Reviews
[Review] ‘DayZ’ Misses Out on Big Potential and Makes For a Disappointingly Dreadful Experience
Bloody Disgusting heads to Chernarus and finds the struggle to survive has got no easier on PS4. Read the DayZ review to find out why great potential remains unfulfilled.
On paper, DayZ reads like an intriguing experience: tossed into the fictional post-Soviet Republic of Chernarus, you take on the role of a survivor in an apocalyptic wasteland plagued by “infected” beings. The primary goal of players in DayZ is to survive; the game’s MMO approach allows them to explore a huge open world where they can gather supplies and work alongside other players. With the PC and Xbox One version of the game having fully-released back in December of 2018 after a few years of Early Access, the game is now available on PlayStation 4.
All of this sounds like an excellent time and something that fans of the zombie genre would absolutely adore. In actuality, however, DayZ ends up being a primarily dreadful experience. While the gameplay itself provides enough elements to meet the most basic needs of the survival genre, DayZ ends up suffering the most in its environment. Namely, just how quickly it goes from ominous atmosphere to downright boring tedium.
Upon arriving at the game’s main menu, you have the option to watch an introductory video that provides the general requirements of survival you will need to be aware of; as well as a tutorial of the various meters important to maintaining your avatar’s health. These interactions include combat with the infected, as well as a simple understanding of picking up items and how the item management system works. In particular, regarding character stats, you’ll need to keep track of such things as hydration, calories, temperature, blood loss, and overall health.
You have the option to join a variety of servers, with locations open to the Americas, Asia, and Europe. Upon entering a server you are dropped into a random section of DayZ’s world, and this is where issues begin to arise.
When starting out, the game does provide you some items like a fruit and drink of some sort, a stone knife, a road flare, and other miscellaneous items. From there you are open to explore as freely as you want. There are no other in-game objectives besides just attempting to survive. As you begin roaming the landscape of Chernarus, one can’t help but feel a sense of despair coming from the game world. The problem here is that while the atmosphere does play into the world’s narrative at first, it slowly becomes apparent that the game is devoid of substance.
You do have the opportunity to come across a map at some point in DayZ, but you don’t start out with one; since you are placed randomly within the world, there’s a big potential to aimlessly run around lost for far too long. Even though DayZ has its variety of small towns, warehouses, and other locales, a lot of its world is made of the wilderness; in my experience playing the game, I was dropped just outside of the woods, running in a single direction for great lengths of time and only coming across small structures there and then. Those structures can also be incredibly devoid of elements of interaction. While DayZ does take place in a setting where people have had to scavenge for goods, for a video game, I experienced a remarkable lack of interesting supplies during my gameplay.
The random placement, along with no map, also brings out a tremendous amount of frustration when playing at night. Thanks to the single road flare you are provided, you are able to see while you run around; the problem, however, is that as soon as that flare is out, and assuming you have no other means of light, forget trying to see. The night of DayZ is that of a remarkable darkness that practically blinds your vision. When my flare went out after long periods of roaming and looking for a light, I was left in the darkness having to guess my way through the environment. If you are by yourself at night, DayZ pretty much becomes impossible to move forward until the sun is out.
In MMOs like World of Warcraft, or even Fallout 76, the player is put on a path to complete small objectives; this path guarantees that the player will not only have the chance to better understand the mechanics of the game, but that they will also slowly get to know the world. DayZ makes the assumption that you’ve played MMOs before and are fine with heading out on your own; this is cool and all for the realistic aspect of survival, but it’s also overwhelming for new and veteran players alike. The game is so big that you end up spending far too much time trying to look for supplies and figuring out where you are. Giving the player even a partially drawn map from the start would have made for an immense improvement in travel, and confronted issues like traveling at night.
And for the particular narrative that DayZ is rolling with, there’s little to no environmental storytelling involved. Other than blood smears on walls and floors and that of random items about, there isn’t a thing that gives you an idea of what life was like before the population dwindled. There’s potential in these kinds of games to provide depth to the world players embark through, and DayZ decides to skip out on any environmental context.
One locale of DayZ that is far more interesting than its vast wilderness is its city setting. Full of buildings and debris, the environment offers a variety of personal touches; that said, it’s disappointing that I was only able to stumble upon it once after days of playing.
Referring back to those stats you need to be aware of regarding survival, it’s essential that you maintain your character’s health with plenty of hydration, along with eating. In my experience with the game, I rarely came across food or drink, my primary means of the latter depending on if I could find a stream nearby to drink from. What I found for a good majority of items in DayZ were clothes; while clothing can be torn to create bandages when bleeding or help with resistance to bad weather, it became overwhelming after a while to come across a plethora of motorcycle helmets and rarely an actual means of keeping my character alive. Because of this, I found my character’s hydration levels constantly suffering and in need of attention I could not possibly give them.
After a few hours I finally did find some weapons. Ammo and guns are sparse, but you also have the opportunity to come across items such as an axe or knife. Melee weapons are good at taking out enemies without causing too much sound, that is if you actually come across them.
There and then you will stumble upon a single infected or a small group of them. While single enemies are easy to take down, a group provides a more adrenaline-driven challenge. However, for a world that is meant to have gone to ruin and be inhabited by infected threats, it’s odd to see so little during long periods of playing. And when pitted against a single threat, it’s also startling to see how dumb the AI can be at times; some enemies will charge you in 28 Days Later style, other times they will just stand there as you bash them over the head.
Player interaction is a big component in DayZ; in meeting up with others, you can adventure through Chernarus together fighting the infected and setting up a camp. If you are going at the game by yourself, player interaction is that of a coin flip; while I experienced one player who was friendly in introducing themselves, I met a couple who made every effort to kill me.
The inventory system is generous in how you can manage all your items. The logic in how much weight you can handle is fair, even if the physical interaction of items is a little irksome. When holding a flare at night, you cannot hold a weapon at the same time; if an enemy is charging at you, you’ll need to put down said flare and then equip a weapon while an infected or another person is attacking you. Regarding other technical aspects, the game looks fine graphically, with random moments of clipping and delays in textures popping up at times.
The great shame here is that there are a lot of good ideas in DayZ, it’s just that they are poorly executed. The immense open world and survival mechanics all read really cool on paper, and at the start of one’s journey come off intriguing. As one dives deeper into DayZ, however, the realization washes over them regarding just how empty the experience feels. What could change this is if the developer decides to add more to DayZ, opening up the accessibility of the game. For now, DayZ is more of a disappointment in what could have been a great survival title.
DayZ review code provided by the publisher.
DayZ is out now on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
Reviews
“The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live” Episode 4 Review – Danai Gurira Writes an Exceptional Hour of TV
“What We,” written by Michonne herself, Danai Gurira, is the fourth episode in AMC’s “The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live.” Serving as an emotional climax for Michonne and Rick’s journey, the episode unravels much like a play (which makes sense given Gurira’s background as a playwright). Confined to an abandoned apartment building in the wake of Michonne pulling Rick out of a helicopter, the long-lost lovers finally have some alone time to talk things over.
What follows is a beautifully written, dialogue-heavy episode that is heightened by dynamic blocking and set design. Much of the episode finds Rick and Michonne arguing over their next steps, pacing and moving around the small apartment they’ve found themselves in. Despite an exit-plan at their fingertips, Rick seems hesitant to travel with Michonne back to Alexandria. Michonne, rightly frustrated, argues with Rick, spiraling the conversation into circles. Grimes is allegiant to the Civic Republic Military and truly believes he can do some good for not only his community, but for the world.
As the episode progresses, Michonne’s frustration with Rick rings just as true for her as it does for the viewers. Despite Michonne’s constant pleas for the man she once knew to return to his children, Rick keeps circling back to his supposed need to remain at the CRM. It’s clear, even more so this episode, that Rick is a shell of who he used to be. Beaten down by years of failed escapes and separation from his family, “The Brave Man,” as RJ Grimes calls his absent father, is not so brave anymore. In a post online, a fan pointed out that the Rick Grimes we once knew essentially did die on that fateful bridge back in season 9. And they’re not wrong.
While Rick and Michonne’s physical reunion was granted to viewers almost immediately in this series, the emotional reunion between the two iconic characters was only truly achieved in this episode. Preventing Rick Grimes from returning to his former glory with a simple snap has proved to result in a much more dynamic, intriguing, and believable narrative for the long-absent character. Michonne finding Rick was only one step of the battle, with Rick finding himself being the toughest hill to climb. Andrew Lincoln once again showcases a masterclass of acting as Grimes cycles through his damaged psyche, desperately trying to figure out how to connect with Michonne. Gurira matches Lincoln’s emotional performance, evoking Michonne’s desperation and anger with authenticity. Letting Gurira take over writing duties for this specific episode proved extremely beneficial given the emotional legwork the character trudges through in this particular installment. If there’s anyone who can understand Michonne the best, it’s Danai Gurira.
Despite the stellar writing and episode flow, “What We” is not free from a few so-so moments. A chandelier conveniently lands on Michonne, forcing Rick to stay back to rescue her as a shambling horde comes his way. It’s understandable why this sequence occurred, but with so many other ways to place Michonne in peril, the convenient crashing of a chandelier onto her leg comes across on the goofier side. It’s the type of fake-out dangerous moment the flagship series would too often pull on characters we surely knew would not meet their demise. Earlier in the episode, Rick and Michonne’s descent from the helicopter is shown. The visual isn’t super convincing, and the sequencing of shots that follow feels disjointed – clearly meant to hide a restrictive budget. It’s a rare moment of low-quality that sticks out amongst an otherwise polished, elevated looking show.
On the other hand, “What We” is full of incredible stand out moments. As Michonne changes out of her wet clothes, Rick notices her “X” scar for the first time, a mark fans of the flagship series will remember. Michonne and Daryl’s fateful encounter with a community of murderous children proved to be one of Season 10’s darkest episodes. A somber dialogue occurs later in the episode, offering longtime fans another moment of Michonne filling in Rick about one of the many impactful moments he missed during his absence. The real revelation comes when Michonne mentions Rick’s “Children” and a look of subtle shock washes over Grimes’ face. Michonne breaks the news about RJ, their child that Rick never got the chance to meet.
Even after the revelation, Grimes still refuses to just leave with Michonne, forcing her to try even harder to break his spell of delusion. The constant back-and-forth between these apocalyptic lovers plays out against the framing of a beautiful rectangular window. As the episode progresses, the apartment building itself begins to collapse into rubble, a consistent visual motif for a relationship that is on the rocks.
After an elongated sequence of several walker kills, close calls, couple bickering, and some hilarious jabs (Michonne mocking Rick by calling him “Commando”), the duo finally return back to the apartment room and connect on a physical level. The scene is shot like a fantasy, backlit by a warm circular light and serenaded by Sam Ewing’s beautiful original score. Intimate framing showcases the emotional reaction of the characters, emphasizing the importance of this long-awaited moment and the rekindling of their love. “You’re still lying to me, you’re lying to yourself,” Michonne says in the aftermath of their romantic moment. The walls are down, and Michonne is ready to pry the old Rick Grimes out of his decaying shell.
With the building at the brink of collapse, Michonne orders Rick to stay back until they decide exactly what they are doing next. “They’ve taken so much from us, why give them anymore!” Michonne pleads to Grimes. And finally, Rick Grimes spills his guts as Andrew Lincoln puts on an intensely raw performance crying through the following poignant monologue:
“Tell me what is really going on here? What did they take from you?” Michonne asks.
“Carl…They took Carl. I lost him again,” Rick reveals with a tenderness in his voice.
“I’d meet up with Carl in my dreams. And that’s how I survived up here. Kept me alive. And then one day he was just gone. He just left. But then I started dreaming of you. And there you were. You and I fell in love in different ways. And it kept me going. And then you were gone too. I couldn’t see your face anymore just like I couldn’t see Carl’s. I can’t live without you. Without you, I die. And I figured out how to do that. I know how to be dead and live now. You can’t just come back here, make me come alive again if I don’t know if I won’t lose you again. What if I lose you and I can’t figure out how to die all over again? I need to get ahead of it Michonne.”
As Ewing’s somber music swells, nostalgic shots of Rick walking along the fields with Carl play out and the core heart that kept Rick fighting for all of these years becomes emotionally apparent yet again.
In a full circle moment, Michonne hands Rick a broken phone with artwork of Carl on it, a visual reminder of a face Rick longed to remember and a great payoff to Michonne stumbling upon the phone artist in the CRM city. Much like how a broken phone with artwork on it brought Michonne back to Rick, the same has brought Rick back to Michonne. Rick’s monologue also elegantly ties in the entire show’s motif of “The Walking Dead,” as Grimes cries to Michonne about how he has learned to “be dead and live.” The entire sequence is one of the show’s (and possibly the series’) best, featuring Emmy-worthy performances from both Gurira and Lincoln.
The killing of Carl back in Season 8 still remains one of the boldest and somewhat baffling decisions the core show made, but much like how the series turned Carl’s loss into a motivator for Rick to restore a brand new world, the power of Carl’s memory is able to ground Rick back to his emotional center. For a flagship series that can sometimes all too quickly move along after the tragic deaths of its main characters, the overall writing arc for the loss of Carl has proved to be beautifully crafted.
United yet again, Michonne and Rick make a mad dash out of the collapsing building, disposing of walkers and making out along the way. The production design of the decaying hallways call to mind the corridors of the hospital Grimes first woke up in, perhaps a slight nod to this moment being yet another “rebirth” for the character. As the duo drive away from the collapsing building in a nearby truck, it’s evident that the apocalypse’s power couple is finally back, and together no one can stop them.
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