I was there. Long before The Day Before, I was there. I was there when the H1Z1 virus hit, and it wasn’t good. I was there when so many were lost to The Walking Dead: Survival Instincts. I gave Metal Gear Survive a chance, even after all of my friends said I shouldn’t. I survived them all in one way or another, and I never lost hope. But none of them could prepare me for The Day Before, which before it had been out for a week is now dead in the water.
I didn’t know what to expect from The Day Before, but I didn’t expect this. Sure, I expected it to be full of bugs, but how was I supposed to know that it wasn’t at all what was advertised? An extraction shooter? Where did that come from? It didn’t come from the trailers, which showed some co-op zombie fighting, a couple of sports cars racing through a decaying city, and a sauna. But no one ever suggested an extraction shooter. So, why waste $40 on this trainwreck of a game when we have seven zombie games to play instead of The Day After?
Taora: Beginning
The Day Before wasn’t the only zombie survival game released recently. On the day after The Day Before launched into Early Access, Taora: Beginning was released on Steam. And although Taora: Beginning is just a free-to-play prelude to Taora: Survival, it already looks to offer more than The Day Before. Taora looks like it will have all of the survival elements we crave: crafting, base building, skill trees, and plenty of zombie smashing. Unfortunately, if you are looking for multiplayer, Taora is a solo adventure.
7 Days To Die
Developed by The Fun Pimps – the name alone is a reason to try their games – 7 Days to Die is an open-world zombie survival game that has been in development for over a decade now. Regardless of whether it will ever reach a full launch state, 7 Days to Die has grown into a decent zombie romp. 7 Days to Die’s co-op and PvP play may fall short of massively multiplayer, but at least you can enlist a few friends to help you survive the hoard.
Escape From Tarkov
So maybe you are happy that The Day Before is an extraction shooter. That still doesn’t mean it’s a good choice. Even though it doesn’t have zombies, you’d be better served picking up Escape From Tarkov instead. Better base building. Better gear. Better everything. Maybe someday The Day Before will be a decent extraction shooter, but for now, Escape From Tarkov is a better bet.
Dying Light 2 Stay Human
Dying Light 2 provides some excellent co-op zombie-fighting action. Relatively safe during the day, it’ll take all of your fighting skills and a little parkour to survive Villedor, the last city on Earth, at night. And if you find defeating the hordes of zombies a little too hard solo, you can invite three of your closest friends to help fight the zombie hordes. Or just use them as fodder as you run away to fight another day.
Left 4 Dead 2
Another co-op first-person shooter, Left 4 Dead 2 has received an overwhelmingly positive rating on Steam. And even though it was released all the way back in 2009, this co-op first-person shooter still provides better action than anything The Day Before can muster. If 2009 feels a little too old for you, you could always go with the more recent Back 4 Blood and its four-player co-op and competitive multiplayer action.
The Division 2
The Division 2 might not have zombie hordes, but its post-pandemic Washington DC (and New York City if you pick up the Warlords of New York. You can get both for less than the price of TDB.) provides a much more thrilling setting than The Day Before’s Fortune City. Go it alone or move in and out of co-op play at will as you fight to retake DC block by block, then head into the Dark Zone for some intense PvP action.
Once Human
Still in development, Once Human may end up being the MMO we were hoping to get with The Day Before. Humans, animals, and plants have all been infected by Stardust, leaving them in a zombie-like state. You have survived the infection and can harness the power of Stardust to survive. Not expected to be released until Q3 2024, you can get a taste of what Once Human has to offer by joining its closed beta.
