The Dying Light At The End of The Tunnel

Upon rapid completion of Dying Light 2 there is plenty to divulge in the aftermath. A sequel refining its headlining gameplay mechanics including a rhythmically swift parkour element and lethal projectile-based combat, Dying Light 2: Stay Human manages to one up its predecessor where it matters most.

Now as the title suggests, there is a seismic tunnel littered with ghoulish undead and enough renegade assholes to fill up Dying Light 2‘s bazaar community.

So allow me to introduce you to the mutated subjects of an open-world teeming with busywork and fetch quests, as well as the horde of dullard characters-say hi guys! Blurgh blurgh grr….Hiss!!! No there are no kitties in Dying Light 2 sorry.

You can hear reviewer Ross’ own thoughts on the game in his video above

Point is as great as many of the features and systems are in Dying Light 2, it’s consistently fish hooked by overly familiar open-world trappings which do much to make all its ambitious and bright spots smoulder down into a yawning groan of open-world fatigue and the bored utterance of “it’s just another one”.

It’s as if Dying Light 2 is sucking the life out of itself, but there’s more than enough adrenaline coursing through its mangled sinew that it’s able to leap over them and best many of its obstacles-which is a great thing all told.

Without spoiling too much, (so SPOILER ALERT! Just in case) some of Dying Light 2’s story missions and side activities are delightful.

Climbing windmills is a puzzle kinda similar to the original’s radio towers, but the dynamics and puzzle-like nature of them gives you a mental exercise you will relish when you reach the top.

Be prepared for your parkour skills to be put to the ultimate test too, which includes ensuring that you make cerebral use out of the new power glider and grappling hook traversal tools.

Power-gliding takes a bit of acclimation but you’ll be very thankful when a horde of undead encroach upon you and you spot a steam vent, so instead of succumbing to the undead’s mutated swatters,  you can be blown into the sky and levitated to safety.

The grappling hook meanwhile is a late-game gift but is the most liberating tool in Dying Light 2, adding sensationally to the already stellar parkour, aping around building like a seasoned gymnast would-something us kids never learned about in school.

The first 45 minutes of Dying Light are here for you to check out

You can view Dying Light 2 in many ways but generally it’s either another open-world game with zombies and grindy quests, or it’s a blast of great ideas shot into our faces, empowering players to feel like they’ve got complete dominion over the Hurran landscape.

In my mind Dying Light 2 is both, it does contain an overloaded open-world that’s commonplace, but the gameplay within it can be thrilling and is capable of penetrating through the dregs of participating in another fetch quest or powering another generator.

Yes the sense of agency you have may appear minimal as Aiden is an uninteresting bore who gets strung along and rarely says anything that dissuades the feeling he’s a tool, and his associates are as dull as he is, but when you’re chopping the limbs off undead with an electric doohickey or leaping over a Renegade to dropkick the one behind in the face, you won’t really care about anything else.

Want to keep up to date with the latest Xt reviews, Xt opinions and Xt content? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com Become a Patron!
Written by
Although the genesis of my videogame addiction began with a PS1 and an N64 in the mid-late 90s as a widdle boy, Xbox has managed to hook me in and consume most of my videogame time thanks to its hardcore multiplayer fanaticism and consistency. I tend to play anything from shooters and action adventures to genres I'm not so good at like sports, RTS and puzzle games.

Leave a Reply

Lost Password

Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.

Skip to toolbar