Game remasters and remakes are fairly prevalent within the games industry, but less common is a remaster or remake that gives an initially underappreciated game a second chance to make an impact, which is what makesDays Gone Remasteredan important release in Sony’s first-party catalog. After an initially mixed reception from critics and players alike,Days Gonehas since gone on to become a bit of a cult classic over the last few years, owing to a slew of post-launch updates and a spectacular PC port that helped earn the game a greater audience. The arrival ofDays Gone Remasteredprovides some noticeable visual and performance tweaks to the console version, but that’s not all that’s changed.
Whether a newcomer to the franchise or a returning player hoping to dive back into the title’s impressive visual rendition of the Pacific Northwest,Days Gone Remasteredhas several less obvious, unwritten rules for players to follow, including some that might come as a surprise to those returning to the game more than 5 years later.Days Gone Remasteredmight appear to be a familiaropen-worldexperience on the surface, but the unique approaches it takes to traversal and combat, combined with a plethora of different gameplay modes and modifiers for the story mode, make a refresher for returning players — or a crash course for newcomers — practically necessary.
Days Gone Remastered’s Unwritten Rules Explained
Scavenging and Crafting Are Paramount, Regardless of Difficulty
One of the more exciting elements aboutDays Gone Remasteredis its inclusion of all the difficulty modes ever included in theoriginalDays Gone, including several options that were added post-launch or as part of the game’s arrival on PC. But regardless of which difficulty mode players choose,Days Gone Remasteredcan prove to be fairly difficult in the early hours, especially if players don’t engage with the game’s survival and crafting systems.
Allresources inDays Gone Remasteredcome at a premium, fitting considering the game’s post-apocalyptic setting. As Deacon makes his way through the game’s world, nearly everything is worth examining to see if it houses resources that can be used in crafting. The game’s crafting component is essential to building a stockpile of healing items and throwables, or even for upgrading melee weapons so they don’t break as easily and deal more damage. PlayingDays Gone Remasteredon Survival or Survival II difficulty modes only serves to make the crafting mechanics all the more essential, and they remove the on-screen HUD elements that indicate an in-game element might be housing resources. Getting into the habit of searching anything and everything will not only see players prepared, it will also give them an edge in the higher difficulty tiers, which can also provide one of the most immersive ways to experienceDays Gone Remastered.
Building Trust at Camp Sites is Crucial in the Early Game
WhileDays Gone Remastereddoes bringDeaconto his first settlement fairly early on in the game’s story mode, the game doesn’t ever explicitly state how important it is to build up the Trust level of each Camp. Building Trust is accomplished through completing missions for the Camp’s leader, by trading goods with merchants, rescuing survivors and sending them packing toward the Camp, or collecting bounties. The more Trust players accrue, the more they can upgrade their bike, gain access to secret inventory items like new weapons, or decrease the prices of valuable crafting materials. In short, being friendly with a Camp is a great way to gain an early game edge.
Upgrade the Bike Early and Often, and Watch the Gas Tank
Perhaps the most important early game upgrade inDays Gone Remasteredis the bike’s speed upgrade, which players can unlock after completing one of theearly missions for Copeland’s camp. This is because Deacon’s bike is his lifeline out in the wilderness, and making its upgrades a priority over all else will give players a fighting edge. Further, gas is a necessary resource that isn’t always available, and Deacon’s bike will burn more fuel the more players rev up its engines. Walk the bike when possible, let it coast down hills, and top off using gas canisters any time Deacon comes across one, as it might be a long while before he spots another.
