Bend Studio’s open-world adventure Days Gone is one of PlayStation Studios’ weakest releases in recent years, but it’s still a surprising and fun game, with the downside of being surrounded by really notable games. I originally played it when it released on PlayStation 4 and while I enjoyed it, it never got me on the same level as The Last of Us Part II or God of War. Both games that amaze to this day as they push the PS4 circuit on the last transistor.
Return to the present. Days Gone is about to debut on PC, with a remake that takes over the original game and removes many of the limitations it had on PS4. What you get without thinking too much is an improved version in every way and something that actually made me fall in love with it.
Since we’ve already analyzed Days Gone on PS4, you can read it here. Today I am not going to go into the history or the information that you can catch up on by reading the text of the original version. Instead, I’ll focus on customizing for computers, how it looks, and how it plays. Everything from a technical point of view.
However, the PC version of Days Gone immediately offers an unlocked frame rate, faster load times, better graphics (thanks to various factors such as a higher level of detail and an extended drawing distance), as well as compatibility with ultra-wide monitors, mouse and keyboard compatibility with all types of controllers and If that wasn’t enough, so did all of the DLC for the PS4 game.
And all that jargon, what does it really mean? Well, the game looks and plays a lot better than it does on the console. And I insist much better. I have a fairly powerful computer that comes with a 9th generation Intel i7, an RTX 2060, and 16GB of RAM. It’s not a “master race” team playing at over 300 FPS, but they manage to get most games to over 60 FPS in even the most demanding of environments. I tend to prefer performance over graphics and run games at lower settings to get a higher frame rate per second instead. With Days Gone I played medium graphics on my PC and moved between 80 and 130 FPS depending on the screen activity.
During cinematic sequences, the frame rate could drop perfectly to 80 per second, and it would hit 130 FPS while exploring the open world with a few spawns plaguing the screen. Despite the differences in frame rates, the game moves with incredible fluidity and offers an experience almost unrecognizable when placed next to its counterpart on PlayStation 4.
The most interesting thing is that Days Gone looks remarkably good on PC despite its cheap performance. Whether you’re stopping to admire the Oregon forests or looking down the throat of a spawn, this version takes a huge leap in visual quality. Even the parts that age worst in video games, such as the B. Faces, win here. You can even see Deacon’s beard dance to the beat of the wind. It is magic.
Much of the brilliance of the PC version of Days Gone comes from a number of improvements that are almost ridiculous. You can configure almost everything in the game to suit the way you play, including the ability to change the map controls or change the field of view (FOV), which can make it significantly larger. This, while it doesn’t seem like it, may be quite a “game changer” when it comes to enjoying this title.
However, there are some problems here and there. From time to time I had problems playing the game due to a small jump in frames, mostly in cinematics, but they were very rare and didn’t interrupt my immersion in the game at all. Plus, it’s still days gone by which means there are certain things that can get you on the ropes a bit, like the aiming system, that are a bit annoying until you have certain improvements. I think a lot of the problem in this aspect is due to the grids that the game offers.
Despite its shortcomings, the PC version of Days Gone offers a much better way to experience this game. The many options available turn a game that was played well on PS4 into a version that works incredibly well on PC. So much so that today is the best way to play Days Gone. And best of all, you don’t need a powerful PC to get the most out of this customization. Everything has been optimized and elegantly adapted to this platform. If there’s one thing that got me watching this version on PC, it is that Days Gone still deserves a good spot among PlayStation Studios’ plans, despite its shortcomings. It’s still great for riding a motorcycle for hours and killing non-zombies.
