The Day Before's Early Access Launch Causes Major Disarray

The highly-anticipated game, The Day Before, has finally entered early access on Steam, despite facing several delays. However, it seems that the game may have launched prematurely, given the game-breaking bugs and issues affecting players. Despite being the top-selling game on Steam and boasting over 34,000 concurrent players, the launch has been marred by significant problems, with one major bug causing issues for players right from the start.

Numerous clips shared on The Day Before's subreddit depict players waking up in a hospital bed with a doctor nearby in the game's opening moments. The doctor instructs players to "try and get off the bed," but when they attempt to do so, they immediately fall through the floor into a gray void and perish. Others are unable to even interact with the doctor, halting their game progression. Users have also encountered issues such as getting stuck behind walls or experiencing fatal errors that cause the game to crash after The Day Before's opening moments.

However, several players have been unable to progress beyond these initial challenges due to server issues. Many have reported being unable to connect to a server or find an available one that isn't already at full capacity. Some subreddit users feel that the game has not lived up to its marketing as a survival MMO, instead resembling more of an extraction shooter.

Shortly after its release, The Day Before has garnered a "Mostly Negative" user review score on Steam. Players have criticized the game for its lack of functional settings and servers, as well as its notorious falling through the floor bug. "The UI broke the second I logged in," complained user SirAngryStoic in their review. "Then couldn't connect to a server. When I finally got into a server I fell through the map and died. Do not play this game."

biffa, another user, criticized the game for not having open-world MMO elements, describing The Day Before as "just an extraction shooter, and a poorly executed one at that."

The game developer Fntastic, in an early access FAQ on The Day Before's Steam page, has announced that the game will be in early access for "around 6-8 months, but this could change." Their plan is to focus on bug fixes, gameplay balance, and introducing new content such as weapons, vehicles, and houses. The price of The Day Before, currently at $40, is expected to increase after the early access period. Despite conflicting player statements, the game still identifies as an MMO, with the FAQ stating that it allows players "to fully immerse themselves in a post-apocalyptic open-world MMO."

To date, Fntastic has only addressed The Day Before's launch issues in a single post on X (formerly Twitter), mentioning "Overload on North American servers. The Servers are working. Fills up too quickly."

The Day Before has faced numerous setbacks before its launch, including multiple delays and a trademark dispute that led to its removal from Steam earlier this year. The developer, an all-remote studio with no prior game releases, has also received criticism for using "volunteers" to develop the game.

Editor's P/S

As a passionate fan of gaming, I was eagerly anticipating the early access launch of The Day Before. However, the game's troubled launch has left me deeply disappointed and frustrated. The numerous bugs, server issues, and misleading marketing have tarnished what could have been a promising survival MMO experience.

The game-breaking bugs, such as falling through the floor and being unable to interact with NPCs, have made it impossible for many players to progress beyond the opening moments. The server issues have further compounded the problems, with players unable to connect or finding themselves in full servers. These technical issues have severely hindered the gameplay experience and left a sour taste in the mouths of many fans.