Dying Light: The Beast Review, Techland's Redemption Arc

 An entertaining mix of rooftop hopping, sneaking through favelas at night, swinging all sorts of household items, and similar weapons to survive in a city packed with zombies. The Game was immense fun, which fit perfectly for all fans of the genre, especially since they had already been enjoying Dead Island and somewhat similar mechanics.

Dying Light eventually conquered the hearts of many players, with fun mechanics, perfect close combat battles in first-person, and a gunplay system that, by the end of the Game, was anything but naive or bad.

In the mood for something completely different? Check our The Knightling review!

The Disappointment of Dying Light 2

After that memorable hit, Techland made a classic move: seven years after the original, they released a game that was not only disappointing but also downright grotesque, unfortunately bearing the name Dying Light 2. People hoped for a continuation of the epic adventure from the first part, and… they received the cold shower of disappointment, worse than characters who get catfished by someone showing only one side of their face in photos. 

Awful acting, close combat fights without firearms (because they were too lazy to implement them, or who knows whatthe only thing we know is that after more than a year, they decided actually to add firearms into the Game, but by then they had already lost 90% of the player base) were just some of the problems Dying Light 2 had, leading the Game into total oblivion. People still fondly remember the original and how good that Game actually was.

The Arrival of Dying Light: The Beast

Three years after the fiasco known as Dying Light 2, someone at Techland managed to fool investors once again and somehow squeeze the last cent out of them to create Dying Light: The Beast. Naturally, when you have a flop like the previous installment, every subsequent move like this only secures the company's downfall. Therefore, someone at Techland finally woke up and decided to create a perfect and high-quality game, like Dying Light: The Beast. 

Since they obviously wanted us to forget Dying Light 2 and all the nonsense that came with it, Dying Light: The Beast once again focuses on our dear protagonist from the first Game, Kyle Crane, and his adventures.

Crane's Captivity and Escape

After the first Game ended, Crane was hunted by various organizations who wanted to use him as a test subject, given that he was immune to the zombie virus. After a long time, they managed to subdue and capture him, after which one organization tormented him, experimented on him, and dragged him through more mental suffering than when a bag of chips bursts upside down and half your soul is left on the floor.

For 13 years of agony, Crane endured this until he finally managed to break free from the clutches of "Baron," a typical villainous character who, if he had a white cat in his lap, you'd expect him to say, "Bring me Mr. Bond." A spoiled brat from an ultra-rich family who looked at people as livestock and material for experimentation.

After the initial escape, instead of Turkey (where the first Game was set), you now find yourself in Switzerland (not Dino Merlin), in a remote city, which was an ideal opportunity for Techland to showcase what they learned (and what they didn't) from Dying Light 2. 

The graphics will blow you away. Locations are highly detailed, crafted with great precision and attention, so if you ever stop to admire the environment, you'll definitely have something to see. The car crash at 300 km/h, as seen in Dying Light 2, was very useful for Techland, as they immediately understood what to avoid and how not to repeat that mistake in a game.

Gameplay Refinements and Weapons Dying Light: The Beast

The first thing removed was the unnecessarily stupid parkour moves that looked like kindergarten kids playing when you had to do a double triple jump, a somersault, and then, over one zombie's back, dropkick another one to deal 30% damage. Such idiocies have been happily removed, so most of the gameplay has returned to what it was in the first Game, until the zombie falls apart. 

You have a vast arsenal of weapons at your disposal, from knives, machetes, katanas, batons, shovels, pickaxes, axes, all the way to fully automatic firearms and explosives. There's no weapon type missing like in the second Game. If you're brave enough, you can collect weapons and charge into the first group of zombies to teach them some manners. 

You won't come out of it well, but the intent is what counts.

Rooftop parkour jumping is, of course, present and this time improved compared to the first Game, but one problem with games like this is that it's often not clear where you can climb. Several times, we randomly jumped and latched onto an antenna or some artifact on the wall, which was confusing. Even worse, during a chase, you might jump onto a wall only to realize there's nowhere to grab, so you slide down like a kitten through a gutter.

Night Cycle and Fear of Volatiles

If you enjoy challenges, you can complete all missions at night, as the Game features a day-night cycle. At night, actual monsters come out, known as Volatiles, who will ruin your life worse than a crazy weekend with a credit card. If they spot you, a chase sequence begins, and they will mercilessly pursue you through all obstacles. 

If they catch you, in a few hits, you'll be staring at the Game Over screen. If you die, you lose experience points, which is an excellent solution since it instills a genuine fear of losing valuable XP. Killing one zombie gets you about 20–30 XP, but death takes away 750 XP, and as the Game progresses, the penalty grows. 

This is more than a good move, because rarely do games dare to include punishment mechanics in an era of autosaves, where you respawn as if nothing happened.

Combat Styles and Survival Mechanics in Dying Light: The Beast

You always have multiple ways to approach combat, whether it's the ninja style with bow and arrow, picking off monsters one by one, sneaking behind enemies to silently eliminate them, or simply throwing a gas canister or bomb to watch body parts dangle from lamps, cars, or walls. 

The survival aspect is represented by crafting weapons, ammunition, explosives, and bandages (HP items). There are tons of materials scattered everywhere, so exploration always rewards you.

A new feature is the implementation of vehicles, which you can use Dead Rising-style to mow down armies of zombies, although you won't get much XP for that. Also, if you take too much damage, vehicles will explode, and there's also a fuel gauge to limit you. The story mode slowly introduces all the options and allows you to upgrade your character with XP points. 

A novelty is that Crane, due to numerous experiments, has now become half man, half monster, entering Beast Mode in which he tears apart everything in his path (except Volatiles, who will again dismember you like a child disassembling Lego sets). One problem we encountered is that at the beginning of the Game, you don't control when Beast Mode activates. 

Suppose you're sneaking and silently eliminating enemies. In that case, the gauge may suddenly fill, Crane roars, and summons every monster in the area to fight him, potentially ruining the mission and giving you a Game Over. Later, you gain a skill to control Beast Mode, but unfortunately, this mechanic will likely turn away many players when they realize it's a bigger danger than help early on.

Open World Issues and Technical Problems

Since this is an open-world game, you can wander into areas far above your level. To eliminate unnecessary dying, Techland decided to discourage people from entering such regions by not giving extra XP for killing much stronger monsters.

Additionally, we encountered a complication where zombies have a "magnet grab" effect. If you're trying to land a heavy strike, a zombie a full meter away will suddenly stick to you and perform a grab animation. The same problem existed in DL2, so we hope it gets fixed soon.

There isn't much to say about the sounds in the Game, except they're generally good, though some moments are so illogical that it feels like Techland let lemurs jump around the mixing board. For example, the silent takedown where you break a zombie's neck is louder on speakers than a chain of explosive detonations. 

The music is also too chaotic out of nowhere; the most energetic and dramatic track will start while you're casually walking through a national park with no enemies in sight. Even listening on our premium XP-Panther Lavender headset didn't help. Also, if you like a challenge and play at night, Volatiles will often spawn out of nowhere to remind you what a Game Over screen looks like.

In Conclusion

On the plus side, the most annoying mechanic from DL2 the virus that eats away at you at night, forcing you to find UV lights to reset constantly—has been removed. Aside from Volatiles and zombies, you now have free rein to do as you please. Dying Light: The Beast is a game that truly deserved to be called Dying Light 2, because this is everything Techland should have done instead of releasing that sad flop seven years later.

Dying Light: The Beast is a perfect redemption arc for Techland, offering exceptional fun. With just a few bugs that will likely be patched soon, you get true bang for your buck if you love the FPS survival horror genre.

My Rating: 8.2

I'd rate Dying Light The Beast 8.2/10 — it's a strong comeback with solid mechanics and atmosphere, slightly held back by early Beast Mode issues and a few bugs.

Age Recommendation:16+

I would recommend the Game for ages 16 and up, due to graphic violence, horror elements, and intense survival mechanics that may be too disturbing or complex for younger players.