{"id":9800,"date":"2017-01-13T01:15:31","date_gmt":"2017-01-13T09:15:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cyberpowergaming.com\/stars-in-shadow-early-access-review-a-potential-diamond-stepping-out-of-the-shadows\/"},"modified":"2024-01-24T16:59:45","modified_gmt":"2024-01-25T00:59:45","slug":"stars-in-shadow-early-access-review-a-potential-diamond-stepping-out-of-the-shadows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cyberpowergaming.com\/stars-in-shadow-early-access-review-a-potential-diamond-stepping-out-of-the-shadows\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Days to Die (Early Access) Review \u2013 Many Nights to Die"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"7d0\"<\/p>\n

7 Days to Die
\nThe Fun Pimps<\/p>\n

Unless you\u2019re a gamer who has been living under a rock somewhere, survival games are all the rage right now. I was just perusing the Steam store, and it seems that every other game on there is some sort of survival offering. Underwater or island survival, survival horror, medieval survival, wilderness survival, you name it\u2014the list is quite lengthy.<\/p>\n

However, post-apocalyptic settings are by far the most popular ones featured within the survival game genre. Former frontrunner Day Z<\/em> has lost much of its steam because of bizarre updates, and its derivative gameplay and lackluster graphics make it the current bottom-of-the-survival barrel. H1Z1: Just Survive has likewise made some development blunders and has largely fallen out of contention. Meanwhile, up-and-coming challenger to the zombie-pocalypse throne, Miscreated, is finally getting some much deserved recognition. Its graphics are especially gorgeous as well.<\/p>\n

But what do these games all have in common? Well, although they may capture the post-apocalyptic atmosphere to varying degree (especially Miscreated), the zombie portrayed within them just aren\u2019t that much of a threat. Ever since I first saw 28 Days Later, where the \u201cinfected\u201d would run around at breakneck speeds in large hordes, I hoped that someone would create a game that would capture the terrifying vibe which that film evoked.<\/p>\n

\"7s1\"<\/p>\n

Instead, the aforementioned games feature zombies (or infected) that either shamble around too slowly (or are therefore easy to outmaneuver) or, they\u2019re just not that many of them. They may have small clusters of shamblers near towns and such, but again, they\u2019re just too slow and not much of a real threat.<\/p>\n

Indie developer, The Fun Pimps, seem to have realized this. Their post-apocalyptic zombie-fest, 7 Days to Die, has been out now for just over three years. That\u2019s given them plenty of time to tinker with the by now, tired and hackneyed zombie formula, and have actually done a stellar job of offering something new the genre.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with 7 Days to Die\u2019s pacing and environs. First, you can select the game\u2019s pre-built, default map, or you can have a randomly generated one. Once you plop down somewhere on a server\u2019s map, you\u2019ll soon notice that wherever you are, you\u2019ll never feel quite safe. Zombies are everywhere\u2014you can be chopping away at a tree one minute, and have a walking cadaver trying to chomp off your ear the very next.<\/p>\n

\"7d2\"<\/p>\n

7 Days to Die\u2019s zombies are also a much more diverse bunch, more so than ones featured in other post-apocalyptic games. Yes, there are some lumbering ones, but there are faster ones as well. And if you\u2019re caught outside during the nocturnal hours, normal zombies become much more fleet of foot, and can chase you down, since you have a stamina gauge and they don\u2019t (when was the last time you saw an exhausted zombie?).<\/p>\n

There are also rarer species of zombies that are native to whichever type of biome you happen to be within, or that only come out at night. Indeed, some of the scariest moments I\u2019ve had in 7 Days to Die was when I was hiding (actually more like cowering) in some derelict house, and I could hear zombies scurrying around outside. They can also hear any sounds that you make, and smell you as well (especially if you are carrying food), so you have to worry about those factors as well. If they detect you, just as in 28 Days Later, they will immediately make a beeline for you and attempt to claw through anything between the two of you. I\u2019ve had some incredibly horrifying moments when, once I\u2019d been detected, the zombies would begin smashing through a house\u2019s front or back door. From there, I\u2019d retreat further into the house while slamming doors shut behind me, only having to listen to them patrol the interiors of the dwelling in search of me. 7 Days to Die can really deliver some cinematic experiences.<\/p>\n

\"7
7 Days to Die_20160701114723<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When you finally begin to get some experience under your belt, you can start crafting weapons and armor with which to defend yourself. There are also tons of other crafting recipes to explore as well. 7 Days to Die probably has the most fleshed out (couldn\u2019t resist) crafting system of any survival game that I\u2019ve had the pleasure (or misfortune) of playing.<\/p>\n

What also makes 7 Days to Die stand out from the crowd is its building system. You can either build up a base from scratch, or you can occupy a pre-existing structure such as a house, store, or even a jail, and build upon its foundation. Just be warned that building a base from the ground up can be quite a daunting task, since zombies will probably overrun you during the nighttime hours.<\/p>\n

\"7d5\"<\/p>\n

7 Days to Die\u2019s graphics have been much maligned in the past, but since the developers are constantly updating the game, they\u2019re getting better and better. I\u2019m assuming that since they\u2019re not as shiny and polished as say, Miscreated\u2019s, they\u2019re able to render more zombies on screen at any one time. I think that this is great, since its more about the game\u2019s content as opposed to fancy-fied graphics. I\u2019ll gladly trade in pretty visuals in for legions of zombies running after me and scaring the bejesus out of me in the process.<\/p>\n

7 Days to Die is pretty hard if you try to play it solo\u2014the zombies will literally run right over you. But that\u2019s really not how the game was intended to be played. Experiencing 7 Days to Die with others is where the game truly begins to shine. Personally, I find that playing with a single friend is not only reviting and immersive, since you\u2019re constantly having to protect each other\u2019s backs, but simply a blast because you can recount many of the horrific experiences together. It\u2019s the perfect game to show off to others on a powerful gaming laptop.<\/p>\n

\"7d4\"<\/p>\n

In all, 7 Days to Die is probably the best example of how to do a post-apocalyptic zombie game right. It\u2019s highly involved and diverse crafting and building systems, fun combat, constant tension, and unlimited replayability (I love randomly generated maps!) makes it my go-to fix for scares and chills. Just remember to turn out the lights and play it with a good set of headphones\u2014that really turns things up a few notches.<\/p>\n

SCORE: 93%<\/p>\n

7 Days to Die <\/em>offers some pretty good visuals that suit its zombie-pocalypse theme. However, you have to have an equally fast gaming PC or gaming laptop in order to play it at a decent framerate. So, you may just want to invest in a decent gaming rig:<\/p>\n

MLK VECTOR 15 VR<\/p>\n

\"MLK<\/a>
MLK VECTOR 15 VR<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Visit CyberpowerPC\u2019s website<\/a> to check out all of the other great deals as well!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

7 Days to Die The Fun Pimps Unless you\u2019re a gamer who has been living under a rock somewhere, survival games are all the rage right now. I was just perusing the Steam store, and it seems that every other game on there is some sort of survival offering. Underwater or island survival, survival horror,… Read More »7 Days to Die (Early Access) Review \u2013 Many Nights to Die<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":5902,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2724],"tags":[2520,2636,741,2488,67,2486,2607,2556,2602,2637],"class_list":["post-9800","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-4k-gaming","tag-7-days-to-die","tag-cyberpower-pc","tag-game-review","tag-gaming-pc","tag-ian-kane","tag-reviews-2","tag-science-fiction-games","tag-survival-games","tag-the-fun-pimps"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberpowergaming.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9800","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberpowergaming.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberpowergaming.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberpowergaming.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberpowergaming.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9800"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberpowergaming.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9800\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16008,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberpowergaming.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9800\/revisions\/16008"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberpowergaming.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5902"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberpowergaming.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9800"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberpowergaming.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9800"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberpowergaming.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9800"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}