The Day Before Launches to Overwhelmingly Negative Reviews on Steam

The Day Before is finally out on Steam, and the game is decidedly not popular. Released in early access on December 7, The Day Before launched to an “Overwhelmingly Negative” rating on Steam.

Developer Fntastic revealed The Day Before in 2021. Since then, however, there have been many concerning signs from the studio. This included multiple accusations that The Day Before was ripping off other games. The game also faced numerous delays, and fans were concerned by the lack of transparency from Fntastic. The game’s 2023 gameplay trailer also indicated that The Day Before had been scaled back significantly from what Fntastic initially promised.

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The Day Before is Not an Open-World MMO as Advertised

Contrary to what trailers and promotions have promised, The Day Before does not offer an open-world MMO experience, leading to anger among players.

Unfortunately, it seems that fans’ worst fears about The Day Before have come true. With 6,540 user reviews as of this writing, only about 13% of players recommend the game. The lack of promised features is one of the most common criticisms, with multiple players complaining that the game is a scam. Others reported bugs, crashes, and difficulty finding an open server.

The Day Before’s questionable status as an MMO is one of the main points of contention. Fntastic explicitly marketed the game as an open-world survival MMO, and it is still labeled as an MMO on its Steam page. Thus, many players were understandably upset that the formerly most-wanted game on Steam is an extraction shooter with no open-world component or survival mechanics. All of which were major selling points for The Day Before.

While it’s understandable if developers had to scale back from an overly ambitious goal, the fact that this change was never communicated to players is highly suspicious. The Day Before’s bugs and server issues could be written off as the growing pains of an early access release. However, the lack of explicitly promised features is more challenging to justify. Even the features that made it into the game are not free from criticism. Reviews claim that levels have little potential for exploration and that the game’s zombie enemies lack variety. Other players found The Day Before’s PvP content underwhelming and criticized the lack of meaningful progression systems.

Despite Fntastic’s preemptive denial on Monday, many players did not hesitate to call The Day Before a scam. A few users even alleged that the game’s slow opening was a deliberate attempt to waste the player’s time, making it hard to get a feel for the game before going over Steam’s two-hour refund time limit. While that accusation would be difficult to prove, it’s fair to say that fans are not pleased with The Day Before.

The Day Before

Following a terrible pandemic, players must survive in the harsh post-apocalyptic world of The Day Before filled with infected monsters and other opportunistic survivors. An MMO and survival game from FNTASTIC, The Day Before boasts an open-world, multiplayer environment where players can scavenge and fight for their lives.

Released

December 7, 2023

Developer(s)

Fntastic

Publisher(s)

MYTONA