with ones that affect your community . Food , medical supplies , and crafting materials all factor into the stability of your community , with the overall mood of your survivors governing how well you ’ re doing . Supplies are littered around the dilapidated and abandoned settlements surrounding you , which are easily scouted with a little high ground . Your objectives hardly stray from going out , clearing an area of enemies , and scrounging around for consumables , gear , and large rucksacks of the more pertinent supplies you ’ ll need to keep settlers happy .
The act of gathering these supplies is rarely gratifying , though . Although your settlement initially requires some quick work to get on its feet , State of Decay 2 hardly feels like it will fail you for slacking on your routine duties . Bugs are prominent too and can range from slightly annoying to near game-breaking . Graphical hitches are frequent , including enemies clipping through the environment and sometimes having entire hordes stuck on single piece of the environment .
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