Zombie apocalypse or not, there’s always time for relaxing!

If you are even slightly aware of the Survival Game genre, you will be familiar with Dayz. After 600 hours of surviving against zombies and other players, I’m finally prepared to give you a complete, unbiased review of this unforgiving gem of a game. 

About Dayz 

Unfortunately for you, zombies don’t take prisoners!

This Is DayZ - This Is Your Story

Dayz is a brutal, hyper-realistic, Zombie Survival Game. You have one goal: Survive. This goal may sound simple, but there will be no end to the obstacles in your way, trying to cut your journey short, and send you back to the coast. 

You’ll spawn in with almost nothing; just a bandage, glow stick, a piece of fruit, and the clothes on your back. From the get go, you’ll need to work fast to find food and water, as fruit will only last you so long. Journeying inland as soon as you’re able will be the smart move. 

Keeping yourself warm and dry is just as important for your survival as eating and drinking. If you spend too long being cold and wet, you’ll end up getting ill, which will slowly eat away at your health if left untreated. Worst still, coughing and sneezing will give away your location to other players. 

Speaking of other players, they pose the greatest threat in the world of Dayz. More often than not, players will trust you as little as you trust them, and would rather shoot you on sight and steal your gear rather than risk losing theirs to you! 

There is no traditional story mode or quests in the main game. You will carve out your own story with every playthrough, with completely unique events and interactions within these massive maps. 

Dayz Gameplay

Hunting is the perfect pastime for the ‘peaceful’ survivor

This is DayZ - Gameplay Trailer

Your gameplay experience with Dayz will differ depending on your playstyle. If you’re the lone wanderer type, you can survive completely off the land; foraging for fruit and mushrooms, fishing, and when you’ve found a hard hitting weapon: Hunting. 

If you want, you can team up with friends and travel as a squad, where safety is in numbers. Once adequately geared up, you can find somewhere to make home, and build yourself a base, using the somewhat tedious building system. 

Traversing the vast 225 km2  land of Chernarus can be a long process, especially if your destination is on the other side of the map. Luckily for you, there are cars and trucks which can be driven, once you’re able to repair them to working order.

Friends through thick and thin 

Dayz won’t make it easy for you to get geared up. Loaded guns in good condition are rare, and you’ll most likely need to find attachments, magazines and bullets individually. These bullets will also need to be loaded manually into your magazines. Realism being the aim here would be an understatement. 

Of course, you can’t talk about a zombie survival game without mentioning the zombies themselves. You will find them in all built up areas, and in groups they can be a genuine threat. Thankfully they can be taken out relatively easily by themselves, and the ability to stealth kill them is a nice touch.

Day Combat

Hey zombie! Have a knuckle sandwich! 

Dayz - crazy PVP moments.

No matter how safe you play it, you can end up fighting for your life round every corner. Hostile players may be hiding in a treeline, scoping out your path; or maybe you’ve not been careful when looting and alerted all the nearby zombies to your location. 

Fortunately for you, when you inevitably run into trouble, Dayz contains a huge list of weapons to help keep you safe. This includes a wide range of melee and ranged weapons; from a simple cleaver, to high calibre rifles. 

Melee weapons can be the difference between life and death in close encounters, so finding one early is a must. Despite this, melee combat in Dayz feels clunky and unresponsive (Blocking can only be done when moving backwards), and takes some getting used to. 

On the other hand, gunplay is enjoyable, with a very realistic feel. Recoil patterns have to be learnt to know how to control your weapon, which means once you’ve passed the learning curve, putting down foes can be extremely satisfying.

What do you mean we’re in the wrong place?!

Gunfights are tense as you never know when you might be ambushed, and it won’t take many bullets to send you back to the coast. Sometimes you land your shots at the same time, knocking you both out, and it’s a race to wake up first and finish off your enemy. 

Battling with zombies is one of Dayz’s biggest downfalls. The already mentioned clunky melee combat is very apparent here, and they have a tendency to glitch and get stuck on top of buildings. They also struggle regularly with pathfinding.

Dayz Graphics 

Best hope you find a compass!

DayZ : RTX 4090 24GB ( 4K Maximum Settings )

As you might expect for a game that came out in 2013, the graphics are a little dated. Low detailed objects are common, and some textures are in a low resolution, especially when you go indoors, which certainly shows its age when compared against its competitors. 

Outdoors it’s a different story. The skyboxes vary depending on weather conditions, and some sunrises and sunsets can look phenomenal. When it comes to night time, light sources look very good, and can be spotted from realistic distances. 

If you happen to be playing on a beefy PC, you can comfortably run Dayz over 100 fps in 4K, with vast draw distances, and can see players at some extreme ranges.

Dayz Content Updates 

Fire is great if you’re wanting to get noticed…

Dayz has received one official DLC since release. This was the Livonia map pack, released in 2019; which introduces players to 163 km2  of rolling hills, valleys, and lush green woodlands.

Livonia also adds some uniqueness to the map in the form of a massive bunker for you to explore and loot. Before you’re able to get your hands on the high tier gear, you will need to find the relevant punched cards to gain access to the bunker. 

Since release, Dayz has received consistent updates to the game, adding new items, weapons, clothing, and map changes. 

PC gamers are spoiled with an extremely active, and dedicated modding community. There are countless mods for you to download, and these can range from additional weapons, to fully crafted maps for you to enjoy.

Dayz Developer

Fixing up a car may take time, but the pay-off is so worth it

Dayz was developed by Bohemia Interactive, and fortunately for fans of the game, they are very transparent with the community. They have an active presence on social media, where they keep followers in the loop with future updates and plans. 

Bohemia Interactive have provided a steady stream of updates, from release to the present; which not only provides new additions to the game, but also bug fixes on every update, 

Despite the consistent updates, Dayz remains plagued with bugs which you’ll likely encounter every time you play. This is likely due to the dated game engine that could desperately do with an overhaul.

Dayz Price

Don’t follow the light! 

Dayz is currently available on PC, and latest and last generation PlayStation and Xbox consoles. 

For the consoles, you’ll be spending a similar amount: £44.99 on the PlayStation store, and £41.74 on Xbox. Currently at the time of writing, there is a sale on Steam for £20.39, which you should definitely jump at! 

There are no in game cosmetic purchases or pay to win elements. The only in game purchase available to players is the Livonia DLC, which varies from £5 to £10.

Final Verdict 

Don’t keep the infected waiting!

The ultimate simulator in zombie survival. If you can get past the fairly steep difficulty curve, you’ll be blessed with a truly unique and immersive experience that you won’t forget!

Pros

• Hyper-realistic survival elements 
• Great gunplay 
• Immersive world 
• All playstyles are encouraged
• Active and responsive developer

Cons

• Frustrating bugs 
• Dated graphics 
• Clunky melee combat 
• Challenging for new players

Verdict: 8/10