Days Gone: 5 things you need to know from that surprise reveal

We haven't seen much of Days Gone for a while, our last glimpse at PlayStation's bikers versus zombies open-world game was at E3 2017, but Sony Bend has spoiled us with a reveal of the full first hour of gameplay. It's a chance to see what it will really be like to play as hero Deacon St John, and to get a sense of how we'll survive in a world full of the cannibalistic "freakers."

Days Gone's creative director John Garvin also chatted to Game Informer about the world, the bike, and - perhaps most importantly - confirmed that there would be dogs in the final game. We'll no doubt get to see more of Days Gone as part of the E3 2018 games lineup next month, but until then here are the five most important things we learned from today's reveal.

Deacon St. John is a good guy
Garvin confirms that you'll only play as St. John, and he's one of the good guys. He can swim, but refuses to for reasons you'll hear about in the story, and apparently does not appreciate references to his name's religious overtones. You'll grow to care about him, he'll crack some jokes along the way, but according to Garvin, "he'll make you cry" too. We also got confirmation that the development team has modeled St John's nipples, and they are "pert."

The art of motorcycle maintenance
Your bike is "the best vehicle for the freaker apocalypse" and will be fully customizable. You can upgrade parts like the muffler (so the freakers won't here you from quite so far away), the speed and the handling and give your ride a new paint job. Worryingly, it can also break down, or you can use it altogether. You'll need to keep your bike running smoothly too, because there'll be motorcycle chases, and you'll get points for doing stunts.

In tents action
The open world will feature more metropolitan areas, but it sounds as though building up encampments will be key to success, and the currency is "camp credits." St John can communicate with homebase when he's out on the bike too, so expect to be called back when freakers descend. There'll also be fast travel, which we'd bet our bandanas will let you zip between the camps. You can also "kind of" choose allegiances, though we're guessing you can't side with freakers.

The freaky world
The game never uses the word zombies, they're freakers, so don't make that faux pas at your next dinner party. They're the result of a global infection, it's everywhere, and this isn't the sort of game where you're looking for a cure. According to Garvin, the world probably isn't salvageable. There are playable flashback scenes, so hopefully we'll get a front row seat to the end of the world.

The final fight
Garvin dropped a massive spoiler during his interview, regarding the final boss fight in the game. So, spoiler alert. Your final battle won't be with a giant freaker, but with a human.

Days Gone will be released in early 2019, and we'll bring you more news on this PlayStation exclusive as it breaks. Until then, check out the best PS4 exclusive games.