Dying Light 2 Stay Human Review –  An Apocalyptic Renaissance

Decades after the end of the apocalypse the undead roam the earth, growing stronger and more powerful with every passing day. The human race is rising up to the challenge. The City is home to technological innovations that are changing the course of warfare. An electronic wristband keeps people from turning after a zombie bite, and even the most aggressive monster variants don’t stand a chance against the latest weapon innovations. These walls aren’t the only danger. Darkness lies within, and humanity’s most significant threat for survival is itself. The end result could come from greed, lust or betrayal and even arcane political maneuverings.

Dying Light 2 Stay Human blends the terrors of the dead with the strife of life to create one of the most entertaining RPGs I’ve ever played. The game excels in storytelling, open-world development, character customization, character customization, player choice, cooperation, creative play and, most importantly, dropping zombies from highrises. It’s everything a sequel should be, growing the core formula in significant ways to make high-flying, zombie-slaying sizzle again.

Dying Light 2 is a great game that creates relationships and makes you wonder about the motives of those you meet. This is achieved through stunning visualizations and lots dialogue.

Over the fifty-plus hours spent on this amazing game, I thought often about how I felt when I first played The Elder Scrolls V. Skyrim. I was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of content, and didn’t know if my hasty decisions had caused me to make a mistake. Dying Light 2 draws from the same inspiration, offering a rich and varied world filled with options. It’s an experience you can lose yourself in, and almost all of the content you unearth is significant to evolving both the story and your character.

Aiden Caldwell will guide us into the wasteland. A survivor plagued by his ghosts, Aiden re-enters society just as it is about to tipping. Aiden, a likeable character who can be defined mostly by his decisions, is charming. As an apocalyptic judge who rules the city, Aiden often determines who lives and dies as well as which groups gain power and wealth. Many of the people he encounters along his journey find closure or new beginnings through most of his decisions. Sometimes I had to stop and think about all the implications of making a choice. Techland can sometimes force you to think about these things by setting a timer for the most pressing issues in order to increase their impact. It works.

You can enjoy the city’s verticality and variety, as well as hidden paths and treasures.

The player will be treated to a lot of fun when Aiden sets out on a mission. The objectives are well-written and move quickly, almost forcing Aiden to leap across rooftops. Dying Light 2’s parkour system is a work of art set within a beautiful, sprawling city that doubles as an architectural playground. Clear pathways are littered across the environments, allowing Aiden to keep momentum and reach almost any location by just running, jumping, and using some of the game’s awesome gadgets. I won’t go into what they are as discovering them is part of the fun, but they all enhance the locomotion and are a blast to use. Overall, it is one of FPS’s most enjoyable and well-designed traversal systems. The City’s verticality and feel makes it more enjoyable than the original.

Even choice is intertwined to make it easier for you to navigate. New interactive elements as well other tools are available depending on how wealth is distributed. Sometimes Aiden’s own personal gain can outweigh the need of the citizens, as I discovered. While these decisions may not be pleasant, they will make combat and traversal easier. They should also pay dividends in the end.

Aiden’s missions offer plenty of variety, and sew puzzles and combat into most objectives. The missions were varied and well-written. They are also dynamically written. Although the key path is the most important, it also delivers some of the major set-piece moments. However, side material is crucial to the story and can often be quite lengthy. Nothing in this game feels tacked on – it’s all worth investigating. And it’s all made better through cooperative play, as you and three of your friends can team up or divide and conquer to claim territories, clear out dangerous dark hallows, and find valuable loot (like inhibitor boxes that raise your stamina and health). You’ll be safer going out after dark hours when zombies are most aggressive, because of the dark hallows.

The combat upgrades can be used to deliver punishment, but there is not much choice in weapons.

The combat area is neglected in favor of the great content. It’s a huge part of the experience, and it’s a heck of a lot of fun to eviscerate Biters, but the melee isn’t as advanced as the other parts of the game, and it doesn’t evolve much, either. It’s satisfying to create blades that electrocute and cough fire zombies. The dropkick mentioned above is well worth it. As the difficulty and hit points increase, so is boss battles.

One fight against a titan pushed my group of four players to unload everything they had – Molotov cocktails, arrows, and carefully timed sword combos – before it finally dropped. It was well worth it. Mastering parry timing against human foes – who are as abundant as zombies – is tricky but not something you have to rely on as more combat moves unlock.

Dying Light 2 takes you on an entertaining journey of learning and power. You can find these dynamics in almost all you do. The world can be transformed by focusing more on characters. Some of Aiden’s choices are difficult, especially those surrounding a character named Lawan – who is given a hell of a pulse by Rosario Dawson. I can’t say enough great things where his and her stories go. Techland announced that at least five more years worth of DLC are on their way. This game was a joy to play and one I will be revisiting often. That’s a wonderful promise to hear when starting a new game that has turned out this well.