Undead Labs' third-person survival horror games did steady business over the years, with State of Decay and State of Decay 2 receiving praise from critics for their engaging open-worlds and relatively fresh take on the zombie genre. With the announcement of State of Decay 3 in July 2020, fans were excited to see what else the franchise might have in store. While it's likely that State of Decay 3 will feature a lot of the same elements as the previous games and follow a similar gameplay loop, there are definitely areas that players hope the game expands on.
With some recent allegations about toxic and misogynistic working environments at Undead Labs, some fans are worried about the delay to State of Decay 3's development, as well as the future of the studio. The release date for the third game may still be a mystery, and details might be pretty scarce, but players are holding out for more news soon. While they wait, some fans have been speculating about ways in which the upcoming State of Decay 3 can improve upon its predecessors to make the newest entry the best yet in the franchise.
Obvious Improvements
Zombie games became a dime a dozen for a few years, with multiple iterations and interpretations of the genre flooding the game market. The first State of Decay slightly predated this phenomenon, and the upcoming game will be launching into a market that is decidedly less zombie-infested than previous years, but the series always did a pretty good job of distinguishing itself. The State of Decay games were never as focused on killing zombies as they were on avoiding them, and there was a much greater emphasis on staying alive and steering clear of the lethal undead. State of Decay 3 would do well to follow this pattern too, but there are plenty of ways it can up the ante and make the gameplay more challenging and perilous.
With scarce loot, an overabundance of enemies, and antagonistic or fraught relationships between survivors to navigate, State of Decay 3 could create a perfect blend of tense gameplay and real terror. Embracing the horror aspects of the series and making State of Decay 3 a more nuanced and scary experience would elevate the game still further and differentiate it from the earlier entries. There are other obvious improvements like better animations, upgraded graphics, and more modern designs that would help the game's quality of life, but some of these just come with time and better game engines, as well as improved console systems.
New Elements To Include
As well as the tried and tested format of scavenging for supplies, building and defending a base, and rescuing fellow survivors, State of Decay 3 should look at adding in some new elements. The announcement trailer for State of Decay 3 featured a zombified deer, showing how the infection can now spread to animals. With State of Decay 3's open-world environment, adding aggressive and potentially deadly animals into the mix, in addition to what players already have to contend with, seems like a challenging step in the right direction.
As well as facing down zombie woodland creatures, the potential to add the wintry weather as another survival mechanic for players to navigate would be interesting. This could affect their ability to scavenge and would add another layer to the base building as well. A bigger, better, and more immersive map for gamers to explore in environments and biomes that they haven't encountered yet would be a great way to improve State of Decay 3's formula.
Bringing inter-character relationships to the forefront of State of Decay 3's gameplay could also be a huge factor in its success. State of Decay 2 included some improvements to the interactions within the survivor community, but exploring these in a more complex and emotional way, with added consequences for falling-outs or miscommunications, could really elevate State of Decay 3.
State of Decay 3 is currently in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.