Originally slated for release at some point in 2021, apocalyptic shooter The Day Before has suffered numerous delays and setbacks, ultimately sewing seeds of doubt in its fanbase and drawing comparisons to the similarly-troubled survival horror project Abandoned. Recently, developer Fntastic promised to release 10 brand-new minutes of gameplay footage, backed out due to an apparent copyright issue, and then changed tune once again, delivering the promised clip on February 2, 2023.
The Day Before was, at one point, one of the most hotly-anticipated survival-crafting titles on Steam. However, the listing for the game was inexplicably pulled and has yet to be replaced, and skepticism continues to mount as the developer finds itself apparently embroiled in an odd copyright battle that, by the accounts of most fans, paints Fntastic in a less-than-ideal light. Previously, the studio was only known for small-scale outings that were quickly forgotten, and it seems as if Fntastic, a studio that utilizes volunteers, has bitten off more than it could chew.
Despite the weird circumstances surrounding The Day Before, the developer did manage to provide the promised gameplay footage in the rough timeframe it had provided. The trailer reveals crafting and weapon customization to be at the heart of the experience, and combat seems to be fairly bare-bones, as was the case with similar titles like DayZ. Unfortunately, the footage comes across as constrained and somewhat inorganic, causing concerns for those who had been looking forward to the game’s launch.
While the original 2021 release window may have been overly ambitious, the developers eventually decided to switch to the Unreal 5 engine and delay The Day Before to March 2023. That was until late January when the developer announced that the title would again be delayed to November 2023. Few would argue against delaying a game if it was in service of improving the development process, but, when a development cycle suffers multiple delays, it’s often not a good sign for the project.
Though the practice has been sullied due to years of mismanagement from disorganized developers, The Day Before should perhaps take the early access route. It may be far from feature complete, but, if what was shown in the new gameplay trailer is genuine, there seems to be enough to potentially break the endless cycle of delays by putting out a playable prototype in the near future. Even if it’s far from the intended experience, it could help to rebuild the crumbing reputation of both the title and the developer.
The Day Before will be available for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X on November 10, 2023.
