Days Gone Remastered is an enhanced version of the original open-world action-adventure game Days Gone, which was released in 2019. Developed by Bend Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, the remaster brings the post-apocalyptic journey to current-generation consoles with upgraded visuals, improved performance, and relentless hordes of Freakers.

The game brings a gripping post-apocalyptic journey of the main protagonist, Deacon St. John. It’s set in a ravaged world overrun by mindless, feral creatures known as Freakers. The game follows Deacon, who is a former outlaw biker turned drifter. Deacon is on the hunt for answers and a new life, but you need to battle humans and infected threats. If you want to dive deeper into the original game’s mechanics, story and overall experience, MKAU Gaming covered Days Gone extensively in our original review, which you can find here. Be sure to check it out.

Suppose you have played the game before on the original release and are sceptical about purchasing the upgrade to the remastered edition. In that case, you are in luck, as the developers have added some new features to keep the content fresh, and even if you are new, this is a great way to spice up the gameplay. Horde Assault is a new survival arcade mode in Days Gone Remastered that gives you a fresh challenge as you will need to face larger hordes and tougher enemies like the evolved Freakers or super hostile survivors, and the aim is to survive as long as you can and score the highest score.

The mode will take you through some familiar locations from the base game, like Lost Lake and Belknap, but the longer you are alive, the harder the game becomes, and you might forget what those locations look like in the heat of the moment. The more you progress, the more you can unlock special rewards like characters, cosmetics, patches and injectors to boost the gameplay, which makes it a fun little game mode that keeps you on your toes.

If you are a little insane and like a big challenge, then Permadeath Mode might be designed just for you, as it’s not designed for me, as I would be restarting every five minutes from making stupid decisions. Permadeath Mode is the ultimate test of skill and survival. You must complete the entire story in one playthrough without dying, which, for those die-hard fans who can do it without dying, would be quite a flex to say you’ve finished it in this difficulty.

The remaster delivers a more immersive and tactile gameplay experience through refined controls, and it now has full DualSense wireless control support. You can feel every moment of tension and sometimes make those sticky situations more real with the haptic feedback and the adaptive triggers that bring the world together. I liked it when you were riding the motorbike; it would rumble whilst shooting weapons; the feedback brought another level of immersion to the game and made it more enjoyable.

The lighting on the controller was a cool little addition; when there was danger, it would light up red, or something you needed to look into would light up yellow. It’s one of those small things that gets noticed. The one negative I had with the controls was that the motorbike felt super weird. It might have been a little too light in the controls, and I found myself always having to over-correct myself to make sure I was not running into something, and since this was the fastest way to traverse the world, I thought it would be a little more fine-tuned to make it an enjoyable experience.

The sound design in these games is crucial as it builds tension and immerses you in these styles of games. You need to be on the ball from the distant groans to someone approaching you quickly. I liked the addition of the DualSense vibrating and hearing Deacon’s bike roar to life, which made you almost feel like you were riding the bike. The audio has been enhanced in the remaster for increased audio clarity and spatial sound effects, which makes the experience more intense and, a couple of times, made me jump when I was not expecting something.

The developers have taken full advantage of the PlayStation 5’s hardware to deliver a significantly enhanced visual experience compared to the original edition. The game has improved graphical fidelity, sharper textures, a noticeable increase in foliage, and enhanced shadows paired with beautiful lighting quality, which brings the post-apocalyptic world to life.

You can choose between Quality Mode, which will prioritise higher resolution, or Performance Mode for those smoother framerates, which is becoming an option in more and more titles. If you have a PlayStation 5 Pro, these upgrades are even pushed further.

Suppose you like a little bit of photography. In that case, the photo mode has been upgraded with features like time-of-day adjustment, a three-point lighting system and additional logo options, which is great if you want to capture those intense or scenic moments in this stunning-looking title. There was more than one time I would stop and take in the scenery, which made the game an enjoyable experience.

Days Gone Remastered brings a loved and gritty survival experience back with a fresh coat of polish, offering returning players and newcomers an upgraded way to experience Deacon’s emotional and action-packed journey. Whether exploring the open world and taking on massive hordes of Freakers or just exploring on the bike, you are in for a treat with Days Gone Remastered.

Written by: Hayden Nelson