Days Gone Remastered

While they are objectively "cheap" upgrades, it does feel like many are becoming a little tired of Sony's method of giving its former titles new life. In a world of "remasters" of the scale of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, the PlayStation alternatives that include The Last of Us, Marvel's Spider-Man, Death Stranding, and now even Days Gone, the fact that these simply offer enhanced performance and visuals that other companies have offered for free in the past alongside some added extras, it can feel like a kick in the teeth that Sony feels so able to simply take money out of your wallet without remorse. But hey, this is the world that Sony has built for itself, so enough chatter, let's get down to business and discuss if Days Gone Remastered is worth your money.

For starters, let's get the more basic elements out of the way. Yes, this edition improves the graphics and performance of the PS4 version of the original. No, it's not a The Last of Us: Part I improvement, but it is a noticeable improvement, especially in the fluidity of the game on Performance Mode and when you keep tabs on the time it takes to load. Beyond that, I personally didn't notice a truly massive improvement, but it should be said that this comes via an experience using a base PS5 model and not the significantly more powerful Pro that can also tap into PSSR and other AI features.

Beyond pure performance, as Days Gone Remastered is effectively a "next-gen" version of the PS4 title, you also get a slate of PS5-specific additions that do add a little flair even if they aren't game changers. The DualSense support for one is worth mentioning as the haptics in the controller are particularly interesting especially when riding around on Deacon's bike, where you can now feel a more authentic rumble of the motorcycle's engine and how its ride changes as you switch between terrains. The adaptative triggers are also present but not massively noticeable, and the use of 3D audio does make Freaker attacks all the more terrifying. Beyond this though, this remaster is just Days Gone with a bit of modern technology pixie dust sprinkled over it.

At least it would be if it wasn't for the actual new content. Now the game supports a handful of new modes and features, including Speedrun Mode, which is just what it says on the tin, a way to track how long it takes you to beat the game by sticking a timer on the screen. For those looking for this challenge I'm sure it's a welcome addition but for everyone else it's just an extra way to blast through the same story we've known for well over five years now. Then there's also the additional ways to customise the gameplay to your liking, for example slowing down the speed at which Freakers run at you. Accessibility is always worth championing and this addition is a welcome one, even if you do wonder if it could have been made available to all versions of the game and not just the Remastered one...

Lastly is by far the biggest addition: Horde Assault. This is Days Gone's answer to a proper zombies mode, as it puts a character into a closed level and then asks them to survive against increasingly large hordes of Freakers. It's a much more action-packed and less resource-sensitive way to enjoy blasting apart the hordes that like to wander around rural Oregon. This mode actually has a bit of The Last of Us: Part II Remastered - No Return flair to it, as you can choose different characters from the Days Gone story, each of whom do slightly different things and you can then use them to explore each level for loot and resources to make it easier to gun down the Freakers. Otherwise, this game is pretty much exactly what you expect it to be and nothing more, as the most that it looks to curb expectations is in how it incorporates score. As you slay Freakers, you notch up score, and the more you get the more Supply Drops you can open around the map, with these providing access to powerful weapons or tons of supplies. Your score also determines if you "beat" the level too, as while there's no escape route per se, each map has a score milestone it wants you to hit to unlock the next map. When you combine this with an XP-based progression system that enables you to unlock new characters, items, perks, and even modifiers to make the action even harder, there is plenty on offer in Horde Assault, even if it is a bit of a gimmick and not nearly as fun as simply chewing through the main storyline.

And that brings me full circle to whether or not you should actually spend your money on Days Gone Remastered? If you already own the original and can take advantage of the "cheaper" upgrade path then it's not exactly a big risk if you are looking for a reason to return to Oregon and to replay Deacon's adventure. However, if you're going to snag this at full price, you'd be just as well to look to the original instead, as the best part of Days Gone is still very much the storyline. This is all dependent on whether Sony will always let you buy the non-Remastered version of the game though, as we have seen them disable the original to bottle neck folk into the "newer" and more expensive improved version... It's because of all of this that I'm going to mirror our original Days Gone rating for this Remastered version, which if you haven't read about why you should or shouldn't play Bend Studio's game, you can do so by heading over here.