Dying Light 2 review: Going quietly into the night
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Dark thrillsDying Lite two review: Going quietly into the dark
Seven years later, we finally step dorsum into the dying lite. 
Source: Windows Central
Dying Calorie-free was a bit of a sleeper hit when information technology launched back in 2022. The open-earth zombie sandbox won heaps of praise for its dumbo cityscapes, solid parkour gameplay, and satisfyingly tearing have on co-operative first-person combat. Dying Calorie-free ane remained heavily supported several years after release, getting new content drops, new activities, and other features to keep players returning. Seven years afterwards, we finally have the game's sequel, after a notoriously long and reportedly turbulent evolution bike.
Taking place several years afterwards the first game, Dying Light 2 puts y'all in control of a new grapheme, in all-new locations. A mysterious virus has wiped out much of humanity, leaving survivors to carve out a bleak existence in a handful of remaining enclaves. It's a new nighttime historic period, ultimately, where virtually everyone is infected, and all they can practice is manage the progression of the disease with makeshift drugs and UV lamps.
Dying Light 2 launches in a fairly busy period, with sure-fire megahits like Elden Ring, Pokémon Legends, and Horizon Forbidden Westward dropping in the aforementioned window. Can Dying Low-cal ii cut a niche for itself in this strangely crowded February? I think it can. This is Dying Light 2: Stay Man.
Dying Light two
Bottom line: Initially, I was concerned Dying Light 2 wouldn't detect its voice in a globe crammed with shallow open worlds designed for busy work rather than fun, but the more I played, the more I institute that wasn't the case. Dying Light 2 truly shines with its high-stakes night gameplay, which turns the modern and tired open-globe formula on its caput. While some of the writing isn't the best and next-gen console performance is a bit disappointing, Dying Low-cal 2 offers a tight experience that builds on the original.
The Good
- Unafraid to ramp upward tension with high-stakes night gameplay
- Tightly-designed hazard vs. advantage gameplay
- Combat systems are exquisite
- Verticality of the open earth is impressive
The Bad
- Falters a bit with its story commitment
- The game's operation on Xbox Series X is a bit disappointing
- Many activities become repetitive quite early on
Disclaimer: This review was made possible by a review code provided by Techland. The company did not come across the contents of the review before publishing.
Dying Light 2: Setting, functioning, and sound
Source: Windows Central
One affair that really stood out nigh the original Dying Calorie-free was the quality of its visuals. For the time, Dying Light really stood out for its gorgeous vistas, dense and thoughtful map blueprint, and impressive lighting. Dying Low-cal two continues the tradition, admitting with some caveats.
The original game took place in the fictional city of Harran, and now we've moved to a new fictional urban center somewhere in Western Europe. The map is split into outskirts areas, complex interior locales, and an impressively vertiginous downtown expanse, replete with skyscrapers designed to encourage parkour enthusiasts. Other parts of the map are blighted with foreign chemicals the authorities used in attempts to comprise the virus, leaving pockets of poisoned and hazardous terrain that ramp up traversal challenges. The game sports various bespoke NPC hubs and areas too, which give the game a real sense of life, somewhat ironically, given the sheer book of death yous'll run across in its decrepit hospital interiors and mutant-filled tunnels.
Dying Calorie-free 2 revolves around its dark and day cycle, as its title suggests. To that terminate, Dying Light two retains its impressive lighting features. Sunrises and forenoon mists paint truly stunning vistas, juxtaposed against the properties of a dark, ruined world.
Source: Windows Key
Indeed, the corpses pile high in Dying Lite 2. The world is relentlessly bleak, with NPCs proselytizing the end of the earth on one street, while burying the dead on another. Infected zombies roam in impossible numbers, and gain force, speed, and intelligence during the night, owing to the photosensitivity of the mysterious virus that has wiped out civilization.
It'southward truly impressive how many mobs Dying Light 2 tin can handle on-screen at one time without noticeable performance degradation, at least on performance fashion anyhow. While it's not quite the numbers we saw in games like Dead Rising, dropping a grenade in a dozens-strong crowd of zeds creates spectacular cascades of gore and giblets. Enemies gush blood after being struck by blades weapons, and realistically decapitate or popular depending on whether yous're using a bladed or blunt weapon. The art direction elevates the impactful feel of the combat and earth at big, merely so does the incredible dynamic music arrangement.
Dying Light 2 has some of the best sound design I've heard in recent years, with very reactive and dynamic music and distortion for different events and occurrences. The more zombies that engage you, the more the tension ramps up.
Source: Windows Key
Even when performing parkour combos, the music reacts to your momentum, pushing you forward. The whole system is very elegant, from its yard overtures to its more infinitesimal details, like the Silent Hill-esque air raid sirens that bespeak the coming of sunset. Dynamic music is something many games practice now, simply Dying Light 2 seems to take it to another level.
My biggest gripe with Dying Low-cal ii's visuals and presentation pertains to performance on the Xbox Series X. At 1080p in "performance" way, the game settles at effectually 60 FPS with relative ease, only if you don't accept the best TV for Xbox, i.e., 1 without FreeSync, yous may discover screen tearing during frame dips. The game also has "quality" and "resolution" graphics modes, simply both of these are utterly unplayable, going from lx FPS down to 20 FPS, and lower, depending on the state of affairs. Hopefully, Techland can land some new tech to improve the situation here, but I suspect almost everybody volition exist playing this on functioning fashion, at least on Xbox Series 10.
Update: Other reviewers have been in contact with me to advise that the frame charge per unit and screen tearing issues I was experiencing may have been a issues, so hopefully they'll exist rectified for you lot with the retail version of the game.
Dying Light ii: Story (no spoilers)
Source: Windows Primal
As mentioned, Dying Lite two takes place some years after the kickoff game, with society degrading even further from the initial wave of infections. Now, nigh everybody finds themselves infected, able but to keep the photosensitive virus at bay with UV lamps and increasingly deficient drugs. The infection plays a pregnant part in both the story and the gameplay, and the seamless weaving of gameplay elements with the story itself is laudable — more than on that in a moment.
Yous play as Aiden Caldwell this fourth dimension around, on a mission to track downwards his younger sister. Both Aiden and Mia were experimented on as children by the militaristic Global Relief Endeavour (GRE), who went to somewhat farthermost lengths to cure and manage the outbreak. Aiden is known as a pilgrim in this new world, traveling outside the walled cities equally a courier and scavenger. Pilgrims have a negative reputation for thievery and are by and large met with suspicion from city folk, who actually attempt to hang Aiden when he initially reaches the city.
Source: Windows Central
Indeed, Dying Light two initially presents itself as a feudal, medieval society that takes inspiration from the real-world night ages, where superstition and shallow accusations supercede justice and good sense. Unfortunately, I don't think Dying Light ii explores some of these more interesting themes in enough depth, or with enough consistency. The outset part of the game wants me to believe that water is deficient and people are drastic, although it's non also far into the game that you'll come across a large nightclub where people are partying. Aiden's character delivery feels inconsistent at times too. Despite beingness betrayed by diverse characters in the first act, he repeatedly seems eager to trust every stranger almost immediately.
Dying Calorie-free ii introduces some new elements to make its plot and world more than engaging, to mixed success. There are story decisions in the game, but much like The Witcher or Cyberpunk 2077, information technology's hard to define simply how much of a difference your choices make without doing a 2nd playthrough — something I didn't have to practise every bit of this review deadline. Potentially there'south some replay value in there if they do offer divergent outcomes, but there is a general option for nigh decisions that revolve around supporting civilians, or supporting the authoritative Peace Keepers. The game doesn't estimate either faction in any sort of binary way, which I feel makes choices less satisfying as a issue. Whether you cull to back up the PKs or the survivors, both have their flaws and positives, and the "shades of gray" differences between each faction make decisions feel arbitrary. In that location are gameplay implications likewise, however, for some of these choices, which we'll get to in a moment.
Source: Windows Central
Source: Windows Fundamental
Dying Low-cal 2'due south tertiary faction is the antagonistic renegades, made upwards of criminals, mercs, and psychopaths, led by a malevolent scientist known as Waltz. Flit is a relatively interesting character and helps bulldoze the story, simply I suspect Resident Evil fans will struggle to avoid comparing him to Albert Wesker both in pattern and delivery — consummate with Wesker's iconic trench coat. As a result, many of the overarching plot elements tread familiar zombie apocalypse footing, even if Waltz's character acting and dialogue are quite skilful.
Overall and without spoiling, Dying Lite ii'south story is a passable take on the well-trodden zombie apocalypse diaspora. At best, it serves as a good canvas for creating unique story events and gameplay moments, interweaving gameplay mechanics with plot twists in a adequately impressive way. Still, I found myself getting tired of the story and its haphazard world-edifice relatively rapidly. Thankfully, the gameplay goes to some lengths to compensate.
Dying Light 2: Gameplay
Source: Windows Central
Where Dying Lite 2 shines, ironically, is in its lite-bending night/dark gameplay loop, which seamlessly blends the core of the story with high-stakes and oftentimes nerve-wracking scenarios that add together depth to the open-earth formula.
As mentioned, you're infected with the virus in the game'southward intro sequence, leaving Aiden with a particular susceptibility to darkness. The affliction progresses in the dark until information technology essentially turns you into a zombie husk, like i of the game's many thousands of enemy mobs. During the daylight hours, you're essentially fine, just to get some of the game's best boodle, and progress your stats, and even sometimes in the story, y'all're forced to argue with the darkness at regular intervals.
At night, the open-globe gameplay takes a leap in difficulty, much like the kickoff game. Zombies become faster, smarter, and louder, creating swarms that essentially force you to flee rather than engage. More heavily mutated "volatiles" and other variants appear at night likewise, and require more intense tactics and weapons to take down finer.
While fleeing, the game'southward music ramps up, and at that place's even a GTA-style threat meter which creates gradually increasing threats the longer you're away from the rubber of a UV-lit outpost. On the flip side, y'all'll gain bigger EXP boosts and better items for traversing the night which creates a gratifying risk vs. advantage feedback loop. This sense of high-stakes play extends to various additional in-game activities, as well.
To abound your character, you'll hunt inhibitor injections which the GRE set in caches across various facilities in its attempts to contain the virus. Since these areas are always interior, they're always filled with photosensitive zombies and are best accessed at night, since many of them will go out the confines to roam outside. The darkness adds tension in its own right, adding layers of claustrophobia with its reduced visibility. Another layer is the direction of your own infection. In the darkness, the virus progresses on a timer, displayed at the top of the screen. It creates a sense of urgency that can quite easily panic y'all, and of form, Dying Light 2'southward zombies get very upset when you create loud noises in the night.
Thankfully, the game gives you a broad range of toys to play with for dealing with zombie hordes. Many of the weapon types from the original game return, alongside many familiar attacks. Drop boot enemies off rooftops is every bit gratifying equally it was in the showtime game, with decoys, grenades, spreading fire, explosive barrels, and other weapons providing creative zombie hunters an all-encompassing toolkit.
Source: Windows Central
Source: Windows Central
Slicing through enemy limbs or crushing zombie skulls never gets old, and you'll experience your power incrementally grow as you lot progress your strength, gear, and skill tree throughout the game. New zombie types will force you to switch upwards your tactics, and the game's robust, if inconsistent, stealth mechanics let yous to tailor your playstyle to some degree. Although I think bow weapons feel a flake undertuned every bit of writing.
Mileage on repetition volition vary, depending on the gamer, though. I definitely felt the game starting to drag as someone who is a bit tired of standard open-globe games. Although, the elevated stakes found in nighttime gameplay certainly helped to continue me engaged, at times when the story and its relatively shallow side quests couldn't. Looting boxes and mountains of expressionless zombies gets boring fairly quickly, though, especially since upgrades and crafting materials tin be relatively scarce. If there was ane game desperately in need of an AoE loot mechanic, it'southward Dying Light 2.
One aspect I didn't have the opportunity to exam is cooperative play. In co-op play, players can substantially play the whole game with their friends. Players are able to vote on story decisions also, and enemies gain boosted health to offset the extra damage output of multiple players. I can see Dying Light ii beingness a lot more than fun with friends, if you lot have them, at least, cries.
Every bit a solo player, I constitute Dying Light 2 to be relatively fun overall. Information technology does things to alter upwards the open up-world formula that many other large AAA publishers are scared to implement for fearfulness or hurting those magical engagement figures — an actual challenge, and for this, I appreciate what Techland has tried to do here.
The manner your decisions can shape the earth, granting factions visible control of the city, is a prissy affect, but I don't experience like it adds too much to the experience. The story besides struggles to control your attention, although perhaps it's designed to be light in view of the fact most may seek to play in co-op. I think fans of the original volition relish what Techland has put together here generally, but if you're tired of open-world games, I'k non sure Dying Lite two goes far enough to make a mark.
Dying Light 2: Is it worth playing?
Source: Windows Central
At that place's naught especially bad about Dying Light 2. The gainsay is fun and well realized, with impressive gore mechanics and impactful melee systems. The parkour gameplay is also well designed, with a metropolis that feels conceivable in its traversability. Dying Lite 2 also impresses with its layered night and day gameplay, which dramatically alters the game based on the time of solar day. Higher stakes at dark can create truly harrowing situations, and reward the player well for their efforts.
My sense of fatigue hitting pretty hard as I got to the midway point of the game, and never really abated. I am, however, someone who is fairly tired of open-globe games at this signal. If you lot find that you're someone who can't go enough of open-world games, though, I'thou pretty confident that you'll find a lot to love about Dying Calorie-free ii.
It probably won't find a place amid the best Xbox games out there, merely I certainly plant myself on edge during some of the game'southward unique sequences. The chase mechanics are fantabulous, the night zones are suitably terrifying, and the earth itself is gorgeous. For open-world fans, I call up Dying Calorie-free 2 will be a satisfying experience, particularly for groups of friends.
Dying Light 2
Bottom line: Dying Light 2 represents an beauteous effort to inject new life into a stale genre, with high-stakes nighttime combat that elevates the groundwork prepare by its predecessor. Dying Lite 2 is an beauteous horror experience that fans of the original will love.
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Jez Corden
Jez Corden is a Senior Editor for Windows Fundamental, focusing primarily on all things Xbox and gaming. Jez is known for breaking sectional news and analysis every bit relates to the Microsoft ecosystem while being powered past caffeine. Follow on Twitter @JezCorden and listen to his Xbox Two podcast, all well-nigh, you guessed it, Xbox!
Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/dying-light-2-review
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