You can’t talk about zombie-themed road trip games without mentioning Death Road to Canada, but now that I’ve done that, I can instead talk about today’s game in focus, Deadly Days: Roadtrip.
Developer Pixelsplit has taken the formula laid down in the first Deadly Days, evolved it considerably, introduced new 2.5D visuals, and added a cool road trip mechanic and a big yellow bus that lets you explore a whole host of locations on your way to (hopeful) salvation.
After sinking several hours into DDR over the last couple of weeks, I have to say that the results are already quite engaging for an EA game.
Bussing in a new challenge
As mentioned, in DDR, you have taken control of a big yellow school bus, and in said bus, you must travel from location to location in search of fuel and safety from the undead. Of course, it’s not that simple…
Each location you visit is a suburban setting that could be anywhere in North America. Whether a circus ground, a camping site, or a farm, you have to venture out from your bus in search of fuel and weapons. Naturally, with zombies everywhere, it’s quite easy to get caught out while you rummage through crates and abandoned vehicles.
The gameplay is actually somewhat inspired by the likes of Vampire Survivors, and the focus is on equipping your character with different equipment for each run, and trying to make it work as they auto-blast anything that comes close. On this front, most of the weapons felt pretty viable, but I would like to see even more of the game’s over-the-top energy in future content additions.
Early Access and the road ahead
I think one of my favourite things about DDR is the inventory system, and how the loot you scavenge is not just hauled around with you in a bottomless sack. You’ve got to make deliberate choices with your build, grow your inventory space, uncover clever synergies, and try to find upgrades by combining matching items.
Not only are you working on a run-by-run basis, but there’s already a solid metaprogression setup in place, so your efforts are working towards levelling up your abilities and unlocking new items for future runs. It’s a fairly traditional setup, but it works just fine.
While Deadly Days: Roadtrip is in pretty good shape for an Early Access game, there’s still room for a bit of polish and quite a bit more content. That said, there’s already a fun challenge present, so don’t be afraid of catching an earlier bus if the premise appeals.
In an effort to tempt you into clicking deeper into our web of rogues, moving forward, we’re going to try something a little different, and after the upcoming advert for NordVPN, you’ll find a new feature: Rogueliker’s Hall of Fame. But first, here are a load of mega awesome roguelikes and roguelites, almost 40 of them, in fact.
Still with us? Ok, the Hall of Fame below highlights arguably the best game from each sub-category in the article linked directly above; however, each of these standout games is reinforced with another article about even more titles, whether they be turn-based roguelikes or first-person shooters.
Finally, if you’d prefer everything split into individual platforms, we’ve got you covered, too, although be warned, those lists don’t go into as much detail:
First, let’s establish the parameters for inclusion. We can answer the question of “what is a roguelike?” by telling you about the game that started this whole party. Rogue is a turn-based RPG with procedurally-generated content and permadeath. The genre has exploded in a hundred different directions since then, but all of the games on this list retain one or two core features that first appeared in Rogue back in 1980.
The best turn-based roguelikes: Caves of Qud | There are some seriously incredible turn-based roguelikes out there. Of all the modern games, these are the closest to the original Rogue.
Awesome first-person rogues: Gunfire Reborn | We almost went with Blue Prince for this spot, but most people checking out first-person rogues probably want to wield a gun, you know?!
Cool roguelike deckbuilders: Balatro | Sorry, Slay the Spire fans, but this poker-solitaire deckbuilder has stolen Mike’s heart and won’t give it back.
Exciting roguelike platformers: Spelunky | Now, don’t get us wrong, Dead Cells is an incredible game, especially with all the DLC switched on. But when it comes to impact, you just can’t beat Spelunky.
Amazing action-roguelites: Hades 2 | And finally, let’s wrap things up with our favourite of them all, There’s no beating the original Hades, although Hades 2 comes pretty close!
