Released just three years after Light of Death 2 The dying light: beast It never became a complete reinvention of the brutal and parkour-flavored Zombie Slay series. As game director Nathan Lemer told me at a recent preview event in Warsaw, Techland’s aim is to combine the best parts of the two existing entries in the series to create the best game for the team so far.
The intense zombie chase, fluid parkour and crispy combat are everything you’d expect, and each one will soon be noticed by stubborn fans. However, there are enough variations and improvements to ensure dying light. The Beast doesn’t feel like the DLC pack originally thought of. I’m not sure if that will make our best zombie games list yet, but after 4 hours of practice I was certainly impressed.
The whole new location of the game was my biggest highlight. Instead of being set in a former city city inspired by authentic European towns, the beast allows you to explore the Caster forest. It’s an open, rural setting that makes exploration feel much more rewarding, as you can hide secrets in places you don’t expect. Of course, there are narrow streets and dense towns for you to jump over, but the open natural spread is much more common. There are abandoned train depots, woodlands, creepy marsh and huge cliffs. Apart from the Dying Light 2 skyscrapers, city streets and an endless array of makeshift elevators, there’s more variety in what you’re exploring.
“We were inspired by the Tourism Bureau in the Eastern Alps of the Swiss Alps, and it’s where some of the people on our team actually grew up. What’s important to us was that we had something unique, not just the light of dying,” Lemer tells me.
However, it is not only visually different. The new settings dramatically change how you play. It is still essential to exceed road levels, especially at night, but more route planning is needed. Aiming for aimlessly just see a zombie stuck in an infected space without a way out. And there are many zombies in the beast. They are everywhere and are in a much larger group than you see in 2. Of course, it is scary and intense at night, but the risks during the day are also increasing. It can avoid different types of zombies and cause different headaches. All of this plays into the tactical aspects of the game’s growing tactical aspect.
However, mechanically, the changes are more repetitive. As someone who hasn’t mentioned the series since the release of 2, I don’t feel that at first it’s particularly different in the battles and parkour at that moment. The biggest changes will come from the damage you can make to your weapons and the zombies. You don’t just sway roughly and repeatedly hit your head, as the damage is more accurate and position-based.
If you are using sharp weapons such as x or knife, you can cut off your limbs if you aim properly for an attack, or if you carefully swipe around your neck to decapitate the enemy. Also, attacks will show damage where you contact them. A zombie is hit on your shoulder, and a large gouache appears, but organs and ribs stick out on the slices on your chest. As Techland introduced in an exclusive chat with Dying Light franchise director Tymon Smektala, the studio tried to make Beast a more bloody and scary game. From what I saw, the team certainly managed to do so. There is real weight in combat, giving you a much greater sense of the damage you are inflicting. It doesn’t match the level weight and gore of Dead Island 2, but it’s better than it was featured in the series.
The nominal “beast” relates to some things I don’t want to ruin, but perhaps the most obvious and most spoiler-ish thing is the new Beast Mode. You must first charge the meter via standard attack. Trigger standard attacks to gain speed and melee, and crush a zombie head with just one punch. Perfect for cleaning up crowds when you’re having problems. This is a basic addition we’ve seen in many other games, but another game to help make it feel more powerful than ever.
The best change Techland has made is a change in how stamina works. In combat, it still works. Attack and Dodge use your stamina chunks, and you need to go back a bit to refill it. But when you run around and climb buildings, stamina is no longer an issue. Cranes do not get tired when climbing unexpected tall buildings. They also don’t slow down to hold their breath when chased by the undead. The end result is a very enjoyable traversal where you feel empowered to take risks and explore.
Lemer said that the beast map was something that influenced this decision, “We have some things that the park is open, there is no obvious way there, and you need to be careful of the shelves and stuff.
As for the story, I’ve only hurt the surface of the future. Kyle Crane, the well-received main character of the first game, is back. It’s a cool selling point for fans of the series, but I didn’t think it was charismatic enough to change the game. To be honest, cranes were not the highlight of my first game. He is a general and powerful action lead with a limited personality that doesn’t go far beyond his one-liner. But he clearly has a fan somewhere.
Crane adventures include helping locals and stopping crazy mercenaries. I’m over the month Techland promised not to run countless NPC errands like the dying light 2. The beast is about action, survival and exploration that looks better than ever, from the environment itself to the cutscene presentations.
Releasing more regular repetitive games is a strategy that many long-term series can benefit from. “What we really want to do is basically build on everything. We want to continue creating great experiences right away, but we also want to think that this is ‘unique’,” Lemer says.
The repetitive sequels don’t seem exciting anytime soon, but the foundations of Dying Light have always been very strong. This means effective changes and improvements that lead to Techland’s more refined and essential zombie experiences. I look forward to seeing Dying Light: Beast compare to 2 and fan favorite originals. What I played went a long way to convince me that it might not only justify myself as a full release, but also add up to the best entry in the series so far.
The dying beast release date Land September 19, 2025. While you wait, we have a complete list of Docket Code for the Dying Beast For a handy prize.
