State of Decay 2: 7 Things We Want To See

I don’t think there’s ever been a game that has encapsulated a post-apocalyptic undead world quite like State of Decay. Sure, games like DayZ have done a decent job of showing the violence and desolation left behind by the fall of civilisation, but none have come anywhere close to matching the fight for survival and the future of humanity like Undead Labs accomplished back in 2013.

As many zombie survival games as there are, very few have a captivating core, a reason for you to want to hunt for food and ammo other than that you just have to. They’re ultimately soulless, empty open worlds where the only narrative is the one the player creates. State of Decay was different: it weaved all of that together with an emotional backbone that’s strengthened by many small things that made it irresistible for anyone who’s ever wanted to enact their end of the world plans without having to wait for the bombs to drop.

But it wasn’t perfect. Developed by a relatively tiny team, it was hardly the most polished of efforts and missed plenty of opportunities to push itself to that next level. With four times as many people behind State of Decay 2, however, we might be about to witness something that zombie lovers can get totally and utterly lost in. You can more or less guarantee that it will be one of the best zombie games out there as lessons will have been learned and new ideas explored.

Here’s what we want to see from State of Decay, which doesn’t have a set release date, but it will be announced at E3 2017, one year after it was revealed.

 

1. More meaningful relationships

The cast of ragtag survivors that made up State of Decay weren’t the worst characters, but they were never exactly thrilling to interact with. Apart from the occasional greeting or mission meet-up, they were blank canvases without much personality, not helped by different characters sharing the same voice actor and repeating the same lines. By allowing you to just generally shoot the breeze with the people you live with, the sequel will already be a step ahead of its predecessor.

 

2. Dialogue trees

Not every game needs dialogue trees, even if it seems like any title with the slimmest of RPG elements to it has them now. It would be welcome in State of Decay 2, though, tying in nicely with creating better relationships between the player and NPCs. Maybe you could try to discover more about a fellow survivor’s past, ask them what they think about the group’s current situation, or even gossip on who they don’t feel like they could trust. Heck, maybe they should go full Bioware and add some romance options in there.

 

3. Improved presentation and optimisation

Standard stuff, this. As mentioned, Undead Labs were up against it with the size of the team against the scope of the game they wanted to create, so certain concessions had to be made. While not ugly by any means, State of Decay had rough edges, particularly for its console versions. Likewise, it has its fair share of bugs and hang-ups on all platforms, particularly troublesome when it’s a game of such fine margins between life and death. Hopefully a bigger budget and team will at least limit the extent of issues on launch.

 

4. Character customisation

The more I delve into what I want from State of Decay 2, the more I realise I just want a Bioware game with zombies. That being said, being able to play as someone of your own making would be the perfect way to sink into the roleplaying to be had. Wouldn’t the stakes be raised a lot more if all of the survivors were you and your friends? It doesn’t have to be anything too complex, either – some clothing options, preset faces, and hundreds of different beards would suit me down to the ground.

 

5. More zombie variations

The original State of Decay wasn’t lacking when it came to its selection of zombies to kill and be chased by – I am still haunted by ferals running me down while I’m in a car. It just makes sense to broaden the horizons a little and introduce some new zombie types into the mix. They already the staples in place (fast, fat, etc), so it will be interesting to see how Undead Labs add to their undead roster.

 

6. Changing seasons

Something that has always rankled me about AMC’s adaptation of The Walking Dead (but not as much as its woeful pacing and endless nihilism) is that the seasons always stay the same. We’ve been hearing crickets for seven years now, so it’s about time they took a leaf from the graphic novels and changed the climate dramatically. The coming of snow and how it hampers you and the undead would be an interesting mechanic for State of Decay 2: perhaps you would have to find shelter from the elements often with the caveat being the zombies becoming much slower? I can’t remember it being done in a zombie game before, so why not try it now?

 

7. More pronounced neighbour/enemy dynamics

It takes many hours of the original State of Decay before the importance of dealing with other communities becomes apparent, though it still doesn’t feel wholly vital after that. More impetus on trading with the right people and the repercussions trading with the wrong people brings would add a karmic flavour to proceedings. Do you side with the “good” communities with the regular rations or guys like the Wilkersons, who don’t mind dropping ethics to stay alive but have the best gear?