I have my dad to thank for a lot of things, but as I've gotten older, I've really come to appreciate all of the movies, games, and music he shared with me as I was growing up. From feeding my love of '80s music with bands like The Jam, Queen, Tears for Fears, and The Police, to watching countless movies together both old and new, his tastes opened me up to all kinds of genres. Eventually, dad's penchant for zombie-related graphic novels, TV shows, and movies found its way into our rotation, and it soon became an education in cult classic horror – I'm talking Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, and Day of the Dead. I'm not going to lie, George A Romero's gory special effects always scared me, as did the idea of zombies in general, but the films were something we bonded over.
I guess it sounds kind of funny to bond with your dad over fictional flesh-eating fiends, but eventually that would bleed over into the world of games through the only co-op zombie survival game I've ever enjoyed: State of Decay 2. That's not to say that other experiences that tap into this genre are bad, it's just that as a self-confessed scaredy-cat who's actually terrified of the idea of getting attacked by zombies, Undead Labs' open-world base builder is (so far) the only one I can actually handle. That's mostly down to the fact that I can face the hordes, search for supplies, and try to stay alive with my dad watching my back, but I also love the sense of teamwork it's always encouraged between us. The series is something of an anomaly for me, but the way it's brought me and my dad together in years past just makes me all the more excited for it to return with State of Decay 3.
Dream team
Over the years, my dad and I have played lots of games together and whenever we can manage to make some time, Deep Rock Galactic is our most recent co-op adventure of choice. But State of the Decay 2 is the one I think back on the most fondly. The way it encouraged our camaraderie and brought us together to take on foes we've become so acquainted with in other types of media has always stayed with me.
I can still remember the first time I played, feeling a bit sheepish at the prospect of diving into a zombie-infested world. Taking on the role of my first survivor, it wasn't long before I was joined by my dad, who set about showing me the ropes as we began working through the campaign. The first thing to do is find food, weapons, and anything useful to keep yourself alive. As I quickly learned, however, anytime you scavenge for supplies in stores or abandoned houses, you create noise, meaning there's always a risk that you might draw unwanted attention from any undead shuffling by. Doing this as a solo survivor can be a tense ordeal, but my dad would keep watch outside to alert me if any hordes or particularly dangerous zombies were in the vicinity. I then returned the favor as he sifted through drawers and boxes, providing a level of relative safety for one another. From the get-go, it always felt like we were really working together to keep our survivors alive and well.
What I enjoy most about Undead Labs' open-world survival game is the way it allows you to switch between the survivors you recruit to build up your community. The more you play as a particular person, the more adept they'll become in their areas of expertise, and the more skilled they'll be overall as you scavenge and fight. During one of our play sessions, my dad and I had been so successful as the pair of survivors we were playing, we'd become very skilled individuals and gotten our hands on some excellent loot. In fact, I'd even found myself becoming attached to the characters we were playing, because together, we'd been through so much in the world already.
That's entertainment
But of course, the more you play as one character, the more chances you take, and every time you step away from your safe haven, you're only one bad zombie bite or horde attack away from kicking the bucket. Death is a big part of State of Decay 2, and it can be absolutely devastating to lose a survivor you've put so much time into. I don't think I'll ever get over the death of my initial survivor who was learning the ropes right alongside me with the help of dad, but it's also what makes the series so rewarding to play; you really feel like you earn every day you make it through unscathed.
Naturally, when State of Decay 3 was first officially revealed back in 2020, the very first thing I did was text my dad. "We have to play this together when it comes out!", I declared, practically buzzing about the prospect of trying to survive another zombie apocalypse with dad at my side… something I never thought I'd feel. Fast forward to 2024 and we're still waiting to do just that, but our excitement hasn't died down. Along with the news that the team behind it is bigger than ever, the latest look at the third entry this past summer appeared to really tap into the individuality of the survivors, which only makes me more hopeful about what's to come.
Whatever shape State of Decay 3 ends up taking, it matters more that it hopefully signals some more quality time with my dad, taking on the undead and bonding over survival strategies. Nothing brings us together quite like a zombie apocalypse, after all.
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