Dying Light: The Beast Dev Details the Difference Between Cartoon Zombies and Truly Terrifying Monsters

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In the game “Dying Light: The Beast,” players will encounter entirely new swarms of undead creatures, each contributing to the game’s existing roster of zombies. The developers at Techland strive to make these zombies instantly recognizable, capturing all the defining traits of classic undead entities. They have recently shared insights about this design philosophy in relation to “Dying Light: The Beast.

In the upcoming game titled Dying Light: The Beast, many elements that made its predecessors popular will remain, while also introducing fresh features for this updated version. Notably, the original protagonist, Kyle Crane, returns in this installment, and the game will feature hordes of traditional zombies and Chimeras due to The Baron’s experiments. Game Rant recently spoke with members from Techland’s team, including franchise director Tymon Smektala, who provided insights about what drives Dying Light‘s zombie behavior. Smektala shared that their aim for the series is for Dying Light to become the definitive zombie game, offering an unparalleled zombie experience. To achieve this, they aim to stay true to the genre’s roots rather than making significant changes at this time. They want to ensure they cover all the classic aspects that fans of zombie literature have come to expect, such as slow zombies, fast zombies, mutated zombies, and nighttime zombies, among others.

How Dying Light: The Beast Keeps Zombies Frightening

Zombies, much like vampires, skeletons, and werewolves, hold significant roles in popular culture, albeit with a distinct science-fiction flair (although zombies can also thrive in more fantastical environments). The “Dying Light” series embodies this perfectly, as the zombies are caused by an infectious disease. A key characteristic of zombie lore is their infection, which often leads to endless swarms and hordes of these undead creatures. It’s these large groups that make zombies such a staple in horror stories.

In simpler terms, one zombie isn’t much of a threat, but they usually don’t walk alone and keep coming relentlessly. Just like death, zombies can be temporarily contained, but no matter how many you kill, they will eventually catch their target. The world in the game Dying Light has been stuck in a zombie apocalypse for some time now, which gives off a sense of hopelessness.

In discussing the design of the zombies in Dying Light, Smektala pointed out that the line separating a comical-looking zombie from a genuinely terrifying one is often thin. Minor adjustments can significantly impact their appearance and behavior within the game. Essentially, he suggested that subtle changes can greatly affect their appeal to players.

Rather than focusing on inventing new species of zombies, our aim is to emphasize their fear-inducing qualities by delving into their physical features and behaviors. There are numerous nuances that set a humorous, generic zombie apart from an authentically chilling creature. Even the most basic, slow-moving undead can be made more terrifying. While I can’t reveal all our secrets, for someone who has been creating zombie games for over a decade, here’s some advice: examine how fierce your zombies appear and their unyielding pursuit of the player; strive to express this intensity as vividly as possible through every available means-animation styles, sound effects, and any other elements at your disposal.

In the game Dying Light, the intense aggression of the zombies is a key factor contributing to both its horror appeal and its game design. Aggressive zombies not only amplify the chaotic, unrefined image of a zombie mob, but they also provide players with increased motivation for retaliation and heightened satisfaction upon victory. In general, zombies in video games thrive on the ability to be overpowered, and this certainly rings true for the Dying Light series.

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2025-08-22 23:02