State of Decay: Year-One Survival Edition

State of Decay has developed a cult following since its release a few years ago. While it's certainly not without its share of faults, the game does an excellent job of showing an aspect of the zombie apocalypse that's rarely seen in games: managing all the survivors. Keeping the home fires burning is just as critical to survival as cutting through crowds of zombies, and balancing the two sometimes conflicting priorities can add extra layers of tension. If you missed out on it before, you'll have one less excuse this April with the release of State of Decay: Year-One Survival Edition.

Microsoft and Undead Labs announced that they were bringing an enhanced version the game to Xbox One and PC last August, and now they've released additional details about what's in the remastered version. The Year-One Edition combines the original release and its two previously released DLC packages, Breakdown and Lifeline. Breakdown was the game's sandbox mode, which stripped the story away from the original release and simply challenged players to stay alive as long as they could. Breakdown moved the action into a new city, and let players experience the catastrophe from the perspective of a military unit. As they learned, superior firepower only means so much against such an unrelenting opponent. 

The game is coming to Xbox One and PC for $29.99, and players who bought it before get a 33-percent discount. Returning players also get access to an exclusive character, which Undead Labs calls "the sword-wielding Indian-American badass, Gurubani."

The Year-One Survival Edition adds a layer of visual polish, with new lighting, updated textures, and a greater draw distance. Veterans of the original release will probably be more excited about the updated animations and improved interface – two things that were lacking before. Plus, you won't be left unarmed if you run out of ammo and your melee weapon breaks. Everyone now carries a knife with them as a last-resort attack. After all, anyone who's watched a zombie movie knows that have to be insane not to carry one.