Today, Techland is planning on giving us a big piece of news relating to Dying Light 2. This game has been in the works for so long that it feels like it was being developed at the same time as the original Dying Light. It’s unlikely that we’ll be getting the sequel today, but that’s not exactly a bad thing. The game probably needs more polish than we know right now, so it makes sense for the release date to be later this year. However, this does mean that everyone has the perfect opportunity to start, or restart, Dying Light.
The original Dying Light saw a huge amount of success because of when it released, not what it is. However, it’s the content that shone through to players because of the lack of other impressive games at the time. The first-person zombie-killing experience is made all the better by the addition of parkour. Add in the massive open world that players can explore, and you have a winning combination. Once the story is done, there are loads of side missions and collectibles to find. The game also has more easter eggs than I think I’ve ever seen in a single title. Finding them all is a sense of personal accomplishment, but one that’s well-worth doing.
After the main game is done, you have all of the post-launch content packs and DLC to catch up on. Hellraid is just a spin-off, because the real Dying Light 1.5 is The Following. That DLC will take you to an entirely new world within Dying Light, and you’ll start to realise that the games have their own mythology and lore that’s being told before your eyes. There’s so much to get under your belt before you play the sequel, and it would be a crime to let the first game pass without even a glance before playing the sequel.
Techland has put a lot of effort into this series. More than most other games, I think this is a great example of what passion projects can look like. If you play it for no other reason, at least play it because of that.