The Day Before is here, and it’s not good news, for either the game’s developers or those who have purchased this alleged zombie MMO. Why alleged? I’ll get to that later. But it’s being absolutely panned on Steam, with ‘overwhelmingly negative’ reviews.
This Early Access zombie shooter has (apparently) been in development for five years and the circumstances surrounding its release has left people wondering whether it was even a real game. Well, it’s real, as those who’ve paid the $40 asking price have discovered. It’s just not very good.
Yes, it’s buggy and it’s having serious server issues — but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
For a start, the game has been advertised as an MMO but it’s basically an extraction shooter — an entirely different kind of beast. And its world feels small and empty, even by the standards of a zombie apocalypse.
I could go on, but it’s perhaps simpler to let the reviews speak for themselves. Here are some choice comments from The Day Before’s reviews.
- “LMAO – not an MMO, not open world. Lying about the genre is a bad start. Its a bad tarkov with zombies.” – RunEscape
- “this “open world” is smaller than a New York apartment but with more rats” – Extra Chromie Homie
- “Turns out it is a real game. Kind of wish it wasnt.” – Dr.Compton
- “I’m sorry FNTASTIC, i really was hoping for the best, but the game is absolutely unplayable.” – raptak
- “The game company is verging on a liability of false advertisement, which could cost more than the refund of the games.” – mortveiare
- “I spent so much time staring at loading screens that I contemplated learning a new language, writing a novel, and planning my retirement.” – Regulator
- “could be a mobile game” – MR.T
- “Fetch quest with no personal progression. I now it’s early access but this is a free BETA at best” – Lilhogge
- “Game is scam, DEVS DELETED THE VIDEOS WHERE OPEN WORLD IS SHOWN!!” – Incursio
- “Basically Escape of Tarkov but 3rd person. Issues such as full servers, settings aren’t changing, crashes, etc. It’s….below average.” – Hollow Animaus
At time of publishing, there are over 5,400 reviews, and only 13% are positive. Though, at a glance, some of the positive reviews are a little tongue in cheek. One positive review from Scarrd simply said, “For every like this review gets, I will consume 1 spoonful of mayonnaise.”
The overwhelming consensus is that The Day Before wasn’t ready for release, even as an Early Access game. We’ll have to wait to see if developer Fntastic can turn this around. I’m a huge zombie fan and really wanted this to succeed. But right now, The Day Before is all but dead on arrival.
