‘Dying Light 2: Stay Human’ is both beauty and beast

Dying Light left a huge impact on the gaming community since its release. Six years ago the first instalment of the game set a new bar for post-apocalyptic zombie games by introducing the day and night cycle, and fluid parkour mechanics to the mix. It was unlike anything fans of the genre had seen before. 

In early February of this year, the community rejoiced with the release of Dying Light 2: Stay Human. As good as the first game was, the hype around the second was obviously through the roof. The anticipation kept the whole gaming community asking what this new instalment will do better.

After quite a long beta phase, the game finally released on 2 February. Expectations were as high as they could have been and, naturally, it was one of the most pre-ordered triple A titles of the year so far.  

An unfortunate truth about the gaming industry, as of late, is games do not feel quite polished this early after release. And our first impressions, in comparison to the first one, Dying Light 2 felt wayward to some extent. Some expectations were met. At the same time the game failed to deliver on others.

Similar to the first game, Dying Light 2 was a zombie-survival game. This instalment, however, offered a broader scope and more characters. Since the events at Harran in the previous title, the terrain had become more fragmented, with little pockets of settlements strewn over the world. 

The game took us to a place called 'Villedor'. Players took on the role of a pilgrim named Aiden who was looking for his sister. She was lost somewhere within the city walls. Aiden faced numerous threats on his quest, each equally difficult and threatening.

This story and objective laid down the foundation for other complexities of the game. Many of the mysteries were revealed through dream sequences and flashbacks. 

The story was told with great visuals and effects. But despite the nice graphics, it left much to be desired. Even with a high-end graphics configuration, players might feel that the full potential was not reached visually. 

The backstory of the protagonist was told through dream sequences. These memories were his only leads for finding his sister. These flashbacks, however, didn't really offer much to the game's progression. Since these were the only elements connecting our protagonists to his sister; that too was delivered very poorly as a result. 

Just telling us that our protagonist has a sibling was not enough to pique our interest in a potential reunion. The developers failed to give any justification as to why anybody should care.

The game heavily relied on parkour. The first Dying Light game introduced this feature as a core survival mechanic and it was celebrated to the point that it became a defining characteristic of the title. Dying Light 2 took the parkour action a step further and to near perfection. With smoother movement in a vast environment, players can get creative with their choices.

The game also provided an expansive open world for the players to roam. This time around, free roaming was much more fun. Techland, the developers of the game, really went the distance to improve the first-person platforming mechanics. It was already good in the first title. But in this instalment, the mechanic was just more polished and felt more realistic. 

Aiden quickly proved to be quicker and more spectacular than a maxed-out Kyle Crane, protagonist from the previous game. He was also better equipped, with sandbox essentials like a grappling hook and a glider to aid with explorations.

The combat aspect was not as good as the parkour, but it was far from the game's worst flaw. When confronted with hordes of infected, including a variety of new unique enemies, the game really was at its best.

Players might feel like they can not do enough in combat initially. Some might feel that enemies are too tough. But these issues were addressed with the addition of new gears and equipment as the game progressed.

Dying Light 2 was a roller-coaster ride. Some of the major areas were unpolished and underdeveloped with bugs and glitches. However, the rest of the game is still a treat for anyone who enjoyed the previous title.