
Your outposts serve as the hub for your motley crew of survivors, some of which provide side missions that can help build up your community’s resources, find other survivors to add to the group, or meet other squads of survivalists that you can trade with (or, if you’re so inclined, murder). The easiest way to get the lay of the land was to visit the Survey Points sprinkled throughout (helpfully labeled with binoculars on the map), zooming in on question marks to figure out what each locale offered in terms of potential resources or outpost effects.

What’s more, the game features three new maps (Meagher Valley, Cascade Hills, Drucker County), each of which is the size of the original game’s Turnbull Valley. Featuring a huge roster of unique characters with their own backstories and motivations, there are more options than ever to manage your community and develop your base. The first thing I noticed is that State of Decay 2 is a true sequel that takes everything we loved about the first game and greatly expands on it. Since you can only claim a limited number of outposts at a given time, however, you’ll need to decide which ones best suit your play style. Finding, securing and building up these bases and outposts is one of the most important parts of State of Decay 2, especially since each outpost you claim offers effects like better ammo or medical supply collection. Rather than having to scrounge for every bullet and scrap of food, I found myself next to an already-thriving community that was well-stocked with weapons, food, medical supplies and backup. While State of Decay 2 will bring players through a detailed tutorial to get the lay of the land, our time with the game began several hours in. In State of Decay 2, every decision you make matters, and it’s ultimately up to you to define what it really means to survive. You’ll need to gather survivors and resources as you explore the game’s world, making a lot of tough choices along the way. Once again, you’ll be tasked with building lasting communities and overcoming a variety of challenges. State of Decay 2 takes place 15 months after the end of the first game, and it’s immediately clear that things haven’t exactly gotten better for the few humans that have survived. Now, it’s nearly time to return to a bigger and better post-apocalyptic world with State of Decay 2.

Into this landscape came Undead Labs’ State of Decay, which turned the zombie formula on its head by focusing more on the humans trying to survive the zombie apocalypse than on the hordes of undead trying to feast on them. Countless games were released with that were either dedicated to zombies or featured zombie-killing special modes.

“World War Z” had just successfully made the jump from best-selling book to blockbuster movies. “The Walking Dead” was the biggest show on cable.
