This weekend I checked out the Xbox One release of 2013 zombie survival game. The re-release, titled the ‘Year-One Survival Edition’, features a graphical enhancement and both DLC add-ons. It would seem that re-releases almost outnumber actual new releases on the current generation of consoles, and yet I keep buying them.

I had picked up State of Decay during one of the Steam sales, however I don’t have much of a gaming PC. I can run most games at relatively low to medium settings on my 2012 MacBook Pro running Windows 10 via Bootcamp, however I don’t often bother booting to Windows even though my Steam library is filled with something like 150 games. I remember playing State of Decay for maybe 45 minutes and not really getting into it. It felt pretty clunky and I just didn’t really see the point of it.

After spending an hour playing the Xbox One version, I can say I’m more impressed with it now than I was then. It certainly looks a good bit better, however I feel like it plays a little smoother as well. I enjoyed exploring the world and watching over my shoulder as I rummaged through abandoned buildings trying to find supplies. I also like the idea of trying to build up a home base while trying to survive.

I’ve found the combat to be pretty satisfying and going on supply runs gets my heart pumping, especially when I accidentally alert a horde of zombies. There have been a few times I barely squeaked through the gate at my base with my life intact. The game is quite thrilling so far, and I’m enjoying it, possibly more than I enjoyed Dying Light (probably because I suck at climbing in that game).

I’m looking forward to checking out more of State of Decay in the coming days. For $30 I’d recommend it if you haven’t previously played it, there’s plenty of fun to be had.