Dying Light 2’s Gameplay Shows Us A Sequel Doing All The Right Things

Dying Light 2’s recent gameplay video shows a game that understands what people enjoyed about from the first game, and builds on it in all the right ways.

Dying Light 2 doesn’t release until next year, but Techland released a gameplay video today to showcase why fans should be excited about the upcoming game. The original game’s combat and superb parkour system raised the game from above being another standard zombie shooter. These unique mechanics made it a unique gaming experience, and the sequel wants to improve on things in all the right places.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uy6ne-fEsAw

Dying Light 2 takes place in the last human settlement left in the infected world. You play as Aiden Caldwell, an infected survivor who happens to have a skill set that makes him quite valuable. Because of who you are, and the things you can do, you are in a unique position to help others achieve their goals. You can choose to raise people to positions of power and influence, or reduce them to being another face in the crowd.

In Dying Light 2, you make tough choices to decide the fate of the society that is trying to keep itself alive in the settlement. During the day, people fight, quarrel, and kill each other for resources. When night falls, the undead dominate the streets. Your choices matter in this game, and Chris Avellone has been called in to lend his extensive writing experience to the story.

My favorite section of gameplay happens at around the 8-minute mark. You go from a standard “chase the target” mission into a frantic attempt to survive when things go horribly wrong, and you plunge into the depths of a building filled with zombies. The parkour system and the game’s many gadgets are on display as Aiden desperately tries to make his way back out again. A nice touch is an ax handle getting used to keep a shutter door open, as Aiden slides underneath he grabs that handle, closing the door and arming himself. All the while, he is at risk of getting infected, which makes the building a no-go area for humans. The entire portion manages to break the scripted feeling, and plunge the player into a gameplay segment that can play out any way you like. All you need to do is get out.

I loved Dying Light, and Dying Light 2 is shaping up to be one of next year’s must-play games. Dying Light 2 releases for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in 2020.