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The last few weeks have been messy for The Day Before, the survival MMO that was Steam’s most wishlisted game for much of 2022. Last month, The Day Before’s Steam page was quietly removed from the storefront following a trademark dispute. Developer Fntastic also delayed the game from March 1st to November 10th at the same time, just days before they promised to show some raw gameplay footage of it in action. The whole debacle led to accusations on Reddit and Discord that the game didn’t even exist, but at long last, that promised gameplay video has arrived. And… it’s merely fine.
The ten minute trailer begins with a group of survivors running through an abandoned neighbourhood, then they run across city streets, before finally topping it off with more running, this time through the back alleys. I joke – but most of it is just running about. There’s a full, solid minute dedicated to weapon customisation menus. A few seconds are reserved for combat, although whoever’s playing takes care of them pretty quickly in just a couple of shots. The rest of the time, we’re scavenging off-brand chain stores like FCC – Fried Crispy Chicken. Fntastic should probably also watch out for their Corta Coffee shops masquerading as poor rip-offs of Costa Coffee if they want to avoid another trademark-related delay.
Nothing particularly jumped out at me from those ten minutes. I like how big and interconnected the city looks. The back exit of a shop leads into a claustrophobic alleyway, which opens up to an empty intersection, which then reveals a dilapidated police station. Apart from that, I’m not especially sold on what the game’s actually about. Why are we in this city? What are we doing? Why aren’t there more zombies? No, seriously. A lifetime of zombie stories has made one thing clear: cities are a no-go. The Day Before, on the other hand, looks like an apocalypse that I could legitimately have a go at surviving in.
The Day Before’s Steam page is still offline, but Fntastic did share via Twitter that they’re working to restore the Steam page, and that they’re “preparing for the trial” in regard to their trademark troubles.