State of Decay 2 review: More of the same zombie survival

State of Decay 2 isn’t flawless, but it does make some positive improvements to its addicting zombie gameplay.

State of Decay is still one of the most significant independent titles of its generation. When it premiered on Xbox Live Arcade in 2013, there was no game on the market that matched its ambition. Allowing the player to start their own colony to survive the zombie outbreak, it was easy to forgive the game’s glitchy tendencies due to just how fun the game was.

Five years and one generation later, we have State of Decay 2. Unlike the first game that starts with a strict narrative, this sequel allows you to pick from three different duos of characters, each possessing their own strengths and weaknesses. From there, the gamer can start their colony, fighting to grow a thriving settlement and survive the zombie outbreak.

Even with some major additions, State of Decay 2 is very much similar to its predecessor. While its imperfections may turn some people away, its involving and layered gameplay more than makes up for its flaws.

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The biggest addition to State of Decay 2 is co-operative gameplay. This mode does provide some fun opportunities for gamers, but it isn’t quite as good as it should be. Essentially, co-op play is initiated with one player joining the other’s world, with players being unable to start their own world together. While gamers can have fun in co-op, only one player is seeing the true benefit of having a helping hand. The gameplay itself occasionally can hit some snags, but nothing that feels like it can’t be patched up in the coming weeks.

At its core, there is an addicting level of entertainment a player can have with this game. The basic mechanics are improved significantly, with much more variety in the tasks that are thrown at the gamer. Gone are the cloyingly repetitive tasks of killing constantly moving infestations, with the focus moved to taking out “plague hearts” in each town. The plague heart element does add some interesting layers to the game, with players getting infected and possibly dying from exposure. Developer Undead Labs continues to focus on encompassing all aspects of post-apocalyptic life, with survival being just as important as making a community and keeping good relationships with other survivors.

Similar to the original, this is still a very imperfect game. It’s even more frustrating in an open-world title that does so much well when a game-breaking glitch occurs that forces the gamer to reload previous saves. Simple frustrations like a car getting stuck happen far more often than they should, and it’s understandable if certain gamers view that as a deal-breaker. The combat is also still very simplistic, with the mindless button-mashing involved often getting repetitive.

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That being said, it’s easy to admire the work that Undead Labs continues to do with this series. Despite some obvious budgetary constraints, the expansive experience that State of Decay 2 offers is unlikely to be topped by most zombie titles. At a $30 price tag, it’s worth the purchase.

State of Decay 2 is now available on Xbox One and PC.

Disclosure: FanSided.com was provided with a free copy of State of Decay 2 for the purposes of this review.