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Over 10,000 years of human civilization have seen countless societies rise and fall. The cycle of life and death is inevitable, but what happens when entire civilizations, worlds, or even planets meet their end? The concept of the apocalypse has always fascinated humanity, prompting endless speculation and creative interpretations of a post-apocalyptic world. One of the most popular themes for exploring this scenario, across film, literature, and video games, is the zombie apocalypse. Games like The Walking Dead, The Last of Us, and Army of the Dead are prime examples of the genre’s enduring appeal.

The post-apocalyptic zombie setting offers fertile ground for exploration, prompting questions about human survival in the face of societal collapse. How would people survive without basic resources? How would they behave without the constraints of law and order? What would a world dominated by despair, madness, and abandon look like? Developed by SneakyBox and published by Atari, Days of Doom ventures into this well-trodden territory. But can it distinguish itself from the horde? Let’s delve into this review and find out.

Engaging Rogue-like Gameplay

Days of Doom cleverly blends rogue-like elements with the zombie apocalypse theme, crafting a gameplay loop that remains engaging despite its repetitive nature. The objective is simple: reach Sanctuary, the last bastion of humanity. The journey takes players through diverse, increasingly challenging environments.

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Upon failure, players return to their base camp, where they can utilize accumulated resources like money, food, and fuel to upgrade facilities. These upgrades are permanent, providing crucial advantages for future runs. Upgrade the notice board to unlock new character classes and higher starting levels, enhance the shop for better supplies and equipment, and more.

Each new journey begins on a procedurally generated map. Traveling between locations triggers random events, from scavenging opportunities and combat encounters to NPC interactions. While players choose whether to stop or continue, each move consumes fuel, forcing difficult decisions between scavenging for resources and facing potential threats.

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Despite its relatively simple visuals and structure, Days of Doom delivers a lengthy and engaging experience. The rogue-like structure maximizes replayability, a smart strategy for a smaller studio. This approach ensures a deep and rewarding playthrough without excessive reliance on new assets.

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Tactical Combat

Combat in Days of Doom adopts a strategic RPG (S-RPG) approach, with battles taking place on grid-based maps. Players control a team of up to three characters (expandable to six with base upgrades), tasked with eliminating all enemies.

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Each character has a “Speed” stat that determines turn order. Turns alternate between player and enemy units, displayed clearly on a turn order bar. This allows for strategic planning, enabling players to prioritize targets and react to enemy movements.

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Characters have two action points per turn. Moving, attacking, or using special abilities consumes one point. Longer movements can be performed by spending both points. Effective action point management is key to victory.

Special abilities, while powerful, have long cooldowns. These abilities can provide shields, knock back enemies, or deal area-of-effect damage. Their strategic deployment is crucial for success.

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Days of Doom features a diverse roster of characters, each with unique abilities and playstyles. From genetically mutated children with superpowers to grizzled veterans with brute force, the game offers a variety of team compositions. Enemies are equally diverse, ranging from slow but poisonous zombies to swift pack-hunting zombie dogs and hulking behemoths. Strategic team building and terrain utilization are essential for survival.

Unforgiving Difficulty

Rogue-likes are notorious for their difficulty, requiring players to die and learn repeatedly. Days of Doom embraces this characteristic, perhaps even excessively so.

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The lack of healing between battles amplifies the challenge. Taking significant damage leaves the team vulnerable in subsequent encounters, potentially leading to swift defeat. The scarcity of healing items further exacerbates this issue.

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The absence of an “Undo” function makes mistakes costly. Combined with limited resources and slow character progression, the game demands extreme caution and careful planning.

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Conclusion

Days of Doom presents a unique blend of rogue-like gameplay and tactical combat within a familiar zombie apocalypse setting. Its engaging gameplay loop and diverse character roster offer a rewarding experience. However, the unforgiving difficulty and limited resources may prove frustrating for some players. Despite these challenges, Days of Doom provides a compelling and strategic take on the genre for those willing to persevere.