Depending on your perspective, The Day Before is either a huge disappointment, or precisely the game that you were expecting. Showcased as a sprawling, survival-driven MMO, the early access version plays more like an extraction shooter, and has so far confounded players owing to inaccessible servers, largely empty maps, and a variety of technical problems and bugs. Already one of the worst-reviewed games on Steam, The Day Before might be one of the most spectacular releases in history, a whirlwind cautionary tale of high hopes versus brutal reality. Amidst all the drama, one developer is creating a pseudo The Day Before ‘remake,’ which already includes melee combat – something missing from the real game’s initial launch – and which offers a sharp parody of Fntastic’s zombie shooter.
The Day Before Steam reviews have improved slightly since its initial launch on Thursday, December 7. Now rated ‘mostly negative,’ the zombie game clearly has its defenders, and Fntastic has promised that bug fixes, gameplay improvements, and much more will arrive in the coming future.
Nevertheless, you can be forgiven for feeling like The Day Before is not quite the game you were promised. What was meant to be an open-world MMO with hardcore survival mechanics plays more like an extraction shooter. Sections of the game appear to have been created using AI, and even if you can get into the servers, you’re likely to encounter some game-breaking glitches.
Enter ‘TheCrimsonDev,’ better known as the brains behind Godmode Interactive, creator of the superb top-down shooter Suit For Hire. For the past month, TheCrimsonDev has been creating a ‘remake’ of The Day Before in an attempt to discover just how easy or difficult it might be to actually build a zombie survival game. Though it currently lacks environments and locations, the initial footage showcasing combat is very convincing. TheCrimsonDev says the project is intended to be a parody.
“This project started when I noticed how different each trailer for The Day Before looked, almost like they were different games from each other,” TheCrimsonDev says. “It sparked a thought in my head: how easy would it be to create my own gameplay trailer for a zombie survival game? And so I began this project as a parody for a gameplay trailer. The goal of this is not to release a game using Fntastic’s IP or designs – it’s just for a parody video.”
Making 'The Day Before' parody – Day 35/?:
– first iteration of melee combat hits, not 100% happy with it just yet but it's getting there- sort of works in multiplayer as well, just needs a bit more finetuning
– complementary bug at the endIt's not perfect but getting there! pic.twitter.com/7LRG7BsRDU
— Crimson (@thecrimsondev) December 11, 2023
Jokingly titled ‘The Day After,’ within 35 days, TheCrimsonDev has successfully incorporated melee combat, looting, crafting, a functional UI, and enemies that take different amounts of damage depending on where they are hit. Zombies have varied attacks and – despite working completely solo – TheCrimsonDev has already created a rudimentary online multiplayer system. The Day Before ‘remake’ project will not see a public release, unfortunately, but TheCrimsonDev says they may create their own zombie survival game in the future.
“Working on this project has been a lot of fun, and it’s making me realize how much fun a zombie survival game could be to develop,” they explain. “I’ll 100% start with my own IP, designs, etc. (better designed too), and you’ll be the first to know when the project begins and how it develops.”
If you’re feeling let down by The Day Before so far, try some of the best MMOs and MMORPGs. Alternatively, get the best multiplayer games on PC.
You can also follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides, or grab our PCGN deals tracker to net yourself some bargains.