Days After

If you’re expecting Days After to reinvent the zombie survival genre, slow your roll. This isn’t The Last of Us, and it knows it. Instead, Reactgames Studio’s mobile apocalypse opts for something more precious in today’s oversaturated app stores: it’s approachable, well-paced, and, shocker, actually fun.

There’s no cinematic intro. No dramatic voiceover. No tutorial telling you which berry bush to poke. You just wake up somewhere in the ruins of the world and get to work: crafting, scavenging, gutting infected wolves with a homemade spear, and stuffing your backpack full of tin cans and antibiotics. You’ll die, sure. But you’ll probably enjoy it.

That’s because Days After leans into exploration, not punishment. Unlike most of its genre cousins, your home base won’t get shredded every 24 hours by a horde of screaming meat puppets. No need to rebuild your walls daily or stare at countdown timers like you’re on a post-apocalyptic alarm clock. It’s a game that respects your time, until it doesn’t, thanks to the usual inventory bloat and energy systems. (Yes, there’s an auto-collect button. No, it’s not a free ride.)

The combat’s serviceable if a little blunt, and the difficulty curve ramps up more like a brick wall than a gentle incline. Still, once you’ve got a chainsaw in one hand and a loyal dog by your side, it all starts to click. The progression system lets you beef up your survivor with new skills and armor, and there are side quests, boss fights, and even romance options if you’re feeling flirty between bloodbaths.

Graphically, Days After punches above its weight. The environments are sharp, the UI is slick, and while the soundtrack won’t win any awards, it doesn’t get in the way. And yes, there are microtransactions, too many, frankly, but they’re more annoying than aggressive.

Verdict? Days After doesn’t shake the genre to its core, but it’s a sturdy, satisfying take on zombie survival that dodges a lot of the genre’s worst habits. If you’re looking to outlive the apocalypse without getting nickel-and-dimed, or just want to surf the undead tide without getting buried, it’s worth a shot. Just don’t forget to loot first and auto-collect later.