polytourist97 on 19/8/2013 at 08:47

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Been playing the alpha this weekend with some friends. It's pretty solid right now, and definitely a lot of fun to play. The game is a bit easy at the moment mostly due to the AI and some exploitable behavior, but there are still very tense moments when one thinks everything is safe and sound only to find a surprise sneak up from behind.

There are a LOT of craftable items so far, and I have to say I'm loving the crafting system. Some may prefer the minecraft style of no guidance and "finding" the recipes (a.k.a. looking them up on a wiki), but I think 7 Days found a nice balance between giving players some idea of where to go with the recipes while still ultimately forcing them to figure out the requisites.

The map is a decent size (one could probably traverse from one side to the other in about 1 or 2 game days)and full of some interesting locations. The most fun I've had with the game so far is just exploring the various houses and buildings scattered around the area. The variation of structures so far is pretty cool.

The construction aspect I haven't played around with as much, but it's looking pretty interesting. The possibilities given by the amount of materials and items is pretty staggering, so I can only imagine when the game starts getting polished how expansive the building opportunities will be. Suffice to say, currently I'm pretty impressed with the potential in this area of the game.

Combat is currently fun, albeit a little inconsistent. Some weapons seem to be FAR better than others with no real reason (for example, the sledgehammer is easily the best melee weapon in the game, while the axe is one of the worst). I like the different weapons that are available, and I think the game does a nice job of balancing out having to scavenge for good weapons while still making them attainable enough to keep it fun versus being a chore. Fighting off hordes of zombies is great fun so far, especially moments like barely escaping a dire situation that could have been easily avoided. I really love the mechanic of making the zombies classic, plodding nuisances in the daytime and merging that with making them CRAZY fast and completely terrifying at night. It works perfectly to set up the atmosphere of desperately trying to scavenge materials and prepare a homestead during the daytime before the deathtrap that is sundown.

There are certainly bugs galore, but none that I would consider gamebreaking (which, considering this is an alpha, is surprising). Some of the keybinding options are limited, so hopefully they can get that ironed out (tab as the console with no way of changing it is driving me CRAZY). Multiplayer works very well as far as I've experienced, with only some minor hiccups. The one thing I could see becoming an issue in the future is whether or not the challenges in the game can keep up with players becoming more and more equipped to handle various situations. However, that's a minor quibble, and something that proper balancing can always fix.

All in all, I'm really impressed with the game so far. It's fun, relatively simple to get into, and satisfying to play, and I find myself wanting to keep playing against my better judgment, which is always a good sign.

faetal on 19/8/2013 at 11:44

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It's based in The Netherlands.

EvaUnit02 on 2/3/2014 at 00:30

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Alpha 7 is out and I'm happy that now the environments no longer look like a fucking Minecraft mod. Smooth landscapes for everyone!