Dead by Daylight – First Look – by Ky
Genre: Action
Developer: Behaviour Digital Inc. Publisher: Starbreeze Studios
Release Date: Jun 14, 2016
Dead by Daylight is an upcoming asymmetric, multiplayer horror game that is under development by Behaviour Digital Inc. Each match pits four survivors against one killer. Each game, parts of the map are randomly generated, meaning that players can’t memorize the locations of items, hiding places, and objectives.
The survivors’ goal is to escape by attempting activate a number of generators. They can increase their chances of success by obtaining items from chests that are scattered around the map. These items include med packs, tool kits, maps, and even flashlights. Most actions that survivors perform require skill checks. These skill checks operate similarly to active reloads in the Gears of War franchise. If the skill check is successful, the survivor gets a bonus towards the completion of the action they are performing. If the skill check is failed, the survivor makes noise which can attract the attention of the killer. Survivors also play from the third person point of view giving them a better view of their surroundings. When the killer is near, survivors hear their heartbeats, alerting them to his presence.
The killer’s goal is to sacrifice his prey to an unnamed deity. He mainly tracks his prey through sound and sight. Whenever survivors fail a skill check, sprints and vaults over an object, or just generally makes a lot of noise, the killer is alerted. Survivors also make a lot of noise when injured, making it easier for the killer to track them when in close proximity. Additionally, the killer can track running survivors by observing markings left on the ground. Once the killer has hurt a survivor enough to down them, he can pick them up and take them to a hook to sacrifice them. It is then up to him to either guard the hooked survivor until they die to prevent escape or rescue, or to hunt down the remaining survivors.
Dead by Daylight does offer online matchmaking and includes a progression system. Progression is done by spending points earned during matches on the “blood web.” The blood web includes items, skills, and perks which can be used during a match. However Dead by Daylight is probably at its best and most fun when played against friends. There’s no better feeling than scaring the pant off of your friends.
The things that worry me the most about Dead by Daylight are problems that seem to plague many games of similar genres. Similar to Evolve, I can see the game getting boring after a while because of a lack of replayability. The game will only launch with three killers and three locations. Granted, each location has four different procedurally generated maps, but each map for a location is relatively similar. The game’s success will also depend heavily on how well the developers support it after launch. Other games such as Damned and Dead Realm have had success initially but then floundered as their respective developers have failed to support them. If Behaviour Digital Inc. can support the game by removing bugs and periodically adding content, it should be a very fun game to play for a very long time.
We hope to show you more of the game now that it is officially released. With more monsters, perks and hopefully maps. If your looking to pick up the game check out our Kinguin link above or check the game out at their official steam store page.
http://store.steampowered.com/app/381210/
