Summary
Debuting back in 2013, theState of Decayseries is over a decade old but has just two entries under its belt. Originally released as anXbox 360 Arcade title, the firstState of Decaytook the Xbox world by storm, delivering a surprisingly ambitious third-person zombie survival game. Though the 2018 sequel didn’t quite live up to the blossoming legacy of its predecessor,State of Decay 2still showed promise. So, whenState of Decay 3was announced in July 2020, it was met with a lot of excitement from fans, with many believing that developer Undead Labs could really knock it out of the park on its third try.
But it hasn’t been an easy road forState of Decay 3. For years,State of Decay 3went completely radio silent, and eventually a Kotaku report in 2022 suggested that the game was in trouble. But against all odds,State of Decay 3has resurrected itself, and it seems stronger than ever, debuting an exciting new trailer at the recent Xbox Showcase that hints at just how much of an improvement the sequel will be over its predecessors.
How State of Decay 3 Is Improving Upon SOD2’s Gameplay
An Impactful, Seamless Co-Op World
InState of Decay 2, up to four players could join together and fend off hordes of the undead in co-op. While players could separate from each other if they wanted to, sticking together as a team was heavily encouraged. InState of Decay 3, developer Undead Labs is putting more of an emphasis on a “shared world experience,” according to Xbox Wire’s recent interview with the Studio Head Philip Holt. This means thatState of Decay 2’s shared save technologyhas been built upon, now letting multiple players share one much larger open world inState of Decay 3.Undead Labs has been working on this tech alongside Obsidian Entertainment.
InXbox Wire’s recentState of Decay 3development deep-dive, Undead Labs really emphasizes the sequel’s shared world component, and how players' actions will have consequences that ripple throughout the world and each player’s save. One of the biggest examples the developers give during this deep-dive isState of Decay 3’s permadeath feature, which makes a triumphant return from previous entries. This new and improved version of permadeath will have consequences on the narrative this time around, affecting how the characters talk to one another following a major community member’s death.
Modified Gear Is Now The Norm
Taking place a few years after its predecessor,State of Decay 3is set a good few years intothe zombie apocalypse. Those who have managed to survive up until this point have become hardened warriors, willing to adapt to overcome any challenge. This is apparently shown through the game’s gear system. InState of Decay 3, fans can expect to see an array of gear and weapons that all feature some type of modification. Gameplay-wise, this means that players will no longer find generic weapons lying about as often, but will instead find a range of parts that can be taped together to produce a truly unique weapon.
Failure Is Still a Big Part of State of Decay 3’s Loop
In the Xbox Wire interview, Undead Labs' Philip Holt also talks about how important the concept of failure is to theState of Decayfranchise. Holt states that it’s when things go wrong inState of Decaythat the game provides the most memorable moments, such as running out of ammo during an intense battle or running out of gas in the middle of a chase. The recentState of Decay 3Xbox Showcase trailerhighlighted this concept well, and fans can probably expect to play through many of these moments in the final product.
How State of Decay 3 Is Improving Upon SOD2’s Graphics
Another Showcase of Unreal Engine 5
AfterSenua’s Saga: Hellblade 2showcased the power of Unreal Engine 5, there’s a lot of excitement behind any project that’s now using the engine.State of Decay 3is one such game, and it sounds like it’s making the most of the impressive technology. Gettinghands-on help from The Coalition, Blind Squirrel Entertainment, and Wushu Studios,State of Decay 3is using Unreal Engine 5 to deliver the most realistic and high-fidelity animations and textures the series has ever seen. Enemies will react more realistically when hit, dismemberment will look even gorier than before, and animations across the board will be more fluid and reactive.
According to the Xbox Wire interview withUndead Labs' Art Director Wayne Laybourn,State of Decay 3is trying to strike the perfect balance between being grounded and realistic, and being just fantastical enough to remain fun. In the interview, Laybourn uses the example of running over a zombie with a car, stating that the act of driving over it will feel “brutal and visceral,” but will still feel “as entertaining as ever.”
The Devil Is In The Details
Towards the end of the insightful Xbox Wire deep-dive, Art Director Warne Laybourn briefly mentions the importance of details inState of Decay 3’s world, and how every minute aspect of the environment, character models, weapons, vehicles, and zombie designs have all been carefully constructed to fit in with the series' unique tone, and distinct version of the zombie apocalypse. Laybourn specifically mentions how “everything tells a story” inState of Decay 3, from the scratches on the stock of a rifle to the tape holding together the player character’s shoe. It’s clear that Undead Labs is very passionate aboutState of Decay 3’s art direction and world-building, and that’s an integral aspect of any zombie-based game, movie, or TV show.
State of Decay 3
WHERE TO PLAY
State of Decay 3 is an open-world survival game set years after a zombie apocalypse nearly wiped out humankind. An evolving zombie threat is taking over the landscape and you need to carve out a life for your community of survivalist homesteaders.The choices you make affect in-game events and storylines, so be careful: if one of your community members falls to the zombie horde, you’ll lose that character and their abilities forever. Every risk must be weighed against the reward!With online multiplayer for up to 4 players, start a community together from scratch with your friends in a shared, persistent world. You’ll all be able to build, develop, and expand a base that reflects your designs and choices.
