State of Decay Review

Official Xbox Magazine is the first publication to review Undead Labs’ open-world action-RPG State of Decay, and seems to be pretty pleased with the zombie action it offers, citing a thin narrative, performance problems and glitches as the main problems with the title.

The final score is an 8 out of 10, and this quote hopefully might help give you an idea why:

With rough textures, framerate hiccups, and geometry that often visibly winks into existence not too far in front of you, State of Decay won’t win any beauty pageants. And the expansive feel of its open world practically cries out (in vain) for some form of co-op play. But it also seems like every inch of real estate has been blessed with loving attention. Whether you’re running around on foot or joyriding in abandoned vehicles, it’s hard to resist the constant (I wonder what’s in here?) allure of every closed door.

Of course, those tantalizing enclosed spaces could very easily contain your bloody end, especially if you act like a toddler in a candy shop. Anxiously managing how much noise you make is one of the most engaging aspects of play: hold your breath while you slowly and quietly scour every cupboard, or throw caution to the wind and make an earth-rattling racket in the interest of speed. Impatient souls will get sick of tip-toeing in a hurry, but they’re precisely the players who’ll most enjoy the frantic melee combat that results when alerted zombies come by looking for fresh flesh.

Even would-be ninjas will get their hands bloody one way or another, but there’s considerable freedom to choose your preferred methods. You can murder the unwary with face-to-floor stealth kills; blast away with the likes of pistols, shotguns, machineguns, and grenade launchers; or crack skulls with a huge assortment of melee weapons, including cricket bats, fire axes, and butcher knives.