Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead

Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead

Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead is an open source survival horror roguelike video game. Set in a post-apocalyptic New England, it features peripheral vision, a detailed crafting system, dangerous creatures like zombies, and complex gameplay systems like health and stats simulation.
Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead image
postapocalyptic survival horror crafting zombies complex-gameplay

Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead

Open source survival horror roguelike video game set in a post-apocalyptic New England, featuring peripheral vision, detailed crafting system, dangerous creatures and complex gameplay systems.

What is Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead?

Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead is an open source survival horror roguelike video game. Set in a post-apocalyptic New England, the game places the player in the aftermath of an event called "The Cataclysm" which has destroyed civilization. The player must survive by scavenging supplies, crafting equipment, and fighting dangerous creatures like zombies while dealing with hunger, thirst, illness, injuries, dangerous weather, and more.

Gameplay is complex, with detailed simulation of health, stats, materials and crafting systems. Combat is tactical and difficult, requiring careful aiming and maneuvering. World generation is randomized and there is high replayability. The game features peripheral vision, letting you see what's beside you, not just ahead. Plus a huge variety of creatures, items, locations and experiences.

The open source nature means Cataclysm has very active development. Content and features are continually added. Players can also mod and expand on the game themselves. There are graphical tilesets and ASCII versions available. Cataclysm strikes an impressive balance between old school roguelike and modern improvements for usability and engagement.

Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead Features

Features

  1. Open world sandbox gameplay
  2. Detailed crafting and construction system
  3. Complex simulation of health, stats, skills, etc
  4. Challenging survival mechanics against zombies and other threats
  5. Highly customizable gameplay through mods and options

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Extremely deep and complex simulation

Huge amount of content and replayability

Completely free and open source

Active modding community

Runs on many platforms

Cons

Very complex and difficult to learn

ASCII graphics take time to get used to

Can feel repetitive after long play time

Difficulty curve is quite steep


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