Welcome to my post where I share all my thoughts and memories about Days Gone! After beating the game last week, I couldn't stop blabbering to my husband about how much I loved the game. This post will contain spoilers near the bottom half of the post so just be aware of that! Here's the thank you note from Bend Studios after you beat Days Gone. Was it just me or did this make anybody else emotional?
Who knew a simple thank you note from the developers would give me the feels.
I've been contemplating this post for a few days because there is so much I want to say about this game and I want to do it justice. I'll start by saying if you are a fan of PlayStation, this game is for you. If you love the game The Last of Us, this game is meant for you more than even you may know. Why? I included these two things to convince you to play it for a one main reason which was actually that I needed convincing myself! It is now hands down my favorite game but I didn't start playing the game with the usual initial excitement that I have when I'm playing a game I've been anticipating. An example would be when I first played Detroit: Become Human and was extremely excited about it and had been watching trailer after trailer in anticipation of it or how excited I am waiting for Cyberpunk 2077. I get giddy when I see a Cyperpunk poster or article because it's something I'm looking forward to! Days Gone for me started out without that anticipation and looking back, it makes me so sad!
My husband actually gifted me Days Gone for my birthday in May 2019. A literal year later, I have finally beat this game almost to the day of my birthday. This is not unusual for me because during this time I was a mommy of a 1 year old transitioning into a toddler and my days of gaming were becoming non-existent. I was excited when I opened this gift for the first time but for some reason, I actually had no idea about this game called Days Gone. My mind doesn't remember seeing any trailers or reading any information about it beforehand. I may have but my memory isn't going to allow me to ever know the truth. I'm always happy to receive games as gifts, especially from my husband. At the time I could have been playing other games and I don't like to start a new game while I'm in the middle of another so I don't think I wanted to give it my full attention at the time.
I remember popping the game in and starting out as Deacon St. John getting on my bike and riding down run-down roads for the first time. I distinctly remember approaching a tunnel that was crowded with abandoned vehicles just thinking: "This game is already too scary for me!" Coming from me now, this is really quite sad. I guess you could say I'm no longer as fearless as I was as when I was younger and playing Silent Hill and Fatal Frame for the first time. I have since aged quite considerably and most of my gaming these days are happy games where you can't even die. I decided Days Gone wasn't really for me because I couldn't even make it to the first save point after several attempts. I would quit before ever reaching it so I actually played the intro a few times before I realized I needed to reach a certain point in order to save the game!
Fast forward - I picked up the game here and there, on and off for a couple of months. Little by little I pushed my way further and further into the story. The main enemies in the game are called Freakers and they're everywhere. They literally scared me. Freakers are fast and not usually deadly on their own but their strength comes in numbers. Two Freakers may not kill you but as a new player, 3-4 might wipe you out. Eventually I would learn the enemies would get harder with the introduction of Breakers and eventually Reachers. Add in some wildlife including some rabid and infected wolves and bears and you're in for a world of hurt.
It took me several more attempts of playing it to lessen my fear of playing this game. I progressed through the story after a few months of picking it up in my downtime and eventually got hooked on the open world. I think I spent a lot of time exploring initially and this is why it took me so long to get through the first stretch of the game. I don't regret it! Looking back, it's the best thing I could have done. I was unknowingly prolonging the game by searching every nook and cranny and it led me to develop a deep fascination with the environment. I was completely immersed in this game and I didn't even realize how much I was until now. Days Gone was a game-changer for me and it took me awhile, months even to get in the groove and feel that way.
I could have most likely beat this game last year or even earlier this year but I actually stopped playing for whatever reason. I wasn't playing any other game with a story because that's just not how I game, but I was playing happier or quick games when I could. I eventually picked up Crash Bandicoot, Earth Night, Splatoon 2, Moving Out, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons just to name a few. My Days Gone days were almost up and with caring for my toddler son, I thought I would never have a moment's peace to continue the game. Eventually though, I was able to pick it up a few days out of the week and got hooked AGAIN. All was going well and I was on the road to the end. I even joined some Days Gone groups on Facebook but a few people made some comments that were off-putting about the story and with one of the trophies and it made me not want to play for awhile mostly because I didn't want the game to end. I know that sounds dumb but I was enjoying this game so much, I put it off because I actually didn't know if I truly wanted to see the ending. About a week and a half before my birthday near the end of May 2020 I decided it was time to finish this puppy off. I reluctantly decided I was going to go all the way and finish Days Gone for my own sanity. With all of the quests, it was easier said than done. To top it off, I had a lot of surprises that left me with no supplies so I had to spend several times just collecting in order to prepare for the battles ahead.
When I actually beat the game, I felt so happy because the story felt complete. In other words, this game was made as if there wouldn't be a Days Gone 2. This part is important to note because you want to feel a sense of closure after all of the hours you poured in. It didn't disappoint. Also, the people I mentioned earlier in the Facebook group were attempting to spoil a part of the storyline in regard Deacon's love interest(s) and I let them to some degree but it turns out, I think they were just being trolls. The game ended up as I had hoped and it was great.
Below I'll highlight my journey to the end in screenshots WITH SPOILERS. I contained myself as best as I could above and even on our Twitter. I have refrained from posting screenshots because I really don't want to ruin the story for anybody who hasn't picked this game up yet. It MATTERS in this game more than ever. So be prepared for some major STORY SPOILERS BELOW. Do not CONTINUE if you want to get the full experience of Days Gone first. The spoilers will be written and in the form of screenshots!
BE WARNED.
Journey to end in photos.
My journey to the end included coming face to face with the Horde at the Old Sawmill. I had encountered this horde earlier on in the game and it scared me. Looking back, I was sure I wasn't going to be able to ever beat it. I did attempt to disturb the horde early on in the game to try to kill off as many freakers as I could to help me when I actually had to fight it but as it turns out I hardly made a dent.
When I started the horde fight I had enough firepower to knock it down to about 25% and the rest was just running and using whatever I had left. I used plenty of napalm and throwables to start.
As my supplies dwindled, I used my guns along with focus to slowly take out the remainder of the horde. You can see below I had quite a few left to deal with. This may look like a small amount of freakers but it's enough to easily take you down.
A screenshot taken shortly after defeating the last horde in the story mode of the game. After defeating the horde I went around and collected any supplies I could around the area. I actually discovered this ramp on top of Old Sawmill where the freakers sleep.
It was surprising to me because there is really no way I would have found this with the freakers present or even when running away from them. It was like a hidden gem! I thought it looked really cool and wondered how it would have looked if the freakers chased me down it. After all was said and done, I went back to the Lost Lake camp and sold my bounties which was the highest number I've sold yet just from the Old Sawmill horde alone (500+)!
Just when I was getting anxious and thought the end was near, I end up going on the last mission of the game which is to hit the Wizard Island militia before they can strike Lost Lake again.
I'm not sure why the whole cutscene leading up to getting to the camp made me emotional. I didn't have the desire to cry or anything but I was so anxious because I felt like my journey with Deacon was coming to an end. I actually felt his emotions as if I were really Deacon. I know that's going to sound strange but it was just that intense and so was even getting to this point in the game.
Here are a few more pics of the aftermath of beating the game. I can just tell you, it was a great ride. I felt such sorrow that the game was over. I actually felt better when I realized there was plenty left to still do in game so I didn't feel as bad!
~MORE SPOILERS~
I know I'm showing screenshots of my final moments in game, which hopefully you are not seeing if you saw my "SPOILERS" warning above but I really don't want to go into too much detail about who these people or are what actually happened with them in the story. It's really something one has to experience for themselves! I will say this, I loved how the story ended and I am 100% happy with the outcome. I did cry a little with the major loss at Lost Lake prior to reaching the end of the game and then a few times earlier in the game when Deacon would have flashbacks of he and Sarah or when Deacon and Sarah would have encounters together after you discover (MAJOR SPOILER) she's still alive! (MAJOR SPOILER)
I just couldn't help but love their storyline even if it wasn't a PERFECT ending or happen the way some people would have wanted it to. I loved every moment of it because this game wouldn't be what it is without that passion coming from Deacon. Here are some of my favorite moments with Deacon and Sarah!
I also took a few more screenshots from earlier in the game and couldn't share them with anyone as much as I wanted to. I just needed to make the right post and it needed to be the right time. These screens show some fonder memories of Deacon and Sarah.
If anybody was like me, from the beginning you think Sarah could still be alive. You also wonder if she is, where is she and who is she with. You wonder if she will even still love Deacon at this point of if she's moved on. Is he fighting for nothing even if he does find her? The above screens show a happy couple but also reveal Sarah's commitment to her research and her job at Cloverdale Research. She's involved in some major stuff but you just don't know to what extent yet.
Lastly, when you encounter the new Sarah at Wizard Island SPOILER (after discovering she's alive) SPOILER she is known as the Wizard Island Witch. She doesn't even look happy to see Deacon. It was a bit of a let down at first but little by little she shows him more and more of her true self. It's obvious she can't run into his open arms being in a militia and all. Deacon picks up on her little hints and ultimately realizes she is still in love with him. He continues to fight for her and to free her from the militia's control.
Despite how people may feel about Sarah, she was a big part of the story and the game wouldn't be what it is without her there fueling all of Deacon's actions. I know I posted a lot of screenshots of them but she's important, he's important and their relationship drives the basis for this entire game!
Another great memory from the game is the crazy adventures I had with Boozer. As his best bud, I went from thinking he was going to die several times, coming close to death (literally) to depression and sickness and (MAJOR SPOILER) actually losing him and then realizing he was actually alive. What a trip! I can't say enough good things about Boozeman! He's a wonderful character and I was glad he was by my side. I want to say I thought he was actually dead for a second but deep down I knew he was still alive.
Here's some pics from our adventures together.
And then they pulled this at the end! ...Which I was glad! We needed Boozer to finish this game out with us or it just wouldn't have felt right.
Alright, so that's it for this post! I know it was long. It you stuck with me for entire post, thank you. I really care about this game. Took me a few days to write this and get the images up on my off time with having my son constantly at my hip. I'll be posting a few of my end-game adventures along with some videos of fighting some of the hordes still in the games. As I mentioned before, there is still plenty to see and do in this game which makes the blow of it being over have a little less sting. Look out for my upcoming posts as I venture about in the world of Days Gone end-game style!
