Hello fellow gamers!
I believe I have something interesting to share with you all. Since it's halloween season there is no better time to introduce you guys to this game hehe. It goes by the name "Dead by daylight". I play the mobile version so PC version with better graphics and gameplay is available as well but it's paid and the mobile version is free but I heard that the PC version is definitely worth the money so if you have cash to spend then that's for you.
Dead by daylight
This horror game was developed by a Canadian studio called Behaviour Interactive and was released on April 2020. It's an online multiplayer game(4v1) where 4 survivors compete against one killer. The survivors have to fix 5 generators to escape the area before the killer sacrifices them to please a dark force called the entity!
Available for both Android and iOS
Source: acquired from official channel
Can you run it?
I checked the official website for the mobile version and haven't found any information on system requirements. Basically what that means is that if it's available on your playstore then you meet one of the requirements. I personally play it on my Oppo pad air tab and it's device (core) specs are shown below.
Operating system: Android 13
Resolution: Full HD+
Ram: 4GB
Cpu: Snapdragon 680 (released on October 2021)
I get around 30-40 fps depending on the map on medium graphics. 30 is more than enough for playing this (any) game in my opinion but anything above that is like gamer's paradise but not everyone can afford a high end device so it's fine (no it's not).
With my specs in mind you can get a rough idea of what to expect from your device. My phone won't run it properly. It has a Snapdragon 636 cpu and I get around 20-25 fps so the gameplay sucked on it. You can adjust a bit if you are playing as a survivor but as a killer, nope! You need to chase as well as slash so its gonna lag like crazy plus it's an online game so ping matters a lot too. If ping is high like above 100 and it's lagging even on low graphics then this game is not for you :(
Graphics
As you can see above the graphics settings resembles that of a PC game and the visual quality feels like console graphics as well which is probably one of the best part of the game apart from the gameplay mechanics. You can choose a custom settings to get a smooth gameplay. I'm super glad that they left an option like that. I play using custom medium settings by the way. I won't recommend tab users to use low graphics settings because it's really blurry and texture quality is truly pathetic at that state.
Gameplay
You can either play as a killer or a survivor.
As a killer you goal is to catch and hook the survivors to the hooks spread across the map. There are 3 phases for the sacrifice to complete. During the first and second phase your teammates can unhook and save you but if the killer hooks you for the 3rd time then it's instant kill/gameover for you. You can unhook yourself but you have only 4% luck for that however unsuccessful escapes lead to accelerated sacrificial process but as you progress you will get some perks which will improves the chances of escape. Every killer had their own unique ability so its crucial that you play as both killer and as survivor from time to time to understand the characters.
Things killers can do
Terrorise the survivors with their presence
Use a unique ability
Use a weapon to slash, injure and even knockout the survivors
Once in chase mode they will catch upto eventually
Destroy progress made on generators
Hooking
Breaking pallets
Can close escape hatch etc
As a survivor your goal is to fix the generators as fast as possible. Your fellow survivors can help you out and increase the repair speed by 2x I believe. You need to fix a minimum of 5 generators. This will provide necessary power to the gates to open and through that you escape and win. Simple,right? But it's not hahahaha...
Things survivor's can do
Fix generators
Heal yourself if you have first air kid
Heal others
Cleanse totems
Squash pumpkins
Unhook yourself(low chance)
Unhook fellow survivors and save them from the sacrifice to the entity.
Use pallets to stun and put a gap between killer and survivor for possible escape
Escape through an escape hatch which is spawned when there is only one survivor left etc
Optional activities: You can cleanse totems(to repel the curse) and squash pumpkins(halloween season effect) to get additional blood points.
The game has different maps one that you have no control over however you can increase the luck of getting a specific map by equipping some items available on store which can be purchased using something called blood points which you get by doing some actions like fixing the generator, cleansing totems, coop action, competing daily tasks etc. By using these blood points you can buy a number of items to increase your chances of survival in the game for eg, torch is available to temporarily blind the killer similarly there are items which suites killers goals as well.
Every survivor and killer can be leveled up by playing the game and finishing the tasks. Sometimes you will get some items to manually upgrade your character as well. What's interesting is that every character in this game has a cool back story and that is directly related to the skills/perks they can perform in the game.
Sound
This right here is the best part about the game other than graphics. When a killer is near you, the survivor's heart glows bright red as the killer approaches along with the heart beating sound. It really amplifies the fear factor and makes the survivor unable to complete tasks properly. The experience is phenomenal if you use a high quality headset. It's funny because when the survivor's heart starts to beat hard then yours will follow the same haha. Other than visual clues for the killer to find their target auditory clues like groaning in pain is also added to locate the survivors.
My advice for success!
As a Survivor you goal is to work together with your fellow players. This is the key to victory. Playing solo may help you win but it's always fun to win together as a team. Also remember this, if you help others in need then they will help you as well when the time comes. I speak from personal experience plus it will reward you blood points as well. I was sacrificed once but I did help a lot of others plus I fixed some generators as well so my rank increased anyway!
If you are getting face camped then don't keep your hopes up xd. In some very rare cases your teammates might come together and distract the killer which will buy one of them some time to free you hehe.
As a killer your goal is to hook and eventually kill the players. You should always look for visual and auditory clues. Study the unique ability of the killer you have chosen so that it may help you capture the survivors quickly. Always try to destroy the generator progress to slowdown their escape. If a genertor is making sounds as you pass by there is a chance that there is a survivor near or working on them. Best not to face camp, means don't stay near the hooked survivor for too long because by doing that you are wasting precious time to scout the map to look for other survivors plus it's a di*k move :)
My Impressions
I f*king love this game! I love the awesome graphics, mechanics and sound design. I'm very surprised that an entry level tab is able to run this game. The fact that it's online multiplayer and is free of charge is one of the main reasons why I suggest you guys to try it out as well. Horror fans must not skip this game. I don't think you will find any other games like this on playstore. Do you want to be scared and have fun then this is it, this is your game!
Nothing is perfect and that applies to this game as well. The game is repetitive and sometimes we often has to play on the same map. However as you level up, it gets more challenging so that might change your mind. Also the matchmaking process takes too long sometimes so that might annoy some players haha. Game size is huge as well. It's around 3GB but it will take more than that after installation (probably around 5GB).
I suggested my friends @Ema and @jijisaurart to try out the game and this was their reaction/opinion xd.
Solution for game not available/ Banned in your region
1: Ask a friend or Google online to find out the latest version number of the game.
2: Use that version number and download from 3rd party markets or websites. I would suggest you guys to use websites because download speed is much higher.
3: The downloaded package's extension name should be xapk and it's size is around 3GB. If it isn't change it to that otherwise next step won't work.
4: Download and install xapk installer from playstore/open it/ you will see the downloaded xapk package in it/click on the green button on the right side/ wait for the app to extract the file and after some time depending on your device specs a pop will appear asking for permission to install. Hit install and wait for completion notification and then exit the app.
5: Install a VPN and select a different country and connect it.
6: Open the game and it should work now.
The downside about this is that everytime they release an update you have to do this process again so it's a hassle but it's worth it!
A short gameplay from me as the Killer!
I hope you guys try this game out if you are a horror fan like me. I can guarantee that it won't disappoint you in that sector haha.
I just realised that this is the longest blog I have written so far so if you read this far you are awesome!
All photos are owned and taken by me, otherwise credited. Screenshots from Dead by daylight Mobile.
Thank you so much for your time and yeah I'm back :)