During Microsoft’s E3 Press Briefing yesterday, Techland announced Dying Light 2 is coming to Xbox One, PC and PlayStation 4. Fans of Dying Light were treated to a trailer AND gameplay footage. The announcement was made live on-stage by Chris Avellone, the narrative designer for Dying Light 2.
The much awaited sequel brings to life a post-apocalyptic vision known as the Modern Dark Ages: a brutal, bleak and unforgiving reality where you are as likely to perish at the hand of a human as you are by the bite of the infected. In this grim world, players must think on their feet, drawing from exceptional parkour skills and brute force to stay alive and out of the shadows. – Techland’s Official Description for Dying Light 2
As with any reveal, we had no idea what to expect. What game could this be? As the announcement trailer played, familiar aspects began to show themselves – elements of parkour, melee close combat mechanics, and then there was this frame…
Once this frame came on screen, I whispered to my colleague, “This reminds me a lot of Dying Light.” Sure enough, only a few seconds later, the logo appeared and that was that.
For those who enjoy subjecting themselves to torture and playing horror/zombie survival genre games, the first Dying Light was a blast. Playing as Kyle Crane parkouring through Harran and narrowly escaping zombies was a thrill ride; peeing your pants as you sprinted through the night from Volatiles or whatever horrors that laid in the darkness. The day vs night cycle alone was something to be invested in. Players had to not only get used to the cycle and the changes that would occur in the game, but they had to plan side missions accordingly. “Should I collect this drop or should I book it back to safety?” The first Dying Light was horrifying at night. Based on what we saw yesterday at E3, Dying Light 2 is taking it to the next level.
Techland CEO, Pawel Marchewka, has said,
“We are very close to our community, and we’ve clearly heard their requests for the new game. I know we kept them waiting, so I’m more than excited to finally announce: Dying Light 2 is coming…Dying Light 2 will be a truly bold sequel, combining the much loved Dying Light DNA with completely new ways to play. For the first time in the franchise, players will have the power to decide the fate of a decaying metropolis with their own choices and actions. Across the story, the melee combat, the parkour movement, and other aspects of the game, we’re giving players a completely new level of freedom.”
This is incredibly exciting not only for fans of the original Dying Light, but for gamers in general. This shows fans that Techland is listening. They have taken many of the complaints about the original and applied them to the sequel, including using their brand new in-house game engine, C-Engine.
On top of using the “DNA” of the original, Techland is venturing into the world of the choose-your-own-adventure type of game. The demo showed us how just one decision affected the entire world of the game – not only the terrain, but the society as a whole. Avallone then went on to clarify this was just ONE decision out of hundreds. In the first game, players only had to make the decision whether to risk staying out past their bedtime, but in DL2, the players decisions have the potential of affecting the whole game experience.
More details are sure to come soon as development progresses. So far, we have a lot of juicy bits to go on. One thing we are missing – there is no set release date. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) there is no set date for when Techland can take our monies. But, seriously, Techland, please, take my money. My body is so ready to slay zombies and subject myself to fear.
Let’s do this!
The announcement trailer can be seen here and the gameplay trailer is available here.
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