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Stop Comparing Sony’s Days Gone to The Last of Us
Even though Sony is pushing two zombie-themed games in Days Gone and The Last of Us 2, the new property from SIE Bend Studio looks like it will be rather different from Naughty Dog’s acclaimed horror franchise. Quite simply, the two titles are going to feel separate from one another, aside from both releasing as exclusives for the PS4 and both games holding the desire to steer clear from the traditional nomenclature of zombies – through the “freakers” of Days Gone and the “infected” of The Last of Us.
Nonetheless, the two games have attracted similar interest, no doubt in part due to those surface similarities. After all, both are set in a post-apocalypse where the remaining population is being plagued by an infection that is destroying what humanity remains, although that is of course ignoring those slight tonal changes. Whereas Days Gone‘s more bombastic nature lets players use zombie armies and fight zombie bears, The Last of Us 2 has something of a more cinematic feel, as shown by the most recent The Last of Us 2 trailer.
These comparisons between the two games are also something that Days Gone creative director John Garvin wants gamers to steer clear of. Speaking with Game Informer, the director at SIE Bend Studio responded to a series of quick-fire questions, confirming that he was sick of comparisons to The Last of Us before stating that it was unlike Naughty Dog’s series – apart from a somewhat tongue-in-cheek answer that “it’s a third person action-adventure game where you’re killing creatures that aren’t zombies.”
Aside from that, Garvin also confirmed a few bits of information about Days Gone, including a focus on upgrading main character Deacon St. John’s motorbike over the course of the game. The creative director also revealed that the game will take around 30 hours to complete, although there is also going to be end-game content for those that want to continue playing Days Gone after the story has finished. The game’s early 2019 release date was also reiterated.
Garvin’s light-hearted answers to comparisons with The Last of Us are no doubt in part down to the strong relationship between SIE Bend and Naughty Dog. The studio was tasked with making the PS Vita Uncharted games, Uncharted: Golden Abyss in 2011 and Uncharted: Fight for Fortune in 2012, and so a little bit of a back and forth between the two developers is to be expected.
Even so, it’s still good to see that Sony isn’t treading on its own toes too much with this pair of releases. There isn’t going to be much time between the launch of The Last of Us 2 and Days Gone as it stands, and so taking sure that the two releases feel a different enough to really stand out is understandably important. Here’s hoping that both games will be worth the wait.
