Days Gone E3 Closed Doors Alternate Playthrough Showcase

The Days Gone team showed the second demo from the E3 presentation. This one was played behind closed doors, and, until now, you could only have seen parts of it during the PlayStation live broadcast. This specific video was running in the background, with interruptions, and it occasionally took up the full screen.

This trailer includes narration from John Garvin (writer and director) and Sam Witwer (voice of the game’s main protagonist Deacon St. John). They take us from start to finish, showing some new moments and making parallels between this showcase and the one shown on the media stage. If you want to take a look at it, or just as a reminder, follow this link to the PlayStation 4 Days Gone Stage Demo.

The most obvious difference between these two showcases of the same mission is that this one is a lot richer in content. You can see the UI and the new, never before seen gameplay features, like the survival vision.

Some of the other things that were not present in the first stage demo and their influence on the gameplay:

• Besides the change of time of day and the weather, we can see the UI for the first time. It shows a mini map, the amount of gas in the motorcycle, health, something that looks like a stamina bar, the current weapon, and more. The mini map has so many details; it feels it might be a little distracting.
• Wolves from the first demo are not present in this one. John describes it as a dynamic event that may or may not happen, depending on when you are playing the game. So, if you are planning to go into the woods during the night, beware the wolves.
• The Freakers, creatures that are the greatest danger in this world, will become stronger in the cold, and will come in greater numbers.
• The survival vision that was briefly shown in the first demo, as Deacon goes around Manny’s bike, was now even more colorful. You can actually spot the scene of the accident.
• The crafting on foot is shown in this one. Deacon crafts a Molotov cocktail (1 Container, 1 Flammable, 1 Wrap) to take down the Marauder camp enemies.
• Items like the Crossbow Bolt have their stats: DPS, Damage, Fire Rate and Mag.
• The behavior of human enemy AI might also changes during the day/night cycles. Unlike in the first one, this time they are more aware as night approaches, with the lit bonfires to keep them warm.

In a way, I really liked the first demo. It was more cinematic, and the player behind it showed us some interesting and cool scenes. Like the one where the swarm catches up with the small Marauder camp, after they shot down the man who was caught in a bear trap. The approach of blowing up the barricade with a remote bomb was also way cooler in the first one.

What the first one lacked, the second delivered. We got to see how the missions develop with the integrated UI, crafting system and improved survival instinct.