The upcoming Days Gone remaster has caught plenty of flak since its existence was first leaked, which – let’s face it – has been the case with the overwhelming majority of remasters and re-releases that Sony has greenlit over the course of the PlayStation 5 generation. And I’ll start this off by saying that it’s easy to see where all of that skepticism is coming from- because, once again, like so many of Sony’s other remasters in recent years, it is a little hard to understand the logic behind Days Gone Remastered’s very existence.
For starters, the original is not that old, and it definitely doesn’t feel aged in any real way. It is perfectly playable and easily accessible on multiple major platforms in the form of the PS5, PS4, and PC, and it looks great and runs without any major issues, for the most part. There’s also the fact that in Sony’s own estimation, Days Gone wasn’t the critical and commercial success that the company had hoped it would be, to the point where a sequel never got greenlit, the game’s directors moved on from the studio, and Bend Studio began working on a completely new IP (that then got cancelled- but that’s a whole another can of worms).
Here we are, however, with Sony on the verge of releasing a remastered version of the post-apocalyptic open world zombie-slaying game, and questions being asked about why it exists at all, and why Sony couldn’t instead focus on other titles that people do actually want to see remasters for- like the inFamous games, or the Killzone games, or the one that no one can seem to shut up about, Bloodborne. So again, I do get the skepticism surrounding Days Gone’s release- I even share some of it. But it also does seem to be shaping up to be a package that could appeal to newcomers or those who want to give the game another shot.
Above all else, there’s the plain and simple fact that Days Gone Remastered is going to launch in a much better technical state than the original Days Gone did back in the day. It probably wouldn’t be fair to call Bend’s 2019 game anywhere close to a technical disaster, especially given how many actual examples we’ve had of technical disasters over recent years, but at the same time, there’s no denying that when it first released for PS4 six years ago, Days Gone was surprisingly unpolished and rough around the edges for a first-party PlayStation title.
We’ve already seen what a more polished launch can do for Days Gone in terms of elevating its critical reception by a legitimately noticeable degree, as evidenced by how well-received the game was when it launched for PC. As such, the prospect of a native enhanced PS5 version that allows the game’s core strengths to shine stronger with no significant technical hiccups to get in the way of things is an intriguing one, especially for those who couldn’t get into the game upon its original release because of its technical issues. Though other unfortunate weaknesses that are baked into the experience – from the rough writing and dialogue to the stop-start pacing, especially in the first couple dozen hours or so – are obviously not going to be addressed by a simple remaster, in other ways, the game should ideally be more polished and easier to get into- assuming the remaster doesn’t suffer from entirely new problems of its own.
Days Gone Remastered is also promising some interesting visual and technical bumps. Among other things, it will feature faster load times, VRR and 3D audio support, implementation of the DualSense’s haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, and graphical enhancements like improved fidelity, shadow and lighting quality, draw distances, and foliage density. All of that is obviously the sort of stuff that you’d expect to see in a PS5 remaster, so by no means is Days Gone going the extra mile with these upgrades, but it is, at the very least, delivering a version of the game that’s going to leverage the PS5’s more powerful hardware to some degree.
The headlining additions that Days Gone Remastered is betting everything on, however, aren’t its technical enhancements, but a handful of entirely new modes. First and foremost, there’s Horde assault, which will task players with trying to survive as long as possible against increasingly larger and more vicious waves of Freakers, while acquiring new rewards and stronger gear to give yourself a better fighting chance. Taking on overwhelmingly large hordes of the undead was when Days Gone was at its best, as many will tell you, so a mode that specifically zeroes in on that aspect is a pretty smart addition.
Players will also have other new ways to experience the game in the form of a permadeath mode and a speedrun mode, both of which will do exactly what it says on the tin. The former will challenge you to finish an entire playthrough of the story without dying a single time, while the latter will see you racing against the clock as you try and get to credits as quickly as you possibly can. Beyond that, there’s new Photo Mode additions to look forward to in the form of a new lighting system, time of day options, and more.
Of all of Days Gone Remastered’s biggest improvements and additions, not one is the sort that instantly grabs attention, turns skeptics into believers, and compels everyone to at least give the new release a look, if not purchase it outright. On one hand, that doesn’t do much to help with the fact that there are many who are questioning why the remaster needed to be made at all, but at the same time, Sony is smartly pricing at in a manner that, by and large, is inoffensive enough that makes it very easy to ignore for those who don’t care, and easy to consider for those who do have at least a passing interest.
When Days Gone Remastered releases for PS5 later in April, it will be available for a price of $49.99, while those who already own the original PS4 version will be able to upgrade to the PS5 re-release for just $10, similar to how Sony handled last year’s Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered (another game that faced similar criticisms and skepticism, funnily enough). While Sony has rightly received endless criticism over the course of this console generation for its aggressive pricing strategies, picking a cheaper price point and an even more reasonable upgrade price for what is unquestionably a conservative remaster is definitely the right move.
How well Days Gone Remastered will end up doing is anyone’s guess at this point, though the most optimist among us will probably be hoping that it does well enough to make Sony and Bend Studio change their minds about a sequel and greenlight a Days Gone 2. If not that, however, at the very least, the remaster should prove to be a great excuse for those who never played the original (or those who did and want to dive back in) to check it out, this time with added bells and whistles. Days Gone may not be among PlayStation’s best first-party offerings in the last decade, but it does deserve more attention than it received on its first go-around.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.
