Techland made a big announcement today on their new “Dying 2 Know” livestream series regarding the highly anticipated (and long delayed) horror action game Dying Light 2. Along with the release date, they also showed off a new gameplay trailer, revealed the different versions of the game, and other deep background information.
First, the release date (which Techland saved for last) is currently slated for December 7, 2021. It will be coming out on PC, Xbox One and Series X|S, PS4, and PS5. There are four different versions of the game which are now available for pre-order. The Standard Edition will have the game, naturally, though pre-ordering will grant players the “Reload” weapon and gear skins. The Collector’s Edition, as one might expect, has all manner of goodies including a physical art book, a steelbook case, a mini UV flashlight, and a lighted statuette depicting the protagonist Aiden Caldwell in mid-strike against one of the infected monsters of The City. The Deluxe and Ultimate Editions were not described in complete detail, but digital soundtracks and gear skin packs were mentioned.
Techland then showed off a highlight reel of gameplay, rather than a walkthrough of a specific mission as they did during their 2019 E3 presentation. The developers touted that Dying Light 2 will feature over 3000 parkour animations, reportedly twice as many as the first game. Players will be able leap, wall run, slide, and ride the bodies of enemies off a ledge down to the street below. The game’s world is broken up into a number of zones inside two large regions. Three factions battle for control during the day, and with the player’s help, each of those factions can take control of a zone. Depending on the zone and the controlling faction, different tools and options for the player will become available.
At night, the game changes as The City’s infected denizens come out to roam the streets and prey upon the unwary. The developers were insistent that these are “not zombies, they are infected.” Players will need to use UV lights (both fixed and handheld) to their advantage and keep the monsters at bay. But the “nests” where the infected lay up during the day will be more or less empty at night, allowing players to explore them and recover valuable loot to help keep them alive. It’s a risk-reward dynamic which certainly looks intriguing. We’ll doubtlessly be seeing more between now and the release date.
Finally, while it’s not necessary for players to have gone through the original Dying Light to appreciate the game, they’ll certainly be able to dive in and get familiar with the setting with the release of Dying Light: Platinum Edition which will contain all previously released DLC. It will be available on all of the same platforms as Dying Light 2.
Food For Thought
Nomenclature quibbles aside, Dying Light 2 may well be facing an uphill climb. Techland has been radio silent for almost two years now, which is never a good sign. The issues surrounding Chris Avellone’s involvement with the game went completely unaddressed. And given how things have been in the midst of a real pandemic, there’s some question whether Dying Light 2 will be welcomed even as an escapist “there but for the grace of God” fantasy of how bad things could have gone. We’ll need to keep an eye on this one, but given the amount of time that has passed in development and the real world complications, Dying Light 2 might well be keeping Cyberpunk 2077 company.
