The next big release by Russian studio Fntastic is The Day Before. The game has managed to build up some hype for itself through its detailed environments and action-packed gameplay. From trailers that have been released, it is easy to tell that The Day Before borrows influence from horror and survival games. The idea of looting and fighting for survival in a zombie apocalypse is a theme that has been explored by several games, including in The Last of Us and Resident Evil. However, with its beautiful settings and its vast landscapes that cover both urban and rural areas, The Day Before is hard to ignore.
The game has been marketed as an MMO, and trailers have revealed that there is a myriad of ways players can interact with each other. Players can take the friendly route and team up to accomplish more, or they can decide to do things the hostile way and exterminate anyone who stands in their path. Despite The Day Before being primarily an online game, Fntastic has revealed that the game will be playable offline too.
The Day Before Presents a Dystopian World
The Day Before is set in a world where society has been upturned by a pandemic that has turned much of the population into flesh-eating, zombie-like creatures. Players are thrown into the game as one of the few survivors who must scavenge for resources and defend themselves against foes, whether they come in the form of the infected, or other survivors.
As trailers reveal, exploration will be a big part of the game. Players will have to search through dystopian urban settings for anything of value. Urban settings revealed include a shiny mall where jewelry and cellphones are free to be looted, and abandoned office buildings where dangers may be lurking just around the corner. When players have had enough of the city, they can hop into a vehicle and explore the rural countryside instead.
When a safer environment is required, players can retreat to survivor colonies where they can trade goods and take a quick breather before going back out into the dangerous world. Within survivor colonies, players will also be able to converse with NPCs and accept various tasks.
Can The Day Before Be Played Offline?
Fntastic has revealed that The Day Before can be played offline. When playing offline, players will be able to explore, complete quests, and go up against the infected that roam the world. While playing offline is a viable option, playing in this manner does strip the game of some of its central PvP and cooperative elements, and it is not the intended way for the game to be played.
Much of the game is reliant on encounters with other players. As the studio has explained in an interview, PvP is an important part of The Day Before, and much of the excitement of the game comes from deciding whether to team up with other players or eliminate them. While killing other players may yield some valuable loot, having a survivor on one's side is also very helpful.
Although the ability to play offline is greatly appreciated, it also does raise concerns, as MMO games meant to be played online have a bad history when it comes to including offline singleplayer modes. Turtle Rock's Back 4 Blood is such an example. Players are able to play the campaign solo, but it just does not feel as good as teaming up with a couple of friends. Hopefully, Fntastic is able to craft an offline mode that feels as engaging as its online counterpart.
The Day Before releases on June 21, 2022, on PC. PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions are also in development.