‘Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days’ Blends ‘This War of Mine’ and ‘State of Decay’ Into an Engaging New Formula (Early Access Impressions)

The world is a cold, scary place. Every time I left my shelter in Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days, I knew it could be the last time I did. Keeping myself alive, alongside all of the other survivors within our base, was difficult. At times, it felt impossible, frankly. But we always found a way to persevere and try to see the dawn of a new day. Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days had me juggling resources, health, mental health, and everything else, all while doing what I could to survive the onslaught of zombies outside our shelter doors. Even in Early Access, there is plenty to love, and if the team at PikPok continues to pour as much love and care into the game as they already have, we could have the next big thing on our hands.

A Survivor’s Mental Health Is Just as Important as Their Physical Well-Being in ‘Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days’

Playing as a predefined duo in Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days, I could select from several pairs. I always found myself drifting back to Darrel and Leo, though. Darrel, the crotchety old man, and Leo, the athletic wunderkind who can take less damage and deal more to my undead foes. While I experimented with every dynamic duo, these two suited my playstyle more effectively in the long run, and I always saw the best results by using them.

A day in the life of a survivor is tough. Ensuring that barricades were always kept at a presentable level while also finding enough time to scavenge the wasteland was rough. Especially for just two people. But, as with any good survival story, more folks are waiting to join up with you and serve the cause. Finding survivors in these different levels wasn’t impossible by any means, but it may not be in your best interest to save everyone you see. These moral dilemmas make each run interesting. Did I have enough food to keep everyone happy? Or would we starve before things got too far along?

Finding a comfortable balance between splitting the load and keeping everyone happy could be difficult at times. Some survivors are better off within the shelter, as a few hits from the zombies outside could end their lives rather quickly. Other survivors, like Leo, can take a beating and still be home in time for dinner. Weigh the pros and cons of each duo together, as these are going to be much more important than you may have initially realized.

Everything I Need To Survive Is Right There, I Just Need To Find It

Setting up the day is equally as important as trying to find materials and items out in the world. A wasted turn can quickly make a run go south. I learned to take my time, plan things out accordingly, and ensure that every slot of time was utilized well. Before setting out to scavenge with Leo, I could bring a few items along. With limited space in his backpack, I had to pick and choose the items that I would be bringing back home with me carefully. For every broken beer bottle that I could use for protection was raw meat that I could use for food. Think smart, think ahead, and survive. I could always come back later to get things that I had missed the first time around.

Each area is prime for exploration. From the rooftops of the record store that contained a garden to the second story in a home. I could use the environment to my advantage and find ways to get around blocked paths. Exploring deeper could lead to unexpected rewards or a quick demise. I never knew what was waiting in these areas until I summoned up the courage to go check it out for myself.

Walk Softly And Carry Multiple Big Sticks

Typically, I could survive a 1v1 encounter with a zombie rather easily. They’re slow and typically take about 3 to 5 hits to bring them down. But if I found myself overwhelmed, I would need to be smart and run to make some distance. I could let them calm down, or I could escape and plan to come back later if I had enough stuff.

Risk versus reward gameplay is the key factor of Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days. I needed to think about what the next day would be like if one of my survivors got nabbed by the zombies that were roaming around. Sure, I could rush in, grab a few things, and leave without even getting into a tussle with the zombie hordes inside. But I needed to be smart, plan, and fight my way through if I wanted to get everything that each of these areas had to offer me.

Slow and Steady Wins the Race in ‘Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days’

A little tip: if you want to survive, be sneaky. Zombies in Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days aren’t the brightest. If you shine a flashlight in their face or peek into a door for too long, there’s a good chance they could spot me. But if I was silent and sneaky, I could typically survive. Plus, there’s a stealth-kill mechanic here, making combat encounters much easier to handle. If the area allowed for it, I could also hide behind furniture and think of how I wanted to address the situation before me.

While exploring different areas, I could also find binoculars. These allowed me to unlock different areas, all containing their own specific loot pools. As I upgraded my shelter, my weapons, and everything in between, I needed resources to make this happen. So, considering that I need to feed my survivors, upgrade my building, and build new workbenches and items? There’s a lot on the line here. Sending out as many characters as I can while also keeping up things inside of the shelter could be difficult. But damn, if it wasn’t rewarding.

And what happens if someone dies? Much like in real life, the characters in the shelter will begin to grieve. They can become depressed, making them unable to do anything that they need to. That’s why monitoring health, hunger, sleep, and mental fortitude is genuinely incredibly important in Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days. One wrong step, and things can go sideways rather quickly for everyone involved here.

As Expected for Early Access, ‘Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days’ Isn’t Completely Perfect

While being rather polished for an Early Access title, there are still a few issues that bugged me throughout my journey into this world. Providing a killing blow can currently be a death sentence for your character. Especially if I was being overwhelmed by zombies. And while there are plenty of features on the Early Access Roadmap, I would have loved to see some of them make their way into the game before its release. Things like zombified survivors, for example, are coming down the line. But they’re not available here. And a bit of differentiation in runs would be appreciated, too. And fix the tutorial. It doesn’t do a great job of explaining what players should be doing.

But that’s just me being incredibly nitpicky. For an Early Access title, Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days has an incredible degree of polish. Fluid animations continuously wowed me, and it’s graphically impressive across the board. The lighting, especially, is incredibly well done for a Unity-based title. Each journey into the world felt like a proper life-and-death scenario, something that many other Zombie games can’t claim.

The blending of resource management and genuine terror and stress is executed extraordinarily well in Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days. Each moment I was in this world felt like it could be my last. And that’s something worthy of applause, especially in a genre that’s as bloated and overstuffed as some of these creatures. It’s a fresh take on a well-trodden path, and one that I would suggest everyone embarks upon.

Verdict: Strongly Recommended

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Into The Dead: Our Darkest Days will be available on April 9th, 2025, in Early Access on Steam. A code was provided by the publisher for the sake of review. Reviewed on PC.