Days Gone is starting to sound like a very meaty open world game, and Sony Bend has hinted that it will take you over 30 hours to beat. Speaking with Game Informer magazine as part of a month of coverage, creative director John Garvin addressed the stench of scepticism that has surrounded the project since its reveal, and teased that it’s “not the zombie game [people] think” it is.

Asked what sets the release apart, the industry veteran alluded to the sense of danger that inhabits every part of the title’s open world. It sounds like the studio is really, really going for a deeply emergent experience, where anything can happen at any time – depending upon the weather, the time of day, and even the way in which you’re playing.

“The golden path is going to take you about 30 hours, but it’s going to take you a lot longer than that because things are going to happen to you along the way depending on how careful you are and how much you pay attention,” he said. So in essence, the campaign’s 30 hours long, but the way in which it unfolds will be different for absolutely everyone.

Garvin added that he understands the complaints about zombie fatigue, but stressed that he’s still a fan of the genre and he thinks many people feel the same. Sony Bend wanted to create a game about survival with a constant sense of danger, and he reckons the Freakers are the right fit for that. You can hear much more from the creative director through the link.