When it comes to indie games, early access is often a necessary step in making sure that the official final product is up to a lot of gamers’ standards. There are plenty of projects that are already thriving and have found a solid player base, even while being in early access. Games like Valheim, Palworld, and Phasmophobia are just a few of the recent titles that are using early access to help improve the overall experience.
7 Days to Die is an indie game that has gone through an incredibly extensive early access period. Alpha 1 was launched in August 2013, which kicked off over a decade of early access development. By the time that 7 Days to Die Version 1.0 was ready, it was 2024. Over the course of those years, tweaks and changes have been met with both positivity and frustration. Ultimately, these were the growing pains needed to help build 7 Days to Die into one of the most underrated zombie survival games around.
7 Days to Die Was a Long Waiting Game, But Version 1.0 Marked a New Era For the Zombie Title
- 7 Days to Die‘s official release date was July 25th, 2024.
Despite being out of early access, that hasn’t stopped the 7 Days to Die updates. Just last year, 2.0 was added. This update introduced new biomes and zombies to help mix up the game’s environments and challenge level. Snow, Wasteland, Burnt Forest, Pine Forest, and Desert made their 7 Days to Die debut, but not without some controversy. With these new POIs came biome-specific challenges to complete. In order to finish these challenges, certain items often have to be crafted. This understandably caused some backlash, as some players thought that this interfered with the freedom the game had become so well-known for. However, version 2.0 ultimately added an extra layer to the gameplay.
For those who haven’t played the game, the main premise revolves around surviving and collecting resources to prepare for a Blood Moon horde. This is a giant mass of zombies that attacks during the Blood Moon that occurs every seventh day in-game.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Easy (5)Medium (7)Hard (10)
7 Days to Die Looks Like a Completely Different Game Now
Even though changes made to 7 Days to Die over the years have sometimes been divisive, it’s hard to deny that the graphics have been improved by leaps and bounds. In the early days, there was a certain charm to 7 Days to Die‘s blocky terrain that was reminiscent of Minecraft, but the current look of the game turns up the dial on the immersion and scare factor. Zombies actually look gross, and the detail of the environments make them more interesting to explore.
7 Days to Die supports both PvP and PvE, but the focus is definitely geared towards the latter.
7 Days to Die’s Base Building Still Brings Hours of Fun
Base building in 7 Days to Die is one of the most fun in the genre. Trying to make the best base to fight off hordes gives 7 Days to Die a heart-racing challenge that is still the ultimate heart of the game. As the game has evolved, it has become less of a straightforward survival game and more of a looter shooter with a touch of survival. For players who have been there since day one, it’s understandable why this shift in gameplay has left some disappointed with the direction developers have taken. However, the core is still there, and that’s what is most important.
This zombie title has come an incredibly long way since the days of Alpha 1. 7 Days to Die‘s gameplay may not be for every zombie fan, but those who love base building and POI-based challenges may want to give it a try, if they haven’t already. Version 2.0 was the latest major update to hit 7 Days to Die, but there are bound to be even more big changes down the road.
- Released
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June 28, 2016
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
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The Fun Pimps
