Fighting the undead in a post-apocalyptic wasteland? That’s exactly what awaits you in this mix of action role-playing game and build-up sim.
A journey into the post-apocalypse is actually always a worthwhile endeavour for game fans. Since the first Fallout in 1997 made this setting respectable, numerous titles have appeared that revolve around irradiated, destroyed, abandoned or otherwise hostile environments and their bizarre and dangerous inhabitants.
Decision: Red Daze is no exception, but this game wildly mixes genres to present an experience all its own. A pinch of action role-playing here, a load of construction game there, and on top of that there are tower defence mechanics and survival aspects. Sounds crazy, but it has the makings of a real insider tip.
From the frying pan into the fire
What’s it about? The initial situation of Decision: Red Daze doesn’t make inviting reading. At the centre of the action is the so-called Dust Bowl. Behind it is a former society of corrupt politicians, filthy rich industrialists and normal people aka the poor pigs who had to slave in the factories. Voluntarily, of course, that goes without saying!
Then suddenly the disease called Red Daze appeared on the scene and turned more and more people into bloodthirsty undead, who naturally want to satisfy their hunger for fresh meat without restraint. Bummer for the survivors, good for us, because that’s how we get to enjoy the action role-playing game in the first place.
All beginnings are difficult
At the start of the game, any life insurance company in the world would probably turn us away. We stand in the dangerous wasteland with nothing more than a few utensils and have to make sure we survive the first night. Then the undead appear en masse and show no mercy. So we loot all the crates, vehicles and other places we discover and set up a small fortified position.
When morning comes and we are still in possession of all our limbs, we set off again and explore the surroundings further. We soon meet other survivors who have their own special abilities. Those with medical skills can patch us and other combatants up, the next person knows how to construct or repair buildings.
This is where the construction part comes into play: with the raw materials captured on our forays, we can gradually expand the initially puny outpost into a large settlement armed to the teeth. In the process, we not only take care of the construction of new factories, shelters and watchtowers, but also of the people who live with us.
Peace is short-lived
Sounds too good to be true. And indeed, the peaceful communal life is soon over again. Because the undead are also arming themselves and throwing ever larger enemy masses against our fortifications. At some point, this even leads to large, particularly strong boss opponents appearing on the battlefield.
At the beginning we wrote something about tower defence and not without reason. Because you can only survive the attacks in the long run if you have placed your watchtowers cleverly and equipped them with enough firepower in good time. It is not possible to quickly rebuild and optimise during the attacks, so you have to plan early and take precautions.
You can find new loot for your settlement on abandoned farms, in factories or former military installations that your squads search during reconnaissance missions. But beware: you can’t have a post-apocalyptic picnic in these places either. So … you can, but then you’ll bite the dust faster than you can say War … War never changes (in your best Raueisen voice, of course), because the undead are also roaming around these places.
Who is Decision: Red Daze for?
Decision: Red Daze throws several exciting genres into the cooking pot at once and could therefore appeal to a large target group. Of course, only if you’re into such stews and don’t prefer a purist meal made from a single ingredient. For as many features as the game has to show for itself, it is quite another matter whether they have all been integrated well into the gameplay loop and do not feel artificial.
But all in all, Decision: Red Daze sounds exciting. It takes the setting and base-building system from Fallout 4, adds a load of action role-playing à la Diablo and garnishes the result with a pinch of tower defence. So if you’re already eagerly awaiting a new Fallout and want to pass the waiting time, this title might be worth a look for you.
When will Decision: Red Daze be released?
If you have tasted blood, you should first get a plaster and then visit the Steam product page of Decision: Red Daze. There you can add the game to your wish list.
Click here to the Steam product page of (Decision:Red Daze)
The release is no longer far away anyway: The dangerous wasteland will open its doors on 19 May 2022. Then you can find out for yourself whether you have what it takes to survive in a hostile environment full of the undead – it’s also something for your CV!
Editor’s Verdict
Decision: Red Daze appeals to me in more ways than one. I’m totally into post-apocalypse. Well, not necessarily in real life, but in video games I start to glow at the mere idea of this environment. Besides, I like the short-windedness of action role-playing games, even if Diablo and co. can never keep me interested for long with their loot spiral.
This could be the great strength of Decision: Red Daze. Because instead of always having to find a purple-glowing sword of the demon gorilla to get +2 to strength, here I get a really good reason to set off again and again into the dangerous wilderness and collect all kinds of stuff by building up and managing my own base.
Of course, there are still many question marks behind the title, which we can’t answer yet because we haven’t had a chance to play it. How high is the long-term motivation? Can the game still give us good reasons to continue after several hours? And of course: How bug-free will the fun be?
So if you’re not completely convinced yet, just do what I did and keep an eye on Decision: Red Daze via the Steam wishlist. The release is not far off and then it should only be a matter of time until the first reviews appear. In any case, I really hope to find another reason to shine soon.
What is your first impression of Decision: Red Daze? Do you like the mix of different genre characteristics or would you have preferred a pure action role-playing game without base building and other bells and whistles? Feel free to write us your opinion in the comments!
