«Dying Light 2»: worth the wait
2/2/2022
Translation: Patrik Stainbrook
The numerous delays have done «Dying Light 2» some good. Its zombie survival action is appealing, with a surprisingly lively game world – despite the undead hordes.
«Dying Light 2» was first shown off at E3 2018. This successor to the successful zombie survival game with parkour mechanics was originally scheduled for release in 2020. But as we all know, this didn’t last. The game was in development limbo. Fan anticipation increasingly gave way to scepticism as to whether «Dying Light 2» would be a success. Now it’s finally here, and after about ten hours I can give the all-clear: this thing is fun.
If it ain’t broke…
Little has changed in terms of basic gameplay. Our world has succumbed to a zombie apocalypse. The few survivors left have retreated to improvised fortresses. You play a so-called pilgrim, who usually spends his time outside settlements. A quest to find your sister has led you to «The City». Here you’ll complete missions for different factions, improve your skills, build improvised weapons and go on raids. These are especially dangerous at night. Zombies that you can comfortably pass by during the day are much more eager to attack at dusk, aside from being beefier. A single stray still won’t be a problem, but just three or four will quickly become challenging. In addition, there are special zombies, which I could at least outrun initially.
Still, it’s worth the risk to go out at night. Some missions or locations with particularly valuable loot are only available then.
Speaking of loot: even «Dying Light 2» can’t avoid using a ping system. This will activate your «Survivor Sense», highlighting enemies and crates in the environment. Is there really no better system? Seems not. Get ready to hammer your Q key (on PC) non-stop while exploring, lest you miss anything valuable. Besides finding resources, there’s something else you’ll be doing constantly: running.
Developer Techland already expanded its zombie survival formula from «Dead Island» with «Dying Light 1» by adding a complex parkour system. This has been further improved in the sequel. You climb roofs, jump over canyons and shimmy your way along facades. There’s almost nothing you can’t grab onto. This makes navigation extremely fluid. The parkour system is the star of the game, alongside the world. Movement does feel a bit finicky at first. Timing for jumps and distances also take a lot of getting used to. With improved stamina and a little practice, however, I was already bounding past zombies like an eager mountain lion after a few hours.
A living world, despite the undead menace
The game world is said to be four times larger than that of its predecessor. After almost ten hours, I’m still in the first area, yet I’m already very impressed. Grass-covered roofs, deserted apartments and rusty tanks litter the cityscape. But when letting my gaze wander, I also recognised signs of civilisation: churches converted into marketplaces, urban gardens with beehives, or improvised wind turbines. You can activate the latter to make the surrounding area safer and attract merchants. Techland spent a lot of time pre-release hyping up the fact that players can influence the world through decisions. I can’t say much about it at this point.
What I can say is how organic and vibrant the city looks. It really feels as if I’m in a deserted metropolis. There’s something to discover at every street corner, and not just by following symbols on the map. While strolling around, I’d see something interesting every now and then that aroused my curiosity. Or my radar would jolt and tells me there’s an inhibitor nearby. These coveted shots slow down the zombie transformation process while increasing stamina or health. Everyone in «the city» has been infected with the virus for a while – including you. At night or in dark interiors, you’ll mutate after just a few minutes. The only thing that’ll help against this is sun- and UV light or, for a short time, certain fungi.
Certain lighting effects effectively contribute to the mood. Nighttime really feels like it’s actually night. Without a flashlight, you’ll see next to nothing. Accordingly, UV lights or glowing zombie eyes pierce this sea of darkness. But Techland has also impressively staged the different times of day. Right at the start of the game, you’re ransacking a house at dusk. The reddish light streaming through barricaded windows lends an eerily beautiful mood.
Graphically, the game is a stunner anyway. Technically perhaps not the be-all-end-all, but the designs of infected and the overgrown city are without equal. I’m also amazed at how surprisingly colourful the world is during the day. This further enhances the contrast with the ominous night.
Techland has once again nailed it by making sure that I’m slightly tense at all times. During the day, the zombies seem more like little yapping dogs, but as soon as I enter a poorly lit apartment building, the mood tips. This is only topped at night, when eerie screams can be heard from all directions. And if a chase starts because I’ve startled some zombies, my pulse races as if I were really running for my life myself, and not just sweatily pressing down the W key.
The plot, surrounding a world plagued by a virus that couldn’t be contained and everyone injecting themselves with experimental vaccines, can be a bit depressing at times. «Dying Light 2» is definitely not a happy game. And as if they’d foreseen it, chip prices are even more ludicrous in-game than in real life. 20 years after the collapse of humanity, yesterday’s e-waste is worth its weight in gold.
My first impression couldn’t be more positive
Apart from the obsessive ping system, I’m pleasantly surprised by «Dying Light 2». After waiting for so long, my anticipation had long since faded. I’m all the more pleased that it’s now burning intensely once more.
I’m curious to see what else «Dying Light 2» has in store. I also really want to try out co-op mode. This’ll only work at launch. I’ll show you another impression of how «Dying Light 2» feels to play during my livestream on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. on Twitch and YouTube.
«Dying Light 2» is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X and was provided to me by Techland.
Philipp Rüegg
Senior Editor
Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.chBeing the game and gadget geek that I am, working at digitec and Galaxus makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop – but it does take its toll on my wallet. I enjoy tinkering with my PC in Tim Taylor fashion and talking about games on my podcast http://www.onemorelevel.ch. To satisfy my need for speed, I get on my full suspension mountain bike and set out to find some nice trails. My thirst for culture is quenched by deep conversations over a couple of cold ones at the mostly frustrating games of FC Winterthur.