That is the question I find myself being forced to ask over and over again as I sit on my PS4 waiting for a lobby to open. Dead by Daylight, free last month through PS Plus, is a fantastic game when you can actually play it.
It’s a game of cat and mouse with a horror theme on top. Its simplicity and focus is the strength; offering an experience with only the bare mechanics required.
As a survivor:
- Start 5 generators
- Open a door
- Escape
As a killer:
- Hit said survivors
- Put them on hooks
- Win
Even with these simple mechanics the developers incorporated items, perks, leveling, and interesting variations between characters to extend the game and add a little more flavor. Some of it might seem a bit convoluted at first but it’s all fairly straightforward and only adds to the experience.
I love this game. I LOVE THIS GAME. It’s so damn fun. It’s fun to play as both a survivor and a killer. Offering completely different experiences that enhance each other. When I play as a killer I learn tactics that help me become a better survivor and vice versa.
Strengths and love aside there is one huge downside to the game: the wait time. Between a lack of people playing as killers and recurring netcode issues it often takes 5-15 minutes to find a match. It may not sound like much but when you add in loading time it often feels far too long. This generally only pertains to survivor mode as matchmaking works fairly well for killers. Games are frequent with little to no waiting.
I’m a newcomer so I don’t know the full history of the game or meta but why doesn’t anyone want to play as a killer? Happening upon and shocking people with the Doctor (my favorite killer) is incredibly fun. As the Trapper, having an unsuspecting survivor step in one of your bear traps is equally fun and rewarding. Is the lack of love for killers due to survivors being considered more fun or powerful at this point? Possibly because groups want to play together instead of experiencing a relatively solo experience? Is it due to the game being 2 years old?
Whatever the reason, I’m hoping the developers can come up with more ways to incentivize people to play as a killer. In my opinion this game is all about the experience. It’s one of those rare games that I don’t care as much about points or leveling up, instead focusing on just having a good time. It’s sad to see others seem to feel opposite, avoiding playing as a killer.
Hopefully this will be resolved with the release of today’s DLC. Maybe a sale during Halloween could help a bit too. Allowing people who missed the game when it was free to join or existing players to extend their experience with DLC. Whatever it takes, I want this community to continue and thrive. I’ll do my part and continue to sacrifice those pesky survivors.
tl;dr: Stop being a wimp. Play as one of the killers; it’s damn fun.
