[whassupbun]

IGN - 8.9/10

THE VERDICT

State of Decay’s ambition reaches farther than most $60 titles, so its value is unquestionable as a $20 download – especially given how it manages to successfully meet so many of its lofty goals. I spent about 12 hours in this Zed-infested world, and while I saw most of what’s there, I could’ve spent a few more hours exploring. And since I focused on melee weapons the first time, I fully plan to start another game with a gun-centric character. Meanwhile, startup developer Undead Labs has already said that if State of Decay is successful, it hopes to follow it up with a massively multiplayer online sequel, codenamed “Class4.” But for now, Decay belongs in the pantheon of great modern zombie games alongside Valve’s Left 4 Dead series and Telltale’s Walking Dead episodes.

+ Balanced RPG resource management.
+ Pitch-perfect tone of terror and hopelessness.
+ Open-world possibilities are endless.
– Technical shortcomings are annoying but never truly problematic.
– Promising story falls a bit flat at the end.