Many years back, when the original Dying Light was released, I was beyond excited. I mean, seriously, an open-world zombie game rife with horror and paired with parkour?! It was all I could ask for from one of my favorite subgenres of games. But I had trouble diving into the story. It was massive in scope, a little janky, and I found myself leaving and returning every few months instead of playing through its epic-sized campaign. But now, with this Dying Light 2 review, I aim to make it up to Techland and their open-world beast of a game.
How does Dying Light 2 compare to other zombie games or the other major releases of February 2022? Let’s find out!
Dying Light 2: Key details
- Price: $59.99
- Developer: Techland
- Release date: February 4, 2022
- Platforms: PlayStation / Xbox / PC
Dying Light 2 Trailer
Headfirst Into Dying Light 2 Gameplay
I have a few gripes with the overall gameplay in Dying Light 2. More specifically, the parkour-based combat feels tedious as all hell. Seriously, tapping one button, timing it perfectly, then tapping a second button and guiding Aiden into a flying dropkick looks and sounds like a lot of fun. The reality is, I wind up smacking enemies over the head with a pipe repeatedly until they drop instead of utilizing quick-time events and other parkour-combat techniques.
In a game designed around speed and fluid movement, the combat can feel jankier than everything else, and I hate that.
With the undead, I genuinely do not see a need to use the parkour movements. I smack and stab, dodge a little, and finish them off without much error.
But elsewhere in the game, specifically, the parkour and running along rooftops feel incredible. I found myself stumbling at first, misjudging a jump and falling to my death. But the more I played, the more in-tune I became with Aiden and his abilities.
Now, it’s nothing for me to traverse from one side of the game world to the other without ever touching the ground or stopping to think about my next path. I simply move.
As you progress, upgrading your health and stamina, unlocking new parkour and combat moves, everything becomes easier and more fluid in many ways.
Furthermore, upgrading weapons with add-ons can help you melt most basic zombies and bandits with relative ease. But you’re not thrust into these upgrades too quickly.
It’s a nice sort of progression that makes you feel as if you’ve earned the upgrade. You’ve put in your time and made your bones.
Exploring the Game World
Atmosphere. If I had to describe the game world of Dying Light 2 with a single word, it would be “atmospheric.” I mean, seriously, that intro in the woods and the first house you explore alongside Spike, I think I nearly pissed myself at every little sound. I could swear a zombie was about to break through a window and take a bite out of my throat.
The game world amps up even further once you enter Villedor. The NPCs go about their business, resting around lit campfires and singing songs, scavenging for supplies and food, and repairing structures or constructing defenses. It feels like a living, breathing world.
And as you progress with each faction, you’ll find the city does become somewhat safer. Yes, even during the night. As I helped the Peacekeepers erect defenses, restore power and water, and construct safe havens on rooftops spread across Old Villedor, I found myself less fearful of the coming night.
But enough but the atmosphere. The game world itself is absolutely massive. It’s rare that I didn’t have a new pop-up on my HUD alerting me of a quest giver, a Dark Hallow to explore, or an upcoming objective that I approached. It’s a lot to manage at first.
The developer claims a total of 500 hours to complete all main quests, side quests, challenges, and exploration, and I can absolutely see that. Some side quests are tedious, like parkour challenges, which I’m not a fan of, honestly. But others, lend a hand to the deeper story of the game world.
Graphically Speaking, How is Dying Light 2?
Dying Light 2 is an absolutely beautiful game on maxed-out settings. Sure, I ran into a few graphical glitches, like missing or melted textures, but they were few and far between during my playthrough.
Developer Techland went through a metric ton of trouble to create this game world and fill it to the brim with tidbits of detail. From the defensive walls protecting settlements to the sleeping bags and campfires adorning nearby structures, every model is extremely high quality.
It all lends a hand to immersing you deeper into the post-apocalypse game world that is Dying Light 2.
As I discuss elsewhere in this review, I did stumble upon a few graphical glitches and bugs. They were minor in my playthrough, however, and did not affect my ability to progress or move through the game world.
What About the Controls?
Yes, I am a heathen. While I did play Dying Light 2 on PC, I preferred to use an Xbox Series X/S controller to play from start to finish. It felt like the type of game that would benefit from a gamepad, and I was right.
That being said, I attempted both types of controls for the purpose of this review.,
In the fast-moving environment of Dying Light 2, I wanted quick access to basic controls without roaming about the keyboard.
I did feel that some of the combinations, specifically with combat, were a little annoying to become accustomed to. For instance, hitting and holding one button, then hit another for a quick kick or dodge while running. Or having to hit and hold a button before I hit the ground to perform a roll to avoid severe fall damage in some spots. Why not make that a passive skill? Why not allow my character to simply roll as they hit the ground? It felt obtuse for no specific reason.
I wound up ignoring some of the skills in the game simply because they didn’t feel very player-friendly.
Is Coop Worth Your Time?
I had a little trouble getting co-op to work with Dying Light 2. It was common to experience disconnects and lag.
When it did work, I had an absolute blast. It was a metric ton of fun to slice up zombies and parkour across rooftops with another runner at my back.
That being said, in a game heavily focused on its story mode and characters, I found a second player to be a distraction when progressing in the story.
For messing around and enjoying the game world? Co-op all the way!
Zombie Virus or Plague of Bugs?
I’ve witnessed quite a few bugs online occurring for other players. In my game time, I experienced a few minor bugs and glitches; mostly graphical bugs, a few sound issues, and cutscenes skipping dialogue or not progressing as intended.
Overall, most of these issues were minor and had no effect on my overall gameplay.
Perhaps the most annoying one, however, was the dialogue issue. I experienced one while talking to Sophie in which the game went silent, her character stared at me without speaking for a minute, then everything continued as normal. I assume I missed a line of dialogue there, as the conversation continued on to the next stage quite abruptly.
My Recommendation
Do I recommend Dying Light 2 in its current state? Absolutely!
I know, I sound a bit negative in this review with a few tidbits, specifically with the game’s controls. However, even with the issues and errors I experienced, I’m having immense fun with the game. I don’t want to put it down.
It’s been quite some time since I experienced a game that begged me to skip sleep and miss work in the morning to play all night. Dying Light 2 is one of those, and I recommend picking it up at its current price.
Developer Techland already plans on updates for bugs, including the ragdoll physics, and will continue to support the game for quite some time with new content. All of which I am immensely excited to experience firsthand!