izigame.me

Disclaimer: I have 2.5K hours in this game - I previously played on Epic
Asymmetry
Imagine that you are paired up with 3 other people in order to repair 5 generators so that you can open one of the two gates available to escape the area. While doing this there is a killer lurking in the shadows and patrolling the surrounding area looking for you. As they are getting closer there is music you hear - a musical theme that is getting ever louder as the killer is getting closer since you are in their so-called terror radius. The most exciting part is the final layer of this music which plays during the chase sequence.
You can stun the killer with pallets or flashlights but can never really defeat them. If a chase ensues you need to make sure it lasts the longest possible time so that your team mates have time to finish the reparation. When hit you gain adrenaline to run faster for a while but you leave pools of blood and also make a noise due to the wounds you have. You are an easier target now but you still need to press on. As the second hit comes crashing down you find yourself on the ground and the killer can pick you up and hook you. Your team mates now need to decide who will get to you and become a lifesaver risking to become the next victim. Every person must be hooked 3 times to perish. A creature with tentacles descends from the sky to take you elsewhere once and for all when this happens.
A license haven
This is even more exciting if you love horror and are familiar with the many horror franchises out there with perhaps particular emphasis on the slasher genre. The killer can be Myers from Halloween or Ghostface from the Scream franchise. You can try to outrun the Xeno from the Alien or play hide-and-seek with Bubba from Texas Chainsaw Massacre. You can try to avoid Amanda from Saw to put beartraps on your head or reject the offer from Cenobite who has such sights to show you. You can seek out alarm clocks to wake up from Freddy Krueger's nightmares or avoid Chucky because you don't want to be friends 'til the end.
But there's more! We have gaming licenses here, too. You can avoid the tentacles of Nemesis or Wesker's dashes - both of them set out to infect you during the match. Survivors can also be familiar to you from these licenses. It's fun hunting down Ripley with the Xeno or Cheryl with Pyramid Head. The game is not short of original licenses the creators came up with. There is a robot that can use pods to track you and teleport to start a chase and there is even a knight who sends out ghosts patrolling the area.
More info on the gameplay
There are several maps out there and some are tied in with the licenses such as the Racoon City PD or the Nostromo Wreckage. Items can be taken to matches to help us with the speed of reparation or healing fellow survivors. Characters can be upgraded with the Blood Points we get (consider it the XP in this game) and each one can be prestiged after level 50. Both survivors and killers come with 3 unique abilities (perks) that can be unlocked for others if we do at least one prestiging. But you also have general perks available (not tied to characters) and it should be noted that everyone has 4 slots so you can create a lot of interesting builds since there are more than 70 characters (more than 30 on each side).
Now, the fun part is how you play from the 3rd person (as survivor) but the killer has a 1st person perspective. For killers the add-ons (2 slots) are not for items but modifiers that can enhance or change their powers. Each side can also take an offering to the match - this can be a request to play on a specific level or just something that gives a boost percentage to the BP earned.
Some killers are fast, others can teleport through walls, some can move stealthily and many require you to do other things during the match. You can disarm traps, use clocks to wake yourself up, cleanse yourself from infection or use either a vaccine or a spray to cure yourself from a virus. There is no built-in voice chat but you can only use a few gestures to give others orders. You have to pay attention to the left-hand side of the screen that shows what your fellow survivors are doing. You can see who is in a chase and you can always see the auras of those on a hook.
What if I'm a new player?
Prepare for a lot to learn. The game was released more than 7 years ago and a lot of content has been added. A small amount of characters are available but the rest must be purchased. For original characters a special currency (shards) can be earned so by playing a lot you can purchase a lot of characters and even many outfits. Now, this is a game that uses the game as a service model approach. In every season we get new characters (there is a new chapter) and rifts open up for purchase which essentially means for a small fee we can receive a lot of cosmetics but only for specific characters. There is a lot of terminology for you to learn: you need to know what status effects there are and their meaning and many more.
Toxicity
This is why I'm downvoting this game. The playerbase is awful. After a match - regardless of the outcome - people say hurtful things to you. They consider you a cheater if you have won as a killer or your survivor friends look down on you if you did not play well and it was your gameplay that doomed the entire team. You can crouch repeatedly during a match to tea-bag the killer. The killers, in return, can camp / tunnel / slug that are all nasty (but efficient) tactics to win a match. Some offences you come across are simply not punishable. If you decide to report someone you need to 1) make a report in-game 2) submit a ticket on the developer's website and 3) upload video evidence as proof of the cheat, harassment or unsportsmanlike attitude you have come across.
The reporting system is very time consuming and - due to privacy reasons - you only get confirmation on when your ticket was actioned. Some players even upload a screenshot on their temporary bans as they consider it funny. Forums here on the Steam can be just as toxic - the official forum on the developer's website is much better but moderation is done regularly as it is a must.
The game's matchmaking system is broken - it is very easy to be paired with players that are thousands of hours ahead of you. With survivors climbing ranks it is especially difficult since you alone cannot win a match - you need the others but with lack of experience the so-called SoloQ experience can be painful. Killers can find matches difficult and sweaty just the same. Friends can team up and use voice communication (e.g. Discord) and have a coordinated match against the killer. Some of these SWF (Survive With Friends) groups tend to remain after the match and bully the 5th individual in the chat. The killer then will resort to slugging / camping etc. in the following match... it generates an unstoppable avalanche. Swearwords are common in the chat and "+rep" or "-rep" messages will quickly fill up your wall if your profile is public.
Summary
DbD is an amazing game. Running from killers as Nicolas Cage or Ash from Evil Dead can be pure fun. Opening the gate but heading back with 2 others to save the 4th individual who's struggling for their life on the hook can be one of the most memorable experiences in this game. There are some expert players out there (many also stream regularly) and the learning curve is there and it is very steep.
But the game has a lot of issues. New characters with their new perks always shake up the meta. The developers also make decisions that slightly alter the game mechanics. And there are killers such as Freddy in the roster that haven't been upgraded for years. I downvote DbD due to its community. This game requires a lot and I mean a LOT of patience to deal with toxicity. Who knows: you may get hooked (pun intended).