Review: 7 Days To Die — The Apocalypse Done Your Way
August 15, 2024
After over ten years, 7 Days to Die has finally been fully released. It was one of the first games to combine the zombie apocalypse with survival gameplay, creating an interesting, open-world sandbox experience. A full decade later, it still doesn't really have much competition there which is why it was able to stay in Early Access for so long.
Through the sum of its parts, 7 Days to Die does a very good job of absorbing you into the world. From base building akin to Minecraft to the general scale of the world where every building is explorable and destructible, the game ensures that you'll have a unique journey through the zombie apocalypse. At times, the grind gets tedious as resources are so important to the player, but, overall, there is good pay off. And if that does deter you, the great part of this game is the ability to modify all aspects of the world and game progression.
XP gathering rates, loot quality and abundance, player/zombie health and damage, seventh day difficulty — it's all modifiable. 7 Days to Die provides you with the opportunity to create a fully personalized zombie apocalypse. On top of that, you can host your own server (locally using your computer or buying a server) or find the perfect multiplayer server for PvPvE or PvE. Or for roleplay, even. Priced at $44.99 USD, 7 Days to Die offers a lot of replay value and is a good fit if you're a fan of zombie games.
Enjoyability: 10/12
The default setting provides a decent challenge for someone playing alone. For the better part of my playthrough, 7 Days to Die was good fun. I was not able to dilly-dally as much as I wanted to, but that's mainly because the game treats the night time as a very serious affair. Zombies are at their scariest then. Avoiding confrontation was totally fine by me.
A lot of my enjoyment came from just wandering around. I love exploring in video games and 7 Days to Die gave me plenty to explore. The deteriorating houses of a little town and the empty streets of a small city area with skyscrapers towering over me were two settings that really captivated me. Questing, for the most part, also pushed me towards different directions, giving me ample time to dive into the world. If you've ever wanted to roleplay as a character from the show, The Walking Dead, this game is absolutely perfect for that. And again, playing with a group of friends makes the experience even better.
The main reason why this isn't getting a better score is the survival gameplay loop. It is a constant build-up for the seventh day horde and then you start again with the rebuilding, crafting ammo, moving out, et cetera. It's still a great game to keep coming back to.
Gameplay: 10/12
7 Days to Die, being a survival game, requires you to manage things such as food, water, injuries, temperature, item deterioration, crafting, hunting, and base building. It's a lot, especially if this is your first venture into the genre. What the game provides, however, is a fairly realistic experience of living in a zombie-filled world. All these things to manage will keep you constantly busy as you venture out into the world.
Combat is serviceable. Nothing special. Taking out zombies, one at a time, isn't a big problem. Aim for the head, be careful of your surroundings, and stay out of range of their lunge. Sounds easy enough; though, there will be times when the claustrophobic nature of the houses will lead to much more thrilling encounters. At night, the zombies become more of an issue, forcing you to choose between staying at home or pushing further ahead. The namesake in the seventh day is a fun challenge as it takes everything to the next level. Even though I did not face it solo all that much, the seventh night definitely adds to the experience.
The building method, like Minecraft, is done with blocks. My base wasn't particularly well made, a bit rushed I will admit, but the game allows your creativity to flourish. You could make trap corridors, a maze, bridges to connect buildings, anything is possible. You can even dig tunnels between bases and lay more traps down. It adds a neat layer to the game.
Atmosphere: 9/12
The sound design isn't overly great. It is a couple of steps above generic, I'll say that much. This mostly affects animals and zombies as you're supposed to know what is nearby due to their distinct sounds. The problem is that the sound is muffled or, if this makes sense, canned. At times, the sound will also not be localized. I would hear a zombie as if it were inside the house with me; though, it would actually be outside. Natural sounds such as thunder, owls, and birds sound good-ish. Again, it will not blow you away; although, I had several moments in-game where it all lined up perfectly and felt really captivating.
The guitar riffs and the drums carry the soundtrack, either amping me up for combat or building the suspense of danger. A serene track will be playing before either the drums or guitar get involved, adding suspense to every moment. Both are utilized well in the soundtrack.
The world does feel and look like what you would expect. The game's textures go for something of a realistic tone so that makes everything feel appropriately unsettling. Leftover debris, boarded doors and windows, broken down cars — all the signs of a zombie apocalypse. There's even realistic floor rotting; it is nerve-wracking hearing the floorboards creek as they can break open and have you fall straight into darkness. Nothing but the distinct gurgle of a zombie accompanying you. And to briefly touch up on it, the game has six different biomes that you can explore. They all have realistic demands in terms of temperature and food and the like so they add to the overarching feeling of a "realistic apocalypse".
Design: 10/12
XP, XP, XP. It's the name of the game in 7 Days to Die. Sort of like an MMO, everything you do nets you XP. Farming, crafting, quests, and killing, all of it will fill the bar up. With levels come points for you to spend on your perks. The major categories are: Perception, Strength, Fortitude, Agility, and Intelligence. Each category will have its own sub-section which contains specific perks, which can also be leveled up. Progress is tied to the main skill. For example, I spent my points on perception for headshot damage bonus with spears and rifles. What is also useful in that tree is the scavenger section which deals with loot; I could loot quicker and had a better chance of getting better quality items. The great thing is, there are also magazines and books that also boost your damage with certain items, allow you to craft better quality items, and give you the chance to build up other skills.
There are challenges that are designed to encourage you to explore the different mechanics in 7 Days to Die. The categories are: homesteading, trader/quest, basic/advance survival, crafting, and harvesting. Although basic in terms of accomplishment, they give you plenty of XP for doing simple tasks within those categories. It is another avenue to get XP and levels for the seventh day.
Progression can feel like a slog when playing solo. I did not have a group to divide the skill points which meant that specializing into different roles was not going to be optimal. Another thing, the default settings may not be great for solo journeys...It provides a challenge, sure, but I would probably bump the earning rates next time. It can be overwhelming trying all these mechanics when alone. Having the modifiers as an option is very comforting, as a result. The ability to control your progression is what defines this game. It lets you carry that out in so many different ways.
Direction: 9/12
With great freedom comes lots of decision making. 7 Days to Die throws you right into the thick of things with just a quick introduction to the quest and challenge system. You can find your objectives and challenges through a radial menu hotkey or from the inventory screen. Indicators for quests or air drops will be highlighted in bright yellow making it easy to find where you need to go.
Doing the quests from the traders will net you the currency, Duke tokens, and a decent number of supplies. Sometimes they'll even let you pick your own reward which is nice. Progressing through the tier system for the quests, you will be sent on a mission to link up with the other traders.
The horde day provides another objective to perpetually aim for. Each seventh day (depending on how it is configured) will bring zombies who lust for killing. You could either make a sub-base for the horde night itself or modify your base to handle the onslaught. Besides the seventh day and the ever-going quests, you are left to your own free will. What you get out of it is up to you. It's a blast playing through the game, but, if you're not in the mood, well, the game won't really do anything about that.
