When I went to see Techland at E3 this year, I was able to sit down with Dying Light. I had previously seen some gameplay and thought to myself how it looked almost identical to Dead Island. That sentiment carried over as I picked up the controller and began to walk around the world of Dying Light. What I noticed immediately, though, was how dramatically better it was. The controls were smoother, the graphics were sharper and they had added a parkour element to the game that completely revolutionized the gameplay! Whereas in Dead Island, if you wanted to get away from that pesky hoard of the undead, you just had to run and hope no one grabbed you. Here, running isn’t as easy since the amount of zombies looking to eat you is much higher, but you can definitely climb a wall, leap to a window, scramble up onto a roof and take a deep, relaxing breath before tracking down that annoying survivor you have to rescue.
There was also a completely different element to the game. There’s a full day and night cycle and when the sun sets, things get even more hectic. Night time brings about a different kind of zombie that’s faster, stronger and even more rabid. Once you’ve been spotted by them, they will chase you down and they’re almost impossible to shake. Basically, never stay out after dark.
They also flashed me forward to later in the game once a few hours have been clocked and you’re a few levels higher. There are obviously better weapons that you can build (like the electric axe or the flame throwing dagger) and the violence gets ramped up substantially. They kept the slow motion amputations which are hyper gory on the next gen console while also adding in an X-Ray style ability to break bones. So, yes, I did shatter someone’s leg to hobble them so I could pull out my axe and dismember them and yes, it was almost horrifyingly gory. They also added other elements to how you get around like sliding, spinning and, the best part, a grappling hook. Stuck in a hoard of the undead? No worries, just run up to a wall, clamber up, shoot your grappling hook to another building, swing up, slide onto the roof and shoot any zombies that may be up there. They’ve practically made you a zombie slaying Batman!
I also asked the developer a few questions and he informed me that many of the issues from their previous games had been worked out. So, no immediate zombie respawns when you leave an area, no glitching, no items disappearing etc. These all seem like just saying the right things, but from what I saw, I believe it! They also reworked the zombie A.I. and now solo zombies all have their own ways of reacting to you, but they also will act differently in a hoard, meaning that you will have to tailor your strategies in every encounter you decide to get into.
Basically, Dying Light was everything Dead Island SHOULD have been! It uses that next-gen technology to its fullest to deliver a slick, violent and gorgeous looking game that has all the promise of being a great game. My hands on with this game was definitely one of the highlights of E3 and hopefully, a highlight of 2015 when it finally gets released. As always, keep it locked here on COG for information as we get it!
