When Sony and Bend Studio first announcedDays Goneat E3 in 2016, the game promised to show the new limits that the PS4 could reach with having swarms of zombies flooding the screen all at once. However, now that some players have gotten their hands on theupgraded PS5 version ofDays Gonethrough the PS Plus Collection, it may be the hidden gem on the console that can show how much next-gen has expanded those limits.
WhileDays Goneon PS5 won’t make use of every feature of the console and its DualSense controller, the new hardware will be able to push the visuals further than the PS4 could. Specifically, players on the new console will be able to run the game at a dynamic 4K resolution and stable 60 fps frame rate, instead of choosing between the two in the high performance modes of the PS4 Pro.
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With so few launch titles built to show off the more exclusive features of the PS5, finding games that can show how well the system performs against other consoles and PCs might be the most important for Sony to focus on. PushingDays Gone’s improvements on PS5could and should be the way that both the developer and publisher are able to make the best case for players to pick up the new system. This could also go a long way towards getting a sequel prepared that takes more dedicated advantage of everything new that the new console brings to the table, both in visual performance and haptic immersion.
Days Gone vs Other PS5 Exclusives
The main reason thatDays Gonestands apart from other games like it, likeGod of War,is that it is the only one reported to maintain 60 FPS and 4K resolution at the same time. Both of these effects require considerable amounts of processing power, and the previously strongest consoles, PS4 Pro and Xbox One X, could usually only manage one of these at a time. As a result, most of the games transferring over from PS4 to PS5 will be receiving a number of visual upgrades, but most won’t be reaching quite so high as to run both of these performance boosts at once.
It’s an impressive feat to hit these levels of performance, and withDaysGoneon the PS Plus Collection, it’s likely to be one of the first games for players to grab when picking up a PS5. With the competition it also has working alongside on the new system, the game may need ever advantage it can take to stand out against the crowd, which Bend Studios has seemingly done with the new improvements. For players who haven’t tried the game out yet, this might be the best way to experience the game, as well, assuming that anyone can actually get there hands on the new console that is.
4K60 Zombie Swarms
The most impressive, and marketable, aspect ofDays Gonefrom when it was first announced was the promise of zombie swarms that would come exploding towards the player like a giant tidal wave of undead flesh. This is the kind of thing that developers have been attempting to deliver for years, from all the way back when Bungie promised hundreds of enemies inHalo 2to the infamous 1000 Heartless fight inKingdom Hearts 2. However, thanks to the power of the PS4, this legendary effect has finally been fully realized in real-time, leading toDays Gone’s positive reception from players.
However, as impressive as that feat was whenDays Gonelaunched in 2019, the game continues to push Sony’s hardware even further as it finds a new home on PS5. Beyond all of the load times andDualSense haptic feedbackavailable on the new console, seeing a flood of undead enemies rushing through the screen at the highest resolutions and most realistic frame rates available is a whole new experience. Of course, as much as the game built to stress test PS4 hardware shows exactly how much further PS5 has come, Bend Studios is in a prime position to accomplish the same feats with a sequel.
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Days Gone 2
The success ofDays Gonehas likely led to a sequel from Bend Studios, so it may just be a matter of time at this point before players are given another taste of the game’s zombie-motorcycle-open-world styled action. ADays Gonesequelcould, however, take a number of different forms, from evolving the zombie hordes the way other games in the genre likeLeft 4 Dead 2andLast of Us 2have done before. This could also be an opportunity for Sony to establish another generation spanning series that connects the PS4 to the PS5, the same way that Naughty Dog’sThe Last of Usdid for PS3 and PS4.
So, with the original now so easily accessible on the PS5, following along with a whole series of these titles will be even easier than it was for previous titles transferring from PS3 to PS4. ThePS5’s backwards compatibilitymight be exactly what Bend Studios needs to continue keeping the series moving forward, and the Next-Gen feature may also be best executed with a title likeDays Gone. Of course, the best part of Sony’s hidden gem on PS5 is that it’s really only the start of the console’s lifetime and it isn’t the only game to make such a huge showing on the new console.
Days Gone Isn’t Alone
AlongsideDays Gone, Sony has also included a number of terrific titles to kick off the lifecycle of the PS5, with the PS Plus Collection kicking the new console generation off to a strong start. WhileDays Gone’s upgraded featuresmake the game not only worth giving a shot, but stand out among the crowd, that crowd is still good company to be in. Considering that it’s the exclusives that really sell consoles, kickstarting the PS5 with having so many exclusives cross over from PS4 will likely establish Sony as an early leader for Next-Gen until Xbox can start grabbing pumping out exclusives from it’s various studios.
Days Goneis available now for PS4 and PS5.
