Dying Light 2: Stay Human Review
Dying Light 2: Stay Human
Publisher: Techland
Developer: Techland
Genre:
PEGI:
Comments:
Releasing this Friday, Dying Light 2: Stay Human is the long-awaited sequel to one of the most captivating zombie survival games we have had the pleasure of playing. This is no small feat considering the sheer volume of zombie games that have been, and continue to be released. Can this sequel from developer Techland keep fans coming back to a genre that many would consider to be over-saturated and possibly even tired at this point? Let’s dive right in and find out!
When a successful franchise releases a sequel, all too often fans are let down in a variety of ways. Of course, you can never make everyone happy, but as many devs have found out, you can upset everyone equally. The requirements for a sequel are to stay close enough to the original that it feels like a continuation while being unique enough to feel refreshing. This is a game of inches, and finding that balance is a job I do not envy.
Thankfully, Dying Light 2 is more than up to the challenge. In fact, this is one title for which I am confident in saying that it is more than just a sequel, it is a true evolution. The environments themselves are simply stunning, especially when played on PC with a desktop powerful enough to enable Ray Tracing! The characters are equally well designed and animated, offering an additional layer of immersion into the game.
Known for the rich and intriguing story that provided a sturdy backbone to the otherwise open-ended gameplay of the first title, Dying Light 2 falters mildly with the strength of its plot. After starting out in a clear manner, the main plot feels less engaging than much of the sidequests and general exploration. It could simply be that there is so much to do that the plot perhaps gets lost, but I feel like there are a few things the devs could have added that would provide more incentive to continue the story and flesh out the plot even more.
This isn’t to say that the plot is incohesive, it just falters in strength during the middle phase of the game instead of giving players an ever-present if not urgent structure to their gameplay. On a personal note, I would very much appreciate if there were plans for DLC that could add even more meaningful storylines combined with some engaging gameplay. Techland, if you’re listening, please give it a thought!
The combat and parkour systems are the absolute highlights of Dying Light 2: Stay Human. These have been expanded on and honed from the original title, with the stamina system being used cleverly for both. As in the original, experience is gained in one of your talent trees, meaning that the more you fight the more combat skills you unlock and likewise the more you climb the more parkour skills you unlock.
The combat is fast-paced, challenging and highly rewarding. You will be forced to make quick, tactical decisions lest you are overrun and killed by the hordes of zombies. This is no more true than it is at night, when the more dangerous variants of zombies are out to play. The parkour system has only gotten more fluid since the release of the first Dying Light, which is used to delightful effect by story missions and side quests alike. Some of my favourite moments in Dying Light 2 so far have been simply picking an area I would like to reach and stopping at nothing until I can get there.
Overall, Dying Light 2: Stay Human is a thoughtful and engaging sequel that offers fans of the original exactly what they were looking for. More than your simple zombie game, this title combines a fluid parkour system, engaging combat, meaningful skill trees and useful crafting recipes to give you a game that meets the mark from start to finish!
To learn more about Dying Light 2, visit: https://dl2.dyinglightgame.com/.
To read our review of its predecessor, Dying Light, visit: https://www.gamesreviews.com/pc/pc-reviews/06/dying-light-platinum-review/