Back again, and again and again, Deadly Days: Roadtrip is back on the playlist once more (it was never really off it) as it’s demolished the zombie barricades and heading off down route Early Access. That’s right, folks: it’s upped its game.
But what has really changed since we last looked at it? Considering the first attempt was a preview, aside from some quality of life improvements, Early Access versions don’t drastically differ as they’re also a work in progress, yet the game does look slightly different at a glance.
There’s now more of a title, the respawn hub is larger, and… ok, it’s pretty much the same on the surface. Deadly Days: Roadtrip is an auto-shootin’ rogue-like where you need to collect gas cannisters to fill up your school bus to head to the next area, and so on.
The faster you complete an area, the better, as essentially you’ll have less aggro. However, as it’s an auto-shooter, your lil’ hero will automatically nail anything close by, and the more you kill, the more undead will appear, as well as their sizes and capabilities. On the other hand, if you hang around and kill ‘em all, you’ll get better drops and potentially more tomatoes. Hold that thought.
What has significantly changed about Deadly Days: Roadtrip, in my eyes, is the difficulty curve. On the very first attempt, I’d managed to get to the boss. Granted, my stats had carried over from the preview, so that was a big help, but there’s something a bit more permanent about things. My complaint before was about it being a slog to level up. Yes, that still exists here, but it’s easier to make progress. Hear me out.
There’s a mid-section where you either have to get rid of a set number of larger zombies, titans (no copyright infringement, but they do attack), or destroy barricades by standing next to them while the timer goes. If you beat this section, you get duct tape(?) that can be used at your base to unlock permanent boosts.
Besides the ones mentioned earlier, such as attack speed, HP, and critical damage, it’s easier to unlock new weapons early, and that is absolutely key. These random items will reward a sniper rifle, among others, and also provide the option to modify a weapon at the end of each area via a workbench. If you played the preview, you’ll know how crowded it gets. Aiming a rocker launcher at a mob? Job done.
Unfortunately, as enjoyable and addictive as Deadly Days: Roadtrip is, it is still arduous in places. Reaching the boss, or even the titans, and having to shred through the ever-increasing waves gets really tiresome. On one occasion, I had 1HP and continually circled the enemies, culling back the weaker ones for no less than ten minutes. Though there are still plenty of weapon drops, there’s no health on these stages, and it’s a big ask at times.
Still, I really do like this game, and it’s getting better and better. No longer restricted to the main character, I can now run around dressed as a banana, nuking all those who had their chance at life and got bitten. Pixelsplit’s game can only get better with continued development, new weapons, and perhaps some additional challenges besides the titans and barricades mid-game. Well worth a looksee, Deadly Days: Roadtrip – ask for it by name.
