The Day Before is an open-world MMO set in a post-apocalyptic world that has been destroyed by a deadly virus. The Day Before was revealed yesterday, is being developed by FNTASTIC, and is being published by MYTONIA.
The game takes a lot of cues from Naughty Dog's The Last of Us games in the art design and even, to some extent, the color palette. While it's nothing to write home about, the inspirations seem to be solid, and many fans would agree that it's fitting for The Day Before to take even more cues from its contemporaries such as The Last of Us, particularly in terms of brutality.
Brutality Of The Last of Us' Narrative
The Last of Us games are considered by many to be one of the best story-heavy games to date. Most major characters and villains are honestly written and aren't just single-dimensional characters with a set of stereotypical motivations and ambitions. This leads to a much more rich sense of belonging and further bolsters the dystopian settings, as everyone is trying their level best to get through it all by any means possible.
As much as The Last of Us Part 2 proved to be controversial for some, many fans can agree that the boldness of the developer to carry out the process shows fans how well the characters are written and how well they are realized. This won over the hearts of many gamers and critics alike, and as a result, the game went on to have a record of achieving the most Game of the Year awards.
Translating It Over To The Day Before's Gameplay
While The Last of Us games are primarily single-player experiences with multiple difficulties, Naughty Dog has added options to translate the brutality of the narrative to the gameplay. Players who experience the games on Grounded difficulty will encounter tougher enemies and scarce resources which further strengthens the connection with the world at hand as players scramble through a combat section in hopes of getting out alive on the other side by any means possible.
The Day Before can take some clues from here in an attempt to make players feel like they have survived by the skin of their teeth at all times. This could mean that ensuring players have just enough resources and ammunition to get out the other side and survive. A fairly penalizing death system could also do wonders here, as players will then have to be aware and conscious of their mortality at all times.
While not much is known about how The Day Before would turn out, the trailer does show a vision of a truly dystopic world with most of the hope stripped away as human greed takes the center stage. The Last of Us vibes is a nice, albeit probably unintentional, touch which will be appreciated by many players. The crisp and clean visuals enhance the presentation by a large margin and implementing the brutality as seen in games like The Last of Us without much restraint is likely to keep players engaged in the world and keep coming back for more, which is precisely what the best MMOs are all about.
The Day Before is currently in development.