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Dead By Daylight

Dead by Daylight is a 3D survival horror game that features assymetric 4vs1 PvP gameplay. One player assumes the role of a psycho killer and the others must work together to escape.

Developer: Behaviour Digital Inc.
Playerbase: High
Type: B2P Survival Horror
Release Date: June 14, 2016
Pros: +4v1 Horror Play. +Procedurally generated levels. +Character progression. +Multiple playable Killers.
Cons: -No party matchmaking. -No penalties for quitting. -Unbalanced perk system

Overview

Dead by Daylight Overview

Live out scenes straight from your favorite slasher movies in Dead by Daylight, a 4v1 horror game where one player assumes the role of a psychotic killer and the four remaining players must escape the killing ground. Survivors play in third-person view, allowing them to hide and survey the environment, while the killer stalks them in first-person. Maps are procedurally-generated so even veterans will have to relearn the maps to survive. As a Survivor, use tall grass, lockers, crates and barricades to carefully navigate the killing ground. Remain calm and tactical. Panic is a sure way to get killed. Discover and utilize items to aid in your survival or team up with other players to outwit the monster. As the Killer, predict Survivor movements and use a myriad of sinister abilities to trap them and offer them up as sacrifices to the Entity.

Dead by Daylight Key Features:

  • Progression - in-game characters have a deep progression system which can be customized  for unique strategies.
  • Items - search the killing grounds to discover items that will aid you in survival or carry them with you to your next match.
  • First-Person Killer - the killer's camera is confined to the first-person while survivors are given a third-person view to help them evade the monster.
  • Procedural Levels - each game requires players to relearn the environment so that no experienced player can gain a significant advantage from map awareness.
  • Multiple Killers - choose to play one of several iconic horror movie motifs, from the slasher to the silent wraith.

Dead by Daylight Screenshots

Dead by Daylight Video

Dead by Daylight | Beta Teaser

Full Review

Dead by Daylight Review

By, Marc Marasigan

Dead by Daylight is a PvP survival horror game set in the year 1956 in the fictional town of Weeks, a backwater place with an unusually high number of missing persons reports. One player assumes the role of a psycho killer while up to four other players play as survivors. The survivors’ goal is to escape from the enclosed area while the killer tries to stop them and sacrifice them to an evil force known as The Entity.

The game features great-looking graphics with character models and artwork similar to that of Left 4 Dead 2. The dark and grim procedurally-generated environments are nicely detailed and the effects, along with the blood and gore, work really well to immerse you in the game. The sound effects and background music is where Dead by Daylight really shines and takes its cue from your favorite horror movies. As a survivor, the game’s audio can get your your adrenaline pumping, and have you just about ready to jump out of your skin with a few high-pitched notes and a steadily quickening heartbeat that indicates that the killer is getting closer.

Surviving the Cut… Literally

Players assume the role of Killer or team up with up to three other players as a Survivor. There are four survivors to choose from, each with their own strengths: Dwight, who works best with a team of players; Meg, who is both fast and quiet; Jake, who excels in sabotage; and Meg, who can heal herself without a healing item. As Survivors, players must escape a procedurally-generated enclosed space by repairing the required number of generators. Once the generators are repaired, survivors must then activate a switch which opens the doors to the outside. Players can escape through one of two doors or through a hidden hatch that appears randomly when only one survivor is left.

Survivors play the game in third-person which gives them better situational awareness as opposed to Killers who are limited to first-person view. They can also use the environment to escape and evade the killer, such as vaulting through windows and toppling over barricades, or hiding in tall grass and inside closets. Now we’ve all learned from watching horror movies that hiding in closets is a sure way to get you killed. Fortunately, maps in Dead by Daylight have a good number of closets to choose from to keep the killer guessing. Well, most of the time anyway.

Good Ol’ Slasher Fun

Killers can choose from one of three slasher flick inspired psycho killers: Chuckles, a masked, bear trap loving Jason look-a-like; Hillbilly, a deformed chainsaw-wielding maniac straight out of a Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie; and Wraith, a paranormal being reminiscent of Sinister and The Conjuring, with the power to go invisible and adept at hunting down wounded survivors. Killers must stop the Survivors from escaping by incapacitating them and hanging them on meat hooks as sacrifices to The Entity. They make up for their limited POV with the ability to see the position of generators and meat hooks, as well as the ability to detect noises, footprints, and blood trails.

Aside from being limited to first person view, Killers also lack the ability to run and crouch but can walk at a slightly faster pace than a sprinting survivor. They are also slower at climbing through windows and must either destroy or walk around barricades that survivors throw into their path. Killers also stop for a few moments after they strike a player regardless of whether they successfully hit them and must ensure that hooked Survivors aren’t rescued by their comrades or that the others don’t escape while you’re focused on one Survivor. Although hook camping is frowned upon, there are other more sinister ways to make sure that hooked Survivors stay put (e.g. well-hidden bear traps).

Earned In Blood

Bloodpoints are used to unlock skill, perk, and item nodes in the Bloodweb, the game’s version of a skill tree. Players earn Bloodpoints by performing certain actions during the match with more Bloodpoints awarded for critical actions such as escaping as a Survivor, or successfully Sacrificing a player as a Killer. Players can also earn additional Bloodpoints by completing Daily Rituals which function the same as Daily Quests in MMORPG’s.

Each character is given a separate procedurally-generated Bloodweb which starts at level 1. Purchasing a node unlocks adjacent ones for purchase, with nodes closer to the edge of the web costing more and offering rarer rewards. Once a Bloodweb is filled, the character gains a level and a new Bloodweb. Higher levels offer more nodes as well as better overall rewards. Bloodpoints, however, can be used to unlock any node on any character regardless of who earned them. I could, for example, play as a Survivor and use the points I earn to level up my Killer of choice without once having to play as a Killer.

Like all games with an earnable perk system, this drastically affects the balance of the game especially when newbies find themselves going up against a Survivor who can sabotage all the meat hooks in the map (except for a few invulnerable ones), or a Killer who can kill Survivors on site without needing the hooks. Another fault with the point system is that being good at the game and finishing a match quickly rewards you with a unreasonably low amount of Bloodpoints. What’s more, is that you can even lose a rank for not earning enough points. This encourages point farming and extremely long matches.

The Bad and The Ugly

One of Dead by Daylight’s glaring problems is its matchmaking and party system, or lack thereof. Getting a match started takes anywhere from 5 to 40 minutes because players are constantly lobby-jumping in the hopes of getting into a game with their friends. While the game features a Kill Your Friends mode that allows you to play with your friends, matches in this mode will not allow you to earn Bloodpoints or count towards your progression. The Bloodweb, along with any perks, skills, or items, you’ve earned, is also unavailable in Kill Your Friends mode.

Assuming that you do get into a match, other players can decide to quit at any time without being penalized. Losing Survivors can quit in the middle of a match and the Killer’s efforts become fruitless. This also works the other way around. Having the Killer host the match instead of a dedicated server also makes matches prone to lag and freezes. Joining a match hosted by someone with a less than stellar ISP, or someone from halfway around the world will have you cursing with every stutter step that gets you killed, which is probably a good way to check whether your anger management bills are finally paying off.

Final Verdict – Good

Dead by Daylight is a thoroughly fun and addictive game, especially when playing against your friends, which is probably one of the only ways you can play without lag. Playing as a Survivor will scare you witless and will have you screaming like a little girl, while playing as a Killer will unleash your sadistic side as you hunt the Survivors down one by one (insert maniacal laugh here), both of which make you want to play the game again and again. The matchmaking system, however, leaves much to be desired. And the perks system messes up the game’s balance. Overall, a good game with lots of potential, although one that I wouldn’t recommend unless the obvious problems are fixed, or if you’ll be playing solely with friends.

Screenshots

Dead by Daylight Screenshots

Videos

Dead by Daylight Videos

Dead by Daylight | Wraith Revealed

System Requirements

Dead by Daylight Requirements

Minimum Requirements:

Operating System: Windows 7/8/8.1 64 bit
CPU: Intel Core i3-4170 or AMD FX-8120
RAM: 8 GB RAM
Video Card: DX11 Compatible GeForce GTX 460 1GB or AMD HD 6850 1GB
Hard Disk Space: 15 GB

Recommended Requirements:

Operating System: Windows 7/8/8.1 64 bit
CPU: Intel Core i3-4170 or AMD FX-8300 or higher
RAM: 8 GB RAM
Video Card: DX11 Compatible GeForce 760 or AMD HD 8800 or higher with 4GB of RAM
Hard Disk Space: 15 GB

Music

Dead by Daylight Music & Soundtrack

Coming Soon!

Additional Info

Dead by Daylight Additional Information

Developer(s): Behaviour Digital Inc.
Publisher(s): Starbreeze Studios

Game Engine: Unreal Engine 4

Closed Beta: May 29, 2016
Release Date: June 14, 2016

Development History / Background: 

Dead by Daylight is developed by Canada-based game development studio Behaviour Digital Inc. and is published by Starbreeze Studios. The game entered closed beta on May 29, 2016, which was only open to players who pre-ordered the deluxe edition of the game. Dead by Daylight runs on Unreal Engine 4. The game was released on Steam on June 14, 2016.