Prior toDying Light 2: Stay Human’s launch in early 2022, Techland revealed that it was going to develop and release two expansions for the game sometime before 2027. The first of these expansions, titledDying Light 2:Bloody Ties, came out in late 2022, less than a year after the game’s debut. The second one, however, went unannounced for several years. Although Techland did bring it up in a few interviews here and there, it mostly stayed silent on the second expansion forDying Light 2, until recently.
During Gamescom 2024, Techland announceda new entry in theDying Lightfranchise calledDying Light: The Beast. This game was originally intended to beDying Light 2’s second expansion, but it grew so much in scope during development that Techland decided to turn it into a standalone installment instead.Dying Light: The Beastis going to feature the protagonist from the firstDying Light game, Kyle Crane, and it will take place in a new location called Castor Woods. Judging by what’s been revealed so far, it appears that the game is going in the completely opposite direction asDying Light 2and, frankly, that’s a good sign for the franchise’s future.
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
Although it did receive mostly positive reviews from critics,Dying Light 2was a somewhat divisive game upon its release. Many criticized the title for, among other things, being far less scary thanthe originalDying Lightand its 2016 expansion,Dying Light: The Following. As some fans said, instead of being a survival horror game first and foremost,Dying Light 2was more of an action RPG with horror elements. This was especially evident with the changes that Techland made toDying Light 2’s day/night cycle.
In the originalDying Light,nighttime was something that players needed to be afraid of. After a sunset took place, zombies in the city of Harran would become far more aggressive and dangerous than they usually were. There were, in addition, some special enemies that could only appear inDying Lightafter nightfall, called Volatiles. These deadly, mutated zombies could chase players down and kill them in an instant as soon as they spotted them. Since they were incredibly powerful, it was best to avoid them and run away to a safe house in most instances.
Nighttime in the 1.0 version ofDying Light 2was, in comparison, nothing like the one from its predecessor. The presence of Volatiles in the game was significantly reduced, and instead of hiding, players were actively encouraged to explore indoor locations and search for resources after sundown. AlthoughTechland did increase the amount of Volatiles inDying Light 2in a post-launch update, the game still wasn’t able to match its predecessor in terms of fear factor.
Dying Light: The Beast is Taking the Franchise Back to Its Horror Roots
Fortunately, it seems that Techland has taken the criticisms surroundingDying Light 2into account because, according toDying Lightfranchise director Tymon Smektala,Dying Light: The Beastis going to bring the series back to its horror roots.In an interview with Game Rant, Smektala said that the upcoming game will lean “a little bit more into the survival horror vibe” thanks to its new setting, which will be filled with forests and swamps. He added that, “when the darkness sets in” inDying Light: The Beast, the music, environment, and limited visibility will “instantly put [players] into the place where [they will] hesitate to take the next step because [they] don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Nighttime inDying Light: The Beastseems to be very similar to the day/night cycle in the originalDying Light, and that’s great, because it hopefully means the series as a whole will focus on horror going forward. AlthoughDying Light 2: Stay Humanis a decent title,futureDying Lightinstallmentsshould maintain the survival horror approach of the first game instead of taking the action RPG route and alienating long-time fans of the franchise.
Dying Light 2 Stay Human
WHERE TO PLAY
It’s been 20 years since the events of the original game. The virus won, and humanity is slowly dying. You play as Aiden Caldwell, a wandering Pilgrim who delivers goods, brings news, and connects the few remaining survivor settlements in barren lands devastated by the zombie virus. However, your true goal is to find your little sister Mia, who you left behind as a kid to escape Dr. Waltz’s torturous experiments. Haunted by the past, you eventually make the decision to confront it when you learn that Mia may still be alive in Villedor — the last city standing on Earth.You quickly find yourself in a settlement torn by conflict. You’ll need to engage in creative and gory combat, so hone your skills to defeat hordes of zombies and make allies. Roam the city, free run across Villedor’s buildings and rooftops in search of loot in remote areas, and be wary of the night. With every sunset, monsters take control of the streets.
