Dying Light Returns to Horror with The Beast – A Terrifying New Direction!

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Before the release of “Dying Light 2: Stay Human” in early 2022, developers at Techland announced that they would be creating and releasing two expansions for the game, with plans to launch them before 2027. The first expansion, called “Dying Light 2: Bloody Ties,” was released towards the end of 2022, just under a year after the initial game’s debut. However, details about the second expansion remained scarce for several years. While Techland did mention it in various interviews, they were mostly tight-lipped about the second expansion for “Dying Light 2,” until now.

At Gamescom 2024, Techland unveiled a fresh addition to the Dying Light series titled Dying Light: The Beast. Initially conceived as an expansion for Dying Light 2, this game expanded significantly during development, leading Techland to transform it into a separate release instead. In contrast to the original plan, Dying Light: The Beast will star Kyle Crane, the protagonist from the first Dying Light game, and be set in a new environment called Castor Woods. Based on what’s been shared thus far, it seems that this game is taking a direction opposite to that of Dying Light 2, which is promising news for the future of the franchise.

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

Initially, upon its debut, Dying Light 2 garnered a mix of opinions from critics, not entirely favorable. One of the main complaints was that it wasn’t as terrifying as the original Dying Light and its expansion, Dying Light: The Following. Some fans argued that instead of primarily being a survival horror game, Dying Light 2 leaned more towards an action RPG with horror aspects. This shift was particularly noticeable in the modifications made to Dying Light 2’s day/night cycle.

In the game Dying Light, players found nighttime particularly frightening. Once darkness fell, the zombies inhabiting Harran city would become noticeably more hostile and dangerous than their daytime selves. Furthermore, unique enemies called Volatiles could only emerge after sunset. These mutated, formidable zombies had the ability to quickly hunt down and eliminate players as soon as they were detected. Given their immense power, it was often prudent to steer clear of them and seek refuge in a safe house when possible.

In the initial version of Dying Light 2, nighttime was a vastly different experience compared to its precursor. The number of Volatiles in the game was substantially lower, and instead of huddling indoors for safety, players were actually motivated to venture into indoor locations and scavenge resources during nightfall. Even after Techland boosted the presence of Volatiles in Dying Light 2 as part of a post-release update, it failed to replicate the same level of fear factor found in its predecessor.

Dying Light: The Beast is Taking the Franchise Back to Its Horror Roots

It appears that Techland is addressing the criticism of Dying Light 2 by returning the series to its horror origins with Dying Light: The Beast, as confirmed by franchise director Tymon Smektala. In a conversation with Game Rant, he mentioned that the game will have a stronger emphasis on survival horror due to its forest and swamp setting. He further explained that when night falls in Dying Light: The Beast, the music, atmosphere, and reduced visibility will make players hesitant to move forward because they won’t know what awaits them next.

In the game “Dying Light: The Beast”, it appears that the night/day cycle is much like that in the original “Dying Light”. This is fantastic news as it suggests that the series might concentrate more on horror elements moving forward. While “Dying Light 2: Stay Human” is an acceptable title, future “Dying Light” games should continue to emphasize the survival horror aspect of the initial game rather than veering towards action RPG style and potentially alienating long-time fans of the franchise.

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2025-02-12 03:44