Gamescom 2024 has been and gone, with it, hours upon hours of meetings, hands-on, and demos of upcoming experiences for the next few years. As a confessed Dying Light franchise fan since the beginning, it was a no-brainer to attend Techland’s hands-off demonstration and full reveal for their latest foray into the zombie-slaying world, and it didn’t disappoint.
While Dying Light 2 may have disappointed a few fans, it was mostly a step in the right direction for the franchise, and Dying Light: The Beast looks to double down on that progression with entirely new mechanics, gameplay features, and of course, a return to the first game’s protagonist, Kyle Crane.
Dying Light: The Beast Brings More to the Same Table We’ve Grown to Love
It was no secret that Techland was working on more Dying Light content, but what did surprise everyone, myself included, was that the thought of DLC 2 for Dying Light 2 was in fact Dying Light: The Beast, a completely standalone adventure, set right after the events of the second game, but switching protagonists from the somewhat well-received Aiden Caldwell to the fan-favorite Kyle Crane from the original.
Described during the half-hour presentation as the “ultimate zombie experience” by Game Producer Michał Broda, he walked the press present through a particularly harrowing demo, played by Quality Analyst Jakub Paleń, showcasing many of the new features players can expect, as well as explaining exactly what is going on in Crane’s life, some twenty years on after the events of the first game.
Unfortunately for Kyle Crane, he’s spent the last ten years of his life being tortured and experimented on by a mysterious character known only as ‘Baron’. When we pick up with Crane, he escapes and seeks revenge against his torturer, and to aid in his revenge plot, he has some brutal and violent new powers.
Baron’s experiments gave Crane super strength, increased jump distance, and more, but they’re only available sparingly, so don’t worry, you won’t be too OP when surrounded by zombies, and the feeling of hopelessness and being outgunned is definitely still prevalent. As you may have guessed, a skill tree will be devoted to making your Beast powers more powerful and useful throughout the 18-hour story.
Broda directly commented on the length of the game, perhaps expecting a question about it as some weren’t happy with the supposed shortness/lack of content, describing it as a sweet spot for this entry.
Dying Light’s reliance on melee-based combat is still there, but the biggest surprise of the entire presentation wasn’t the new vehicle-based transport, or Roger Craig Smith’s return, it was the emphasis on the gunplay, with Broda commenting it was time to “expand the toolset players can use in this brutal playground”. That’s right, not only are guns going to be a bigger part of Dying Light: The Beast, but the gunplay looks incredibly polished and satisfying, especially compared to the previous two entries.
We weren’t shown many weapons admittedly, but what was shown looked fun, and a definite need to be exploited, as most of the demo was showcasing both a forest biome and some sort of facility, swarming with armed guards and zombies alike.
Emergent Situations, New Enemies, and Stranger Things
The expansion-come-standalone story will feature an entirely new area called Castor Woods, which, more than the name suggests, includes multiple biomes from swampy areas, to industrial parks and of course, woodlands, but more was also promised. Broda went on to talk more about the map, describing it as a “high density, high fidelity environment” where both Twin Peaks and Stranger Things were an influence, and the latter was certainly clear in the short preview we were shown.
The standard enemies were present, with swarms of zombies after Crane, as were more human enemies, but thanks to a new virus strain designed by Baron, we’ll have more than just Volatiles to deal with at night, as well as some truly monstrous ‘Chimaera’s’ that had to be seen to be believed. You’ll be thankful for Crane’s new powers when facing these, that’s for sure.
The newest addition to the franchise will certainly become a mainstay, titled ‘Emergent Situations’. Best thought of as random events that could spawn at any point, they’re more than just a singular enemy or quick fight, but something more to further immerse you in the world you’re exploring.
The one press saw was a group of armed men harassing and stealing from civilians, and a few arrows later, they were quickly dispatched. Just like the biomes, more emergent situations were promised by Broda, and what we saw was only scratching the surface.
With the added emphasis on human enemies, the stealth system looks to have been reworked to something that is actually usable, as the franchise’s weakest point now becomes one of its strongest, and stealth kills on zombies and human enemies alike not only looked fun to execute but a brutal indictment to the new-look Crane we’re taking control of.
Is Dying Light: The Beast Free?
In a move that may be the most pro-consumer decision ever, Techland announced with the reveal of the game that anyone who already owned the Ultimate Edition of Dying Light 2 would be receiving the standalone adventure for free. On top of that, they’re giving gamers till September 30th to purchase that edition, essentially ensuring they’ll be receiving two games for the price of one.
The developer also confirmed they were still on course to deliver the five years of post-launch content for Dying Light 2 originally promised, and they wouldn’t be backtracking on that. In the time of live service, microtransactions, and gamer exploitation, this is a move that should be celebrated and shouted from the rooftops. Broda explained all this was “A thank you to our community for being patient with us”.
Dying Light: The Beast may have been a situation forced upon Techland after the original leak of DLC2, but they’re certainly taking it upon themselves to make the best of the situation, and using it to right some of the wrongs of the franchise up to this date. The horror is back. The fear of the night is back. The feeling of one wrong step is back.
