![]() ![]() Meanwhile, Jim Pirri is killing it as Boozer. Sure, it could have been done better and the writing doesn’t always land, but the performances and chemistry is so good that I instantly bought into their relationship. In my original review, I described Days Gone as having a great love story and I stand by that. But don’t think the rest of the performances aren’t great, too: Courtnee Draper plays Sarah, the wife of Deacon, and she and Sam have great chemistry. He manages to deliver at every moment, from the softer, gentler scenes where we are reminded that Deacon is a decent guy at heart, to the angry moments where we are also reminded that Deacon has survived for a damn good reason. I can’t express enough how good Witwer’s performance. And Sam Witwer nails the performance, sounding exactly like an angry person ranting against the world, like someone who has had nearly everything taken from them and is likely only continuing to go on because of Boozer. It’s his outlet in a life filled with life and death situations, stress and the constant fear of being ripped to pieces. By comparison, I’m a somewhat sane human and I talk to myself all the time, so it makes sense to me that Deek consistently mutters and mumbles. Deacon is a broken person being that’s walking on a tightrope of sanity. He’ll spew curses and insults at Freakers and the humans he fights, get angry at himself, mutter about something he’s tracking, mock Copeland’s radio show and remind himself of things he needs to get done.įor some people this near-constant narration by Deek will be an annoyance, but to me, it’s what brings the character to life and makes him feel human in a world being taken over by horrors. But the way Deek is written by Bend Studios and played by Sam Witwer makes him sound like he’s actually muttering to himself. They talk to the player, a barely disguised method of imparting information for the plot or a reminder of game mechanics. Except they don’t talk to themselves – not really. Now, I know what you’re probably thinking: loads of game characters talk to themselves, like Geralt from the Witcher series. What makes Deacon so special? He talks to himself. It’s clear that the loss of his wife has made Deacon withdraw from what is left of the world. That doesn’t mean he will stand by and let people die, but he would much rather keep out of the internal politics of the settlements and far away from their charismatic leaders. But the truth is Deacon does have a big heart, it’s just that all of his focus is purely on those close to him and not to others, and he clearly isn’t the best at finding the words he needs to convey his emotions. He’ll start a sentence and then stop, pull back and start again, looking for the right words. ![]() Sam Witwer delivers Deacon’s lines in breathy blasts as though Deacon is having to force the words out and barely keeping himself in check. He’s argumentative, short-tempered, irritable and most of the people he meets don’t want much to do with him outside of running jobs. And who can blame him? His wife is seemingly dead, the world has gone to hell and in just the first hour his best friend and ally Boozer is horribly burned. The constant stress he is under every day has driven him to the very edge where he now teeters, likely to fall with the slightest poke. Having spent several years in the middle of the apocalypse, it’s fair to say that Deacon is a little bit cracked. ![]() Having been forced apart from his wife during the initial outbreak, Deacon and fellow Mongrel Boozer are simply trying to survive, taking on jobs for the various settlements that have sprung up across Oregon.Ī lot of my love for Days Gone boils down to Deacon St. John, former military man and member of the biker gang known as the Mongrels. If you need a little context for what Days Gone is, it takes place in Oregon following an outbreak of a strange virus that mutated humans and animals alike, turning them into Freakers. And if you just want an idea of how good the PC port is, jump down toward the end of the review. Now, though, we the recent news of a potential sequel being turned down by Sony it’s interesting to revisit Days Gone and see why I think it does deserve one to fulfil all the potential it has. A couple of years on my initial thoughts haven’t changed too much, so you can check out the original review for those. I reviewed Days Gone when it first launched on the PS4 back in 2018 and found it to be entertaining to play with a strong lead character. Days Gone has ridden onto Steam as the latest Playstation exclusive to make it onto PC, opening up Bend Studio’s work to a whole new audience. ![]()
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