Prior to Dying Light 2: Stay Human's launch in early 2022, Techland revealed that it was going to develop and release two expansions for the game sometime before 2027. The first of these expansions, titled Dying Light 2: Bloody Ties, came out in late 2022, less than a year after the game's debut. The second one, however, went unannounced for several years. Although Techland did bring it up in a few interviews here and there, it mostly stayed silent on the second expansion for Dying Light 2, until recently.
During Gamescom 2024, Techland announced a new entry in the Dying Light franchise called Dying Light: The Beast. This game was originally intended to be Dying Light 2's second expansion, but it grew so much in scope during development that Techland decided to turn it into a standalone installment instead. Dying Light: The Beast is going to feature the protagonist from the first Dying Light game, Kyle Crane, and it will take place in a new location called Castor Woods. Judging by what's been revealed so far, it appears that the game is going in the completely opposite direction as Dying Light 2 and, frankly, that's a good sign for the franchise's future.
Dying Light Reveals Ambitious Roadmap for 2025
Developer Techland unveils a roadmap detailing its wide-ranging plans for the Dying Light franchise going into 2025 and beyond.
Dying Light: The Beast Seems to Be More Horror-Focused Than Dying Light 2
Dying Light 2 Was Not as Scary As Dying Light 1 Due to The Changes Made to the Day/Night Cycle
Although it did receive mostly positive reviews from critics , Dying Light 2 was a somewhat divisive game upon its release. Many criticized the title for, among other things, being far less scary than the original Dying Light and its 2016 expansion, Dying Light: The Following. As some fans said, instead of being a survival horror game first and foremost, Dying Light 2 was more of an action RPG with horror elements. This was especially evident with the changes that Techland made to Dying Light 2's day/night cycle.
In the original Dying Light, nighttime was something that players needed to be afraid of. After a sunset took place, zombies in the city of Harran would become far more aggressive and dangerous than they usually were. There were, in addition, some special enemies that could only appear in Dying Light after nightfall, called Volatiles. These deadly, mutated zombies could chase players down and kill them in an instant as soon as they spotted them. Since they were incredibly powerful, it was best to avoid them and run away to a safe house in most instances.
Nighttime in the 1.0 version of Dying Light 2 was, in comparison, nothing like the one from its predecessor. The presence of Volatiles in the game was significantly reduced, and instead of hiding, players were actively encouraged to explore indoor locations and search for resources after sundown. Although Techland did increase the amount of Volatiles in Dying Light 2 in a post-launch update, the game still wasn't able to match its predecessor in terms of fear factor.
Dying Light: The Beast is Taking the Franchise Back to Its Horror Roots
Fortunately, it seems that Techland has taken the criticisms surrounding Dying Light 2 into account because, according to Dying Light franchise director Tymon Smektala, Dying Light: The Beast is going to bring the series back to its horror roots. In an interview with The Best War Games, Smektala said that the upcoming game will lean "a little bit more into the survival horror vibe" thanks to its new setting, which will be filled with forests and swamps. He added that, "when the darkness sets in" in Dying Light: The Beast, the music, environment, and limited visibility will "instantly put [players] into the place where [they will] hesitate to take the next step because [they] don't know what's going to happen."
Nighttime in Dying Light: The Beast seems to be very similar to the day/night cycle in the original Dying Light, and that's great, because it hopefully means the series as a whole will focus on horror going forward. Although Dying Light 2: Stay Human is a decent title, future Dying Light installments should maintain the survival horror approach of the first game instead of taking the action RPG route and alienating long-time fans of the franchise.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 76 /100 Critics Rec: 68%
WHERE TO PLAY
It’s been 20 years since the events of the original game. The virus won, and humanity is slowly dying. You play as Aiden Caldwell, a wandering Pilgrim who delivers goods, brings news, and connects the few remaining survivor settlements in barren lands devastated by the zombie virus. However, your true goal is to find your little sister Mia, who you left behind as a kid to escape Dr. Waltz's torturous experiments. Haunted by the past, you eventually make the decision to confront it when you learn that Mia may still be alive in Villedor — the last city standing on Earth.
You quickly find yourself in a settlement torn by conflict. You’ll need to engage in creative and gory combat, so hone your skills to defeat hordes of zombies and make allies. Roam the city, free run across Villedor’s buildings and rooftops in search of loot in remote areas, and be wary of the night. With every sunset, monsters take control of the streets.
- Engine
- C-Engine
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer
- Franchise
- Dying Light
- Number of Players
- 1-4
- PC Release Date
- February 4, 2022
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- February 4, 2022
- PS5 Release Date
- February 4, 2022
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5
- How Long To Beat
- 25 Hours
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
