# Updated Review
I'm going to keep this review brief and start with the negatives—things I encountered that were either issues or areas where the game needs improvement.
## 1. Add a Gym System
The game needs a gym that allows players to train their party members. For example, you could pay 20–30 food to train a stat of your choice. To keep it balanced, each stat could only be trained five times before you have to head back into the wasteland and improve it naturally through combat, looting, searching, healing, crafting, breaking items down, and other activities. This would remove the gym cap and encourage active gameplay.
## 2. Weapons Sound Bland
This might just be me being picky, but the weapons in this game sound far less exciting than the ones from the original Decision games. Many of them should have their sound effects adjusted to make them feel like they have more punch.
## 3. Zombie Armor Is Just Scrap
Honestly, you spent time creating armor icons and even gave them stats, yet we can't actually wear them. They end up being sold or scrapped. Why put all that effort into designing the armor and its stats if players can't equip it?
## 4. Oversight/Bug – Explosive Barrels
Explosive barrels don't trigger chain reactions when placed next to each other. That feels like a major oversight, especially in a game where blowing things up is part of the fun.
## 5. Armor Slots Feel Too Limiting
I like the armor system, but it feels restrictive. Eye protection and mouth protection are combined into the same category, which reduces equipment variety. It would be better if armor were split into separate Head, Eyes, Mouth, and Body slots.
## 6. We Need an Additional Weapon Slot
Instead of only two weapon slots, there should be three:
* One for melee weapons
* One for pistols
* One for heavy weapons
Right now, the game limits you to two. The AI also has a nasty habit of rearranging your manually equipped weapons whenever a new day begins.
A control scheme like this would work well:
* **1, 2, 3** = Weapon switching
* **R** = Reload
* **C** = Self-heal
* **V** = Eat food
## 7. Stability Issues
The game generally seems stable, but there are noticeable technical issues. I've seen purple texture flickering on defensive towers, map pop-in while returning to base, and even instances where I clipped into the desert mountains as if I'd broken the game's boundaries.
I also experienced a few crashes.
## 8. Companion AI Is Unpredictable
Companion AI can be frustrating. Sometimes companions perform well, but most of the time they seem to exist more for appearances than effectiveness—unless you buy a lot of mercenaries to take the bullets for them.
This is where I would love to see a gym system similar to the one in Decision 3. You could gather the resources needed to turn a low-level citizen into a sturdy warrior—or at least a reliable meat shield. In this game, however, all the stat grinding is left to the player. That means if you want a capable team, prepare to put in some effort. It felt less like fun and more like a job.
# Positives
With all the negatives out of the way, what about the positives?
The game now has a mouse-based charge attack. I actually like it, but some weapons might not work well with this style of combat. A minigun, for example, feels more like a spray-and-pray weapon than something designed for precise targeting.
The base construction system isn't bad, but I do think it was toned down compared to Decision 3. Instead of upgrading each part of the base individually—such as walls, gates, and maybe even land mines—the system has been simplified. Now, progression largely depends on how much you've upgraded your guard towers. No more gates, which is a bit of a bummer. Wall upgrades are also tied to tower levels. Generally, if you upgrade your towers to a high level, you'll see noticeable changes, just not to the same extent as in Decision 3.
The game does offer some variety in the locations you capture, but many of them feel copy-and-pasted, with the main difference being the size of the area. Still, it's better than nothing.
Trading has some use. It's not amazing, but it exists. I just wish there were a system that notified players when a trader was offering discounted supplies. For example, it would be nice to know that a trader is currently selling goods 15%, 20%, 30%, or even 40% cheaper than other traders. Right now, you just pick one and think, "I guess this one will work."
You can set up a trade, but there aren't really any trade deals or market opportunities tied to it, which feels like a missed opportunity.
Overall, I think the game has what it takes, but it could use some more work. It's not great, but it's not bad either. It just needs some tweaking and a few additional features to really reach its potential.
