The new MMO survival game The Day Before is gradually turning into a meme. On the Internet, they are discussing with might and main the theory that the project does not really exist, and the whole development is a large-scale scam. Most of the presented gameplay videos are specially prepared shots. No one has seen the game live yet. In order to somehow reassure journalists and fans after another transfer, the developers released on February 2, 2023, as many as 10 minutes (!) of “real gameplay”. Of course, we watched the video and analyzed what is happening with The Day Before right now.
Only we and the horse are walking in New York
The gameplay demonstrates the journey of two survivalists through the suburbs of the metropolis. Skyscrapers and towers can be seen in the distance, but they are many kilometers away. While the heroes wander among private houses no higher than two or three floors.
The models of the characters immediately catch the eye, especially the female one, on whose behalf the demonstration is taking place. It is impossible not to highlight the external beauty of the girl. I wonder if all the heroines will be like this? However, the face is almost not shown to us, only the view from the back.
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| They come in with trump cards |
Immediately, attentive viewers will note physics. The backpack on the back, the hair, and even the key chain move according to the character's steps. It seems to be trifles, but nice. The second player, unfortunately, was not allowed to be considered, so what the male avatars look like in the current build is a mystery.
Graphics is another important aspect. The setting sun is great for showcasing the local beauties. Electric poles are reflected in the puddles, the shadows are gradually lengthening, and each house is not like the previous one (at least externally). We saw something similar even before the downgrade in the very first commercials of Tom Clancy's The Division.
When accelerating, the stamina bar begins to decrease. There are no other indicators of the character on the screen. We will return to this later.
It seems that not all houses, shops and premises can be entered. The preppers examined the cottage, where a light was affably lit at the entrance. Many other houses along the way were simply closed. Looking ahead, the situation in the city is similar. Only a few shops are available for research and there, contrary to the apocalypse, bright lights are regularly on. It's funny.
Inside the house, only some items and a workbench are available. First of all, the character goes to him. Having dismantled several household items, such as a radio and a lighter, the girl receives additional resources. Similar mechanics are found in almost any game with crafting - nothing surprising. Next, we are shown the creation of consumables and customization of the machine.
Here it is necessary to stop in more detail. Firstly, the heroine just stands while crafting and does not interact with the environment in any way. Given the focus of the project on realism, it looks ridiculous. Secondly, not all weapon parts affect its characteristics. There are not so many parameters, and they are all standard: power, range, stability, and rate of fire.
When installing new components, only the stripes of the potential development of the gun change. And the bands of real characteristics remain unchanged. It turns out that you will have to pump weapons somehow differently, and on a workbench, you can only open up opportunities for this. The system looks too cumbersome.
After crafting, the heroine inspects several cabinets. There is nothing remarkable in the action itself, except, perhaps, the speed with which the interaction occurs. You will have to hold down the desired button for a very long time.
The question is different - if we have an MMO in a single open world, does this mean that one of the first players will simply collect all the resources, leaving others with nothing. There has been no talk of any respawning of electrical tape or cans of soda yet because then the element of survival will disappear. It would be interesting to know the details.
Leaving the house, the heroes go to the city. There is another important detail here. Each abandoned car can be opened and inspected. Whether it makes sense to collect all the rubbish encountered is not clear.
Literally in a couple of seconds, the survivalists encounter a group of zombies, and here the first tangible minus of a real build of the game catches the eye. There are three enemies, but the zombies literally die from a couple of shots and do not pose any threat at all. Infected will also meet in the city, but they simply do not have time to reach the heroes.
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| Didn't give a closer look at the zombies |
If nothing changes, then two dozen such opponents will not be difficult to kill. It must be borne in mind that we still have an MMO, which means there must be levels and raids on especially powerful monsters or bandits. While everything looks realistic but absolutely uninteresting.
Perhaps the main threat will be people with the same weapons as you, but then why do we need zombies at all. In the same Days Gone, mutants were much more dangerous and really influenced the gameplay. In The Day Before, the infected seem to be just as fast and active, but completely helpless.
In the city, the first thing the survivalists go to is the illuminated store, which has an alarm. The girl immediately tries to turn it off, although it is not very clear why. Zombies are not attracted to sound, and the area is empty.
The hacking process is interesting. On the panel, several keys are more worn than others. Of these, you need to make a combination. In case of an error, the correct numbers light up a few seconds longer than the others, which allows you to gradually find the correct sequence.
Having coped with the alarm, the girl picks up valuables from a carefully left bag and goes forward along the street.
In the city, for the first time you clearly notice an important feature of the environment - emptiness. The demonstration has been going on for 6 minutes, and the heroes are just wandering around, having only once entered into a short firefight. We really hope that this is just a feature of the early build and some interesting activities will be added in the future. Otherwise, we have some kind of vacuum cleaner simulator, collecting trash in the corners on a huge empty map.
A little later, the heroes notice a cluster of zombies ahead. Serious danger does not threaten them - there are slightly more opponents than before. The camera switches to first-person view, after which the preppers decide to bypass the infected side, depriving us of at least something interesting.
Next is another store, which has a lot of empty refrigerators, but after studying it turns out that there are supplies inside.
Another second of firefight, and we are shown the inventory for the first time. It is made as ascetic as possible and without details. However, we are interested in the characteristics of the character, which, finally, can be studied. There are three parameters to monitor: health, energy, and thirst. If you have to constantly open the inventory to analyze the state of the character, the process will not only be long but also as dull as possible. A very strange decision.
The heroes come to a large crossroads, where they can appreciate the scale of the map. The developers really swung at something huge, but if the city remains the same empty, there is little sense in kilometers. In addition, it is not entirely clear how many places are open for exploration. If all these skyscrapers are nothing more than decorative walls with two or three stores, the project is unlikely to succeed.
Attentive viewers will notice leaflets floating in the air, but there are no wind effects, like smoke or any other. I think they will be added in the future.
In the last minutes, the girl enters one of the buildings. Everything is recreated with photographic accuracy, but five helpless zombies again make you think that the adventure in the world of the post-apocalypse looks too simple.
What is the result
The demonstration leaves mixed feelings. On the one hand, the game definitely exists, and a lot of work has been done. Graphics, light, shadows, realistic physics, and scale are a pleasant surprise.
On the other hand, the reasons for constant transfers are obvious. The game isn't ready at all. The world is empty and boring, the animations are clumsy, and sometimes they just don’t exist, a strange approach to notifying the player about the state of the character, an incomprehensible system of improvements, and weak enemies. We are silent about the fact that zombies are like their counterparts from other similar projects like two drops of water, without at least some memorable features.
Survival in The Day Before is also screwed up as if for show. If you only need to monitor dehydration and energy, there is no special challenge in this.
It should be understood that the video was most likely a necessary measure to calm the players and journalists. But despite the fact that the demo was pre-prepared and thought out, it seems that there is nothing corny to impress the developers.
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Unfortunately, 10 minutes of The Day Before gameplay does not inspire optimism. The game is too raw and completely unprepared for release. The methodical collection of all sorts of trash in abandoned houses and shops is not what you expect from the "AAA game about the post-apocalypse" that we were promised. Rather, it is the level of a boring bum simulator.
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