Now that it's clear that State of Decay 3 is officially coming, it's time to talk about what the game should be. Previous entries in what is now a trilogy have largely focused on the survival aspect. Players built up their camps while savaging for supplies. They went out looking for other survivors. They tried to survive when one of their group was bitten. But for the most part, zombies were treated as a nuisance more than something to be scared about. When the original State of Decay released, its concept was relatively new. By the time State of Decay 3 will launch other games might end up beating it to the punch. That means survival in a harsh world full of some kind of undead will already be out there. In order to continue to keep the buzz going about this game, Undead Labs should lean into more of a horror setting.
There's already some indication that the State of Decay 3 developer is already planning to embrace the horror of a zombie apocalypse. The reveal trailer showed a survivor hunting in the woods when she stumbles across a deer. However, once the deer raised its head, it became apparent the zombie virus spread. It was now affecting animals. There's a lot of potential horror content there. Imagine thinking a camp is safe and sound from a shambling zombie horde, when all of the sudden, a zombie lion or wolf leaps over the fencing. "Out of nowhere" attacks could certainly be made more prevalent.
State of Decay 3 Can Take A Page From The Resident Evil Franchise
The good news for fans of the series is that State of Decay 3 can set itself apart in the horror genre, while still leaning on those that came before it. There's a way to borrow from the Resident Evil series without copying it. More creeping and crawling in poorly lit buildings and passages will help with the horror. Traipsing through the woods, as the trailer showed, can also have plenty of suspense attached to it.
There's also an argument to be made to have a central villain coming after the survivors. This doesn't need to be someone or something like Resident Evil Village's Mother Miranda. Though a hulking super-powerful monster like Mr. X or Nemesis from Resident Evil 2 or Resident Evil 3 would help. One of the reasons the zombies in this series haven't been that scary so far, is it's clear they're operating more on instinct. If the virus can mutate and jump to animals, it can also mutate and make an intelligent zombie. The sky is really the limit when talking about this kind of source material.
Cut Scenes Make A Difference
Including one aspect that's been almost entirely absent from the series to the upcoming game could help more than the public might think. The State of Decay 3 trailer shows a different point of view than fans have seen before. If that video is indeed part of a cut scene, it could mean a change in the tension building for this title.
Taking advantage of the tech offered on the Xbox Series X/S the kind of cut scenes in the trailer could make them photorealistic. Having these scenes to transition from one event to another can help build some tension. If players, for instance, get a close-up, 4K look at that hulking menace coming towards their camp, the game is going to feel more like a horror title. That can only be good for its future success.
State of Decay 3 is in development for PC and Xbox Series X.