E3 2018 Impressions — Dying Light 2

While at E3, I was able to see Dying Light 2 in a more intimate setting than just a trailer. Here is my take on Dying Light 2.

How Dying Light 2 was kept under wraps so well before E3 this year is beyond me but I am glad for the great little surprise it was when the announcement hit us all. It was a game that we all were fairly certain that Techland was working on and then we all were able to see it in full action. Especially being part of the original Dying Light community that is still hunting down things in the game and experience everything that there is to play in the game. It is time to move on though and that is what this is about. As well as the fact that there was much more to see for the game off the show floor and big media events going on during E3.

Myself and a few others out there were treated to a bit more detail and showcasing for Dying Light 2 where some of the finer details and concepts the team is working on were shown off. To start with the basics, we are going to be playing in a new city in a different part of the world than we did before, it is about fifteen years after the fall of humanity out there, we have hit a “Modern Dark Ages” place in our evolution, and the map will be four times larger than all of the maps combined from the original Dying Light and its DLC. Not a terrible way to fire things off. Especially when you mix in the fact that if we can see it in the game, we can go to in the game. At least if our own skill allows us to do so.

All of this is stuff you can learn from the basics of the Dying Light 2 announcement trailer and stage presentation. The demo I was shown was a deeper and filled out version of what was generally shown. All to highlight the new features of the game, including how the player choice aspect kicks in. When it all started though, we found the protagonist starting the mission to go speak to some scavengers about the water supply they were holding and then choosing to reclaim it for the Peace Keepers faction. All so we can get to that one choice in the game that can change the world for the better, worse, or however, you want it to in Dying Light 2.

Along the way, we also were shown another new change to the Dying Light game cycle and that is that the zombies are not as prevalent during the day and shy away from sunlight and UV light. This was to further emphasize that the humans and the factions were the bigger danger during the day, but you will still need to deal with shamblers as well. The nighttime, which we did not get to see, would be where the undead reign supreme much as they did in the past Dying Light. This should lead us to a stronger narrative and story in the core game as we are parkouring around the new city and completing all of the various tasks for whatever reason.

Anyways, this was the opportunity that was taken to show off the new parkour moves in Dying Light 2, the changes to the combat to make things a bit more fluid, as well as to show how the undead will take up roost during the daylight hours, but will still be a threat. The demo driver took a shortcut through a dark department store at this point to show that the hordes are still out there, but make for a creepy scene much as we saw in films like I Am Legend. After making a great escape using the parkour and new physics engine for Dying Light 2, we were back on task and heading to the water tower yet again. Further showing how the action in the game can be a bit more dynamic than we saw in the last title.

Once reaching the water town, another new feature for Dying Light 2 came up in the way of new parkour puzzles being added in. To get to the top of the tower we had to figure out ways to move from level to level with the limited stamina meter. Some moves would remove large chunks after completion and, as before, it would slowly tick down from just hanging on. It also looked like there were multiple ways to solve the puzzle here, but that could have been just how I was seeing it and not in practice. Either way, it is a new form of gameplay for Dying Light and something we will all need to master to get things done in the game.

This all leads to one of the other new cornerstones of the gameplay we have been told about for Dying Light 2. We reached the scene we saw in the presentation gameplay where we could make a choice to “deal” with the scavengers for the Peace Keepers or make a deal. The first option we took was to “deal” with them by removing their souls from the bodies. Then there was a bit of a fast-forward to show just how the area would change over in-game time based on that choice. These things are not instant in the game, so that is good to know. It also drastically changes the area you are in and not just in color and design as we saw in the trailer.

There were the basic ones where the people were generally happier, we could go freely to regain health by drinking water, and we had to deal with the new rule of law. Other changes came in as well as the PKs are more organized so there are no more undead in the area, we have access to better weapons and gear as we are on their good side, and there are many new and easier ways to get around the area as they are taking care of it all. Much more than cosmetic as it looks like when Techland showed the first trailer. That was just one of the choices, though, and we were able to see the other shortly after.

Had we gone with the scavenger’s option in the Dying Light 2 demo, the same basic cosmetic and populace changes would occur as we saw. There would also be fewer safe places in the area as this faction is all about selling the product instead of helping the normal human. This also meant that there were no places to freely recharge the health and it was harder to move about as the parkour options were never built. The upside to it all is the fact that we would be getting a massive cut of the profits on a constant basis for helping them out. Therefore, you could make your personal quality of life better in the end if that is how you wished to play the whole game.

All of the upgrades and changes coming for Dying Light 2 have me overly excited to give the game a full play when it finally releases. I was overly impressed with everything that the team had to show off in addition to the basic videos everyone out there could see. It also looks like they are crafting, or at least have the opportunity to craft, a major and amazing story for the game. Something many people out there felt was missing in Dying Light. I guess we will all have to wait and see while wishing them good luck and good night…