7 Days To Die A21 Review

Imagine jumping into a survival game where the world is a mix of zombies and a builder’s paradise. That’s “7 Days to Die” for you—a game that’s all about using your wits and building skills to survive in a post-apocalyptic, voxel-based world. It’s a dream for anyone who loves crafting their own adventure among the ruins, but it’s still a work in progress, which leaves a lot of us wondering what the end game will look like.

Starting off, the game sort of just throws you in the deep end. The basics are covered, but when it comes to the finer points of survival, you’re left scratching your head. I had to figure out how to keep myself from starving or dehydrating, how to make a shelter, or even how to craft the tools I needed to survive. The game assumes you’ll figure it out, but without a solid tutorial, you end up looking for answers online more often than not.

Then there’s the quest system, which feels like it’s trying to railroad your adventure. It dictates where to go and subtly suggests that ignoring it means you’re missing out. It feels like a bit of a power trip, and for a new player, it’s hard to tell if you’re playing the game or the game’s playing you. To get a bike, for instance, you have to follow a series of quests, which kind of takes the fun out of just stumbling upon one.

And the traders—don’t get me started. I’d rather not have them at all. It would be cool to have an option to remove them from the game, much like how you can play “Minecraft” without villages if you want. The idea of surviving solely on what you and your friends can scrounge up is way more appealing to me.

Combat with the zombies can be hit or miss. Some of these guys are way too quick, and figuring out how to take them down doesn’t always make sense. It would be nice to have clearer strategies for dealing with them instead of just winging it every time.

One of the biggest letdowns was when we set up a little camp, placed a campfire, and got ready to settle down, only to have a quest reset everything. All our stuff just vanished. It was as if we never existed in that spot, which was pretty frustrating.

The survival systems like hunger, thirst, sickness, and injuries sometimes don’t add up. If you break a leg, you’re better off in the game just dying and respawning rather than limping around for two hours. And trying to figure out water? It was a mystery. We often just ended up dying on purpose because it was easier than trying to cure ourselves.

When it comes to leveling up with the book system, it’s a bit of a head-scratcher if you’re playing with others. You’re supposed to share these books, which let you level up different skills, but it doesn’t feel right. Plus, some of the perks seem too powerful, and there’s no real reason not to snag all the good stuff for yourself unless the perks start having some drawbacks.

And death in the game? It’s barely an inconvenience. You pop back up just a stone’s throw away from where you died, grab your stuff, and off you go again. There’s hardly any penalty, which makes the idea of building a base seem pointless. We just left our loot in a box outside the trader’s place like it was no big deal.

Even starting the game felt off because we all spawned in different locations. In a game that’s supposed to be about teaming up and surviving together, it was a lonely and confusing start.

So, yeah, “7 Days to Die” has the potential to be an incredible survival game. It’s got the foundation but building on that to make it a game that feels rewarding and complete—that’s the next step. Until then, it’s like trying to assemble furniture with half the instructions; you can do it, but it’s going to take a lot of trial and error.