Don't buy this game if:

• You can't allow a minimum of 90 minutes per game session
  
• You want a game that is easy to learn and/or fair
  
• You dislike permadeath* mechanics
  
• You hate slow gameplay
  
• You need more purpose from a game than to just 'survive'
  
• You need to know what killed you

Bohemia Interactive captured lightning in a bottle with the original DayZ mod for ArmA II. They have now painstakingly developed the standalone to a point where it is definitively better than the mod ever was in almost every way.

In a sentence, DayZ is the most realistic approximation of a post-apocalyptic survival simulator on the market.

Set in ~225sq km of not-quite-Czech countryside, you start on the fictional coastline of Chernarus with a glow stick, a roll of bandages, a small piece of fruit and some clothes ill-suited for the conditions you'll face. There's also up to 60 players on your server sharing that massive space. From there, it's up to you (and possibly friends or strangers) to find gear to help you survive the conditions and fend off threats. That's the core gameplay loop.

The threats in DayZ are: the weather, hunger, thirst, sickness, zombies (technically 'infected'), wolves, and other players. The final threat is also the most intriguing aspect of the gameplay. Like with all threats, you can learn gameplay mechanics and utilise gear to limit/avoid the threat that they pose. However, player interaction is the secret sauce that makes this a truly incredible game. More than any other gaming experience, this is the famous Prisoner's Dilemma manifest directly into a video game. DayZ repeatedly asks the question: when all chips are down, can you trust a fellow human? While your answer to that question will always be in flux, the constant is that the most memorable moments of this game involve other players.

Coupled with the psychology of trust, a few things in particular stand out to me about what separates this game from anything else. Each of these elements is great by itself, but it's in combination with each other that makes it shine.

First and foremost, choices matter more than any other game I've played. Not in a narrative sense, but in a very tangible sense of risk vs. reward.

Secondly, the sound design of the game is unparalleled. While the game is solid visually, the sound is phenomenal. It sounds good enough until you are on high alert - then you notice everything. It's not that the game changes any volumes, it's that your ears prick up and analyse every little detail.

Third, and the single thing that I've seen no other game encapsulate perfectly, is the quote often used to describe war: hours of idleness punctuated by moments of intense fear. When you hear the crack of a bullet whizzing past your head, or the howl of wolves when you are a kilometre from the nearest building, or footsteps when you don't want to hear them... nothing will make your heart race faster.

DayZ is a very good game, but more importantly it's a phenomenal experience. It's not for everyone, but those it is for will absolutely love it.

game is fun to play, keeps you on your toes.

DayZ je zabugovana mrtka a furt tam nějakej dement řve do voicechatu RAWR