Zombies and Motorcycles: Is Days Gone Remastered Worth the Ride?

Days Gone PS5 Remaster – The Apocalypse Never Looked This Good

Ah, Days Gone. The open-world biker-meets-zombie apocalypse mashup that launched to mixed reactions back in 2019. It wasn’t perfect, but it definitely had its fans. And now, in 2024, Days Gone Remastered arrives on PS5 with upgraded graphics, performance boosts, and some spicy new gameplay modes.

So… is it time to hop back on that dusty motorcycle and cruise through freaker-infested Oregon one more time?

We took a deep dive, and here’s what we found.

The Road So Far

Set two years after a global pandemic decimates civilization, Days Gone puts you in the rugged boots of Deacon St. John, a drifter and former soldier riding through the wreckage of Oregon. Most of humanity has either died or turned into terrifyingly fast “freakers”—zombie-like creatures with a serious pack mentality.

Alongside his gruff but loyal friend Boozer, Deacon roams the wild, running jobs, scavenging supplies, and—most importantly—grappling with the loss of his wife and a purpose to keep going.

Think Sons of Anarchy meets The Walking Dead, with a touch of Mad Max survival thrown in.

Visuals & Performance – Oregon Never Looked So Good

Let’s be clear: this isn’t just a higher resolution port. Days Gone Remastered is a serious glow-up.

The forests, snowy passes, and rain-drenched highways of Oregon feel alive. Lighting has been overhauled—night is truly dark, and Deacon’s flashlight actually matters now. Weather effects, like falling snow and storms, feel tangible and immersive.

On the performance side, it’s smooth sailing. You can choose between:

• Performance Mode: 60 FPS bliss
• Quality Mode: Full native 4K for the visual purists

Gone are the frame stutters and long load times of the PS4 era. The result? Exploration and combat are way more fluid, and the entire world just feels better.

What's New in the Remaster?

Besides the visual polish, this version includes every update and DLC released since launch:

• New Game Plus
• Higher difficulty levels
• Permadeath mode (for the masochists)
• Horde Assault Mode – basically a full-on action movie scene every time

The DualSense integration is also a welcome touch. You’ll feel the engine of your motorcycle rumbling in your hands, the tension of your triggers when firing, and even the impact of rainfall through haptic feedback.

It doesn’t just look better—it feels better.

Combat & Gameplay – The Hordes Are Still the Star

Days Gone has always shined brightest in one area: combat. It’s gritty, satisfying, and surprisingly varied.

You’ve got everything from silenced pistols to heavy machine guns, crossbows to molotovs—and each one feels weighty and deadly. Melee combat is brutal and bloody, and yes, hitting a freaker in the face with a spiked bat still feels awesome.

But let’s talk about the hordes—hundreds of freakers swarming you at once. No matter how many times you face them, it’s still intense:

• You’ll run
• Set traps
• Blow things up
• Climb onto roofs in panic

These chaotic moments are where Days Gone truly earns its stripes, and now, with better frame rates and a dedicated horde mode, it’s more fun than ever.

That Bike Life

One of the game’s most unique mechanics is your bike. It’s not just transportation—it’s your lifeline.

Fuel management, upgrades, and repairs are all part of the experience. It adds a layer of strategy to exploration, forcing you to plan ahead and keep your ride in top shape.

And with the improved physics and controller feedback on PS5? Riding through the woods at sunset feels like its own mini-vacation… until the freakers show up.

What Hasn't Changed (And Still Hurts)

Here’s where Days Gone Remastered can’t outrun the past.

The story still struggles. While there are emotional moments, the plot often feels scattered—torn between Deacon’s grief, camp politics, freaker conspiracies, and more. Some side plots feel undercooked, and the pacing, especially early on, is sluggish.

Dialogue and cutscenes still interrupt gameplay a bit too often, and you’ll be hitting load screens more than you’d expect from a modern open-world game.

The open world, while beautiful, is… repetitive. Many missions fall into a familiar loop:

• Clear this camp
• Fetch that item
• Rescue some random person
  After a while, it starts to feel like a checklist.

And enemy variety? Let’s just say you’ll get very familiar with the same few freaker types and bandit factions.

The Last of Us Comparison – Unavoidable, but Unfair?

Let’s address the elephant in the room: no one plays Days Gone without thinking of The Last of Us.

And look—it’s not trying to be that. Where The Last of Us is focused, emotional, and cinematic, Days Gone aims to be more of a zombie sandbox. It’s less about subtle storytelling, more about surviving a mad world on your terms.

It’s not as polished, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have value. What it lacks in narrative tightness, it makes up for with scale, mechanics, and that rush of surviving a horde with just a sliver of ammo left.

Verdict: So, Is It Worth Playing Again?

Land of Geek Rating: 8/10

Days Gone Remastered is a strong, polished revisit to an underappreciated gem. It may not reach the emotional heights of its genre peers, but it more than makes up for it with intense combat, immersive survival mechanics, and some of the most exhilarating zombie encounters in gaming. If you can forgive its narrative stumbles and occasional repetition, you’re in for a rugged, rewarding ride through post-apocalyptic Oregon.

✅ Pros:

• Massive Visual Upgrade: Oregon looks stunning, especially in 4K or 60FPS.
• Smooth Performance: The PS5 finally delivers the fluidity the game always needed.
• Incredible Horde Battles: Still unmatched in terms of scale and chaos.
• Unique Bike Mechanics: Fuel, upgrades, and ride control add strategy and personality.
• New Game Modes: Horde Assault and Permadeath spice things up for veterans.
• DualSense Feedback: Feels immersive and satisfying.

❌ Cons:

• Story Still Struggles: A scattered narrative with inconsistent pacing.
• Repetitive Missions: Open-world fatigue kicks in after a while.
• Weak Enemy Variety: You'll see the same freakers and raiders again and again.
• Cinematic Interruptions: Too many cutscenes break immersion.
• Load Times Still Exist: Better than PS4, but not as fast as you'd expect on PS5.

If you liked Days Gone before? You’ll love it now.
If you were on the fence? This is the version to try.
If you hated it then? The polish won’t change your mind.

But if you missed it altogether, Days Gone Remastered is a great excuse to hop on and give it a proper shot. It won’t change the genre like The Last of Us did, but it doesn’t need to.

This is a game about riding, surviving, and carving your own path through the end of the world—and now, it's the best it's ever been.

Craving more deep-dive reviews and gaming remasters that are actually worth your time? Keep riding with us at Land of Geek Magazine!

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