28 Days Later is a 2012 multiplayer survival horror game. Set during the aftermath of a virus outbreak in Britain.
As a survivor, the player must scavenge the world for food, water, weapons, and medicine, while killing or avoiding the infected, and killing, avoiding or cooperating with other players in an effort to survive the outbreak.
There are four game modes: a single-player mode in which allied characters are controlled by AI; a four-player, co-op campaign mode; an eight-player online versus mode and a four-player survival mode.
Gameplay[]
28 Days Later is a first-person shooter in which the player takes control of one of four survivors; if human players are not available, then the remaining survivors are AI-controlled bots. They play through the levels fighting off the infected—living humans who have been infected with the Rage Virus that causes psychosis. Unlike most zombie games, the player characters are not immune, if bitten by have blood enter an opening, they become infected themselves.
The game focuses on cooperation and teamwork and attempts to portray a realistic scenario within the gameplay, with the environment having different effects on the player. A character may receive bone fractures from damage to their legs, go into shock from bullet wounds or faint due to low blood pressure.
During "Campaign" mode, if a survivor is killed, then they will respawn. If all human player survivors are killed or infected, players will have to restart from the last checkpoint. Players can also switch on permadeath, if killed survivors remain dead for the rest of the game. Survivors can share first-aid kits and pain pills and help each other heal. 28 Days Later has friendly fire (which causes no damage on the easy difficulty mode), increasing the need for caution around other survivors.
The survivors communicate by voice commands that are accessed by quick menus, and some may sound off automatically when performing actions such as reloading or spotting infected.
The game ie experienced through six campaigns.
Thirst and hunger must be kept under control by finding sustenance in either cities or the wilderness, with body temperature playing a key part in the character's survival. The game forces the player to acknowledge basic human needs like thirst, hunger and shelter. These mechanics require the player to focus on immediate goals before they can consider long-term strategies.
Survivors[]
There are four protagonists of the game: Jim, Selene, cab driver Frank and his daughter Hannah. Aside from appearances, all of the characters play exactly the same in-game.
Weapons[]
Most weapons the player will find will be melee with guns being hard to come by. The player can carry other items in their inventory like first aid kits which can be used to heal any survivor and pain pills, which provide temporary health that depletes gradually and quicker with damage from infected, and can be handed to teammates for later use. Regardless of what weapon or item a player is using, a melee attack can be used to shove away any infected within reach. Also available are environmental weapons, such as gas cans, propane cylinders, and oxygen tanks, all of which explode when shot. These environmental weapons can be picked up, moved, and used as a melee weapon by the survivors, but while carrying an object they cannot use their weapons or health items.
Infected[]
The common infected encountered during the game are fast and agile, weak individually, but may be overwhelming in numbers. They display a special attraction to high-pitched alarm-type sounds, such as the beeping device attached to car alarms. Common infected will often chase down the source of these noises while ignoring lower-pitched, but much louder sounds such as gunfire.
Game Modes[]
28 Days Later contains four game modes: campaign, survival and single-player. The cooperative campaign consists of up to four human-controlled survivors who attempt to make their way between safe rooms and eventually to rescue.
In a versus campaign, each team of one to four players plays each chapter of the campaign as a survivor. One team controls Jim, Selene, Frank and Hannak while the other team control soldiers on Major West's team. Unlike campaign mode, dead survivors do not respawn.
Survival mode consists of a timed challenge where players try to survive as long as possible against a never-ending flood of the infected.
Single-player mode is similar to campaign mode, but played offline with three AI-controlled bots as the other survivors. Other players can join in on the same console to turn single player into an offline co-op game.
Plot[]
Great Britain suffers an outbreak of the "Rage Virus", a highly contagious, rage-inducing virus. 28 days after the first infection, four survivors-Jim, Selene, cab driver Frank and his daughter Hannah-make their way through the city of London.
A military broadcast offers protection to survivors at a blockade in Manchester. With supplies dwindling, the group board Frank's cab to Manchester. Escaping the city, they way their way blocked and are forced to travel the rest of the way on foot. They manage to reach the blockade only to find it seemingly deserted. The group are forced to fight off infected before soldiers arrive and kill the rest of them.
The group are forced to escape Major West's fortified mansion and decide to head to Cumbria, pursued by Major West's surviving men.