If you’re a State of Decay fan, there are some non-negotiable elements when it comes to the gameplay loop, including co-op, a thriving sandbox focused on survival, moral dilemmas, and, of course, zombies. Of course, you would also hope for a sequel like State of Decay 3 to meaningfully evolve on the same, even if it was only Word document when the first trailer debuted.
Undead Labs studio head Philip Holt touched on this in an interview with Sunny Games, and the good news is that it isn’t fixing what isn’t broken about the previous games. “So we talk about State of Decay 3 delivering on the systemic features from State of Decay 2 with a little bit more of the heart and soul of State of Decay 1. So maybe that’s a way to sort of think about how the franchise is evolving.”
Of course, the setup is different as well, with State of Decay 3 taking place “years into the future.” The de facto survivors are a “little bit more hardened” – whether that’s a good or bad thing, it will come in handy.
“The zombie menace is now presenting itself in a new way,” says Holt. “Curtains up on State of Decay 3, and your group of survivors has to really adapt to what they’re seeing in a more dangerous way. Much more dangerous way. So, yeah, the threats are real. They’re lethal, and they’re coming after you. So, that’s sort of the time setting.”
That would certainly feed into the rumored heavier narrative elements, especially if, like before, you must kill anyone who ends up infected. While alpha playtests for the title kick off next month and feature four-player co-op, base-building and combat, Undead Labs has touted “much larger, truly shared open world” in the past.
How will that play out in the actual game? Time will tell, and there isn’t even a release date, but it’s shuffling along, not unlike the terrifyingly relentless undead. Stay tuned for more details in the meantime.