As the Days Gone Demo began, I immediately noticed the detailed environments. The lush forest and ground almost made me forget the game was set during the apocalypse.

The protagonist, Deacon, has come here in search of a bounty named “Two Dog”, because that’s just how biker gang names fucking work. The demo sets up a slow, run-of-the-mill day pace until we hear the cries of another human being. Racing after these cries eventually reveals your target struggling with a zombie. After a brief scuffle, a chase ensues. Two Dog races upwards and away to the top of the building. The fragile rooftop clanks with the sounds of metal. Looking down reveals an astonishingly large group of zombies below.

Out of nowhere, Two Dog tackles Deacon off of the roof of the building. You make it down unscathed, but Two Dog has less luck. His leg is utterly fucked, like a grown man getting it on with a female cow. The zombie horde is alerted by his moans and that ever present “We have to leave him” moment commences. This is where we see just how many zombies this game is capable of showing. The massive horde sprints after Deacon as a unit. The zombies mimic the mentality seen in World War Z. Meanwhile, Deacon attempts to find the best path to lose the zombies. He blasts them with his rifle and throws molotovs. During this chase, we see dynamic traps that Deacon can activate. In one instance, he blows a pile of logs, causing them to roll and smash zombies while slowing down the rest.

Deacon eventually finds his way to the top of a building as a horde of zombies gathers below, he begins firing and shouting. The demo then comes to a close.

Days Gone is one of the best things I’ve seen during my time at E3. It feels like it will be an open world Last of Us with deadly zombies. However, it is still yet to be seen if Days Gone will be innovative or just another zombie game.