State of Decay 2: Heartland

State of Decay 2: Heartland is an add-on to the 2018 sandbox action game, in which the players try to survive in a zombie-infested world. The game offers a new map and storyline, which we can learn from two different perspectives. The creators of the original and the first game, the Undead Labs, are responsible for creating this title. The publisher is Microsoft.

Plot

In State of Decay 2: Heartland we can play as one of the two survivors of a zombie apocalypse - former prisoner Quincy (accompanied by his partner Helena), or the missing daughter of a local criminal, Larisse (supported by her aunt Fiona).

Depending on the chosen protagonist, the story told in the DLC may take a different course and focus on a different NPC. In Quincy's case, the story focuses on the search for his former employer and one of the heroines of the original State of Decay, Lily Ritter. Larisse, on the other hand, is looking for her father, Mickey Wilkerson. The story is also influenced by the choices made by the players.

It is worth noting that the expansion's plot answers many key questions related to the universe of State of Decay. We will also find in it suggestions concerning the past and the future of the discussed world.

Mechanics

The basic gameplay in State of Decay 2: Heartland is the same as in the vanilla game - we are dealing with a TPP sandbox. The game consists of exploring the available area, acquiring items, developing our base (this time only one) and keeping alive a small group of people who survived the end of the world.

In State of Decay 2: Heartland we get a new story campaign that takes about 10 hours to complete. The action of the add-on takes place on a new map (Trumbull Valley, which is a place known from the first part). There is no shortage of places to explore and loot (including databases unique to this area). In the game we will also find new NPCs, who - in contrast to those from the base game - were hand-made and have their own stories and characters.

The creators have also introduced a number of new dangerous opponents to the game, such as Plague Bloater, Blood Feral and Plague Screamer. We will also face the dangerous Blood Juggernaut, whom we know from the Daybreak Pack DLC. Importantly, this time every zombie is a plague carrier.

Game modes

State of Decay 2: Heartland does not introduce any new gameplay modes. The mainstay of the fun is still the story campaign, which we can experience solo or in a four-person cooperation module.

Technical aspects

State of Decay 2: Heartland does not make any noticeable changes to the graphics of the base version of State of Decay 2. The game continues to be powered by Unreal Engine 4, which has enabled it to create quite detailed and pretty good-looking graphics - the landscapes are quite realistic and the character models look decent and interestingly designed.

Last updated on June 1, 2020