Dying Light is a game that slipped by the wayside for me when it was first released back in January of last year. But as with so many games these days, it has been released as a sort of ‘definitive edition’ to coincide with its new DLC ‘The Following’. So you get the base game and all the DLC, along with other updates to the gameplay, graphics, sounds etc. The good news for people who already have the game is that they get upgraded to these latter features for free (though there is still a cost for the DLC). And the good news for people like me, is I get to have all the current content from the get go, in a newly improved package.
Now as I haven’t played the game before, this review will be looking at the whole package, from a fresh eye standpoint. This also means that I won’t be able to draw any comparisons to how it differs to how the game used to be, and that there will be some content in the review that, if you’ve already played and finished the original game, you aren’t likely to want to read. If you fall into that category, then feel free to skim through and pick up on the DLC content stuff a bit later on.
Dying Light’s protagonist is Kyle Crane, and undercover GRE (Global Relief Effort) agent that is tasked with infiltrating the Turkish city of Harran. It is a quarantine zone during a mysterious viral outbreak that has turned the majority of the city’s population into aggressive zombie like creatures. In the city you must find a rogue political figure and get hold of a sensitive file he possesses that could damage the reputation of the organisation. During this, Crane will find himself needing to help survivors while also trying to focus on the mission at hand.
Now personally, I am sick to death of the zombie thing. I think they have been overused in almost every entertainment medium in recent years, and I wouldn’t miss them if they took a back seat for a while. But while the game obviously has some heavy focus on them, there is more to it than killing and running from them. And it is for this reason I actually quite like Dying Light, even if it does still have its drawbacks. There is a fairly solid story here for one, and while there are times that it does drag a little, it does well to keep you engaged with what is happening. Some twists and turns, can keep you guessing, but some of the more ‘emotional’ moments can be a little hit and miss. Personally I found it strange how quickly you are able to earn the trust of survivors that find you. You start off with no one wanting to talk to you and within a few missions you’re the go to, number one guy. Of course it was always going to be the end result, but for a game that is very sizeable, I feel that more time could have been spent building the relationships between the characters a bit more, even if it meant losing a few missions down the line, or some of the side missions.
Onto the side missions, there are a whole ton of them. And it is nice to see that each character you speak to has been voice acted, and you’re made to feel like there is a reason for doing each mission. It makes it more personable and so you don’t mind popping to someone’s house to pick up their glasses and favourite book. Yes we know it is a quick collect mission as is seen in many game, but it is presented well, and gives you more reason to complete, rather than just experience points to get your next skill unlocked.
Did I say skill? Yes I did! Dying Light features well fleshed out skill trees. With plenty to choose from meaning you can unlock what you want, when you want, rather than any sort of predefined system. It even takes cues from Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim in that you earn experience points when you are doing things. It isn’t anywhere near as deep as that system, but you level up Survivor, Power and Agility individually depending on what you’re doing. Beating up zombies with your crowbar? Then you’ll see your power level increasing. Running across rooftops and jumping into bin bags? You guessed it, agility gets an increase. And it’s the skill tree along with the crafting and looting system that really makes Dying Light hold its own on the RPG front as well as a First Person action game.
Crafting wise, as you’d probably expect you need to find different components to create whatever you have learnt to create. You can find and buy blueprints as you go, these will usually be weapons or upgrades. You’ll find yourself needing to craft quite frequently if you want good weapons, because each weapon only has a certain amount of durability. And while they are repairable, there will come a point where they will be broken forever. So don’t get too attached to your police baton that deals electric and fire damage. And it isn’t just melee weapons that are available, you also get access to firearms around half way through the game. But beware – noise will attract Virals (those things that want to eat your face off), so you’ll need to know when is best to use them.
Talking about enemies there is a fairly decent variation on offer here. There is a bog standard zombie that will shout and growl while walking in your direction to have a munch on your flesh. There are some that will also sprint and jump after you, some that’ll explode, and other that will spit green stuff at you. And you’ll also need to be aware of the night time, that’s when things start to get really messy. Ideally you don’t want to be out then. That’s when the Volatile’s come out to play, and they….well they are nasty buggers. Don’t expect to be able to avoid them by sleeping during the night though, you’ll be facing them at some point, and it can genuinely be an adrenaline pumping moment. There are also more ‘boss like’ infected aswell. And don’t forget not all humans are friendly…and they are more likely to use guns. It is certainly not an easy game, and you’ll likely die a fair few times even on easier difficulties, but once you’re best friends with the med-packs, you’ll be all good.
You might be wondering by this point why I’ve not mentioned the traversal system in this game. Well, it’s because I’m not totally sold on it. And if you didn’t know, Dying Light has a heavy parkour influence, but personally I find it gets quite boring, and it doesn’t take long to do so. At first I was loving it, but it can be a little hit and miss if you’re not looking at exactly the right place and you’ll find yourself falling to the ground. Also, once you’ve run across a few building, or climbed scaffolding etc. it all starts to feel the same. Don’t get me wrong, it is good to see a game implement stuff like this, but it isn’t the big feature that I think some were expecting it to be.
On top of the 20+ hours’ worth of content from the base game, we’ve also got all the DLC. And there is a good amount of it. There is some cosmetic outfits and weapon blueprints in the form of the ‘Ultimate Survivor Bundle’, but the rest is fairly sizeable. Cuisine and Cargo adds two hardcore missions to put your skills to the test while investigating buildings that were sealed off in the first days of the outbreak. The Bozak Horde it, unsurprisingly a Horde mode for the game fought inside Harran Stadium. While it isn’t the most successful survival mode in a game, it is good that the developers looked to expand its content in different ways. You’ve also got (not technically a DLC) Be the Zombie mode, where you can jump into others’ games at night as the extremely powerful Night Hunter zombie.
Don’t forget The Following aswell! The biggest of all the DLC is also here, and it totally changes the landscape of the game. Moving from the packed in city environments to a wide open country outside the quarantine zone. Introducing a customisable buggy to drive around in, as a whole it refreshes the whole game. It would be all too easy to put new story missions into the map we’re familiar with, but Techland have created a huge, brand new, and different area to experience. And with it, a new story, side quests, craftable items and a skill tree. You’ll need to help the citizens with jobs to earn their trust and building your reputation to progress with the story and find out the secrets of ‘The Following’. It is so good to see the developer still having the passion for the game over a year since its initial release. And for those of you who already have the base game, this DLC is totally worth coming back for if you had fun with the game previously. That being said, I did suffer a game breaking bug where I loaded into an unescapable room. This means I will need to start The Following again (due to only having one save), which is certainly frustrating. But it is a good job that I am enjoying it.
Overall this is certainly a package that is crammed with content. Fans of zombies will be sure to love it, and even if you’re not, the RPG elements and story’s on offer (despite some filler) allow you to enjoy it despite them. If you’re looking for a game that isn’t a sequel, and does a lot of things very well (there are some obvious inspirations on show – Far Cry for one) then look no further. Dying Light: The Following Enhanced Edition gives plenty of bang for the buck.
**Thank you to XCN for the opportunity to review this game**