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Dying Light 2 Stay Human review

February 28, 2022

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Dying Light 2

Dying Light 2 Stay Human is a story-driven open-world action role playing game. It’s the sequel to 2015’s Dying Light and takes place 22 years after its predecessor. You assume the role of Aiden Caldwell who uses his parkour skills to traverse the world and defeat his enemies.

Advertised as providing 500 hours of gameplay, let’s take a look at Techland’s latest release that was in development for almost 6 years.

Dying Light 2 Stay Human Details

Platform(s): PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC
Reviewed on: PS5
Developer(s): Techland
Publisher: Techland
Genre: Action role-playing, survival horror
Modes: Single-player, multiplayer (2-4 players co-op)
ESRB Rating: M (Mature 17+)

Standard zombie apocalypse tale

In Dying Light 2 you play as Aiden Caldwell, the game’s main protagonist. The year is 2036, 15 years after the Fall and much of the world’s population has been wiped out. Human civilization has been virtually wiped out and now all that remains are a handful of scattered human settlements, with the walled fictional European city of Villedor being one of the last known remaining cities on Earth.

Villedor has been spared the worst of the pandemic and has become one of humankind’s last strongholds. However, control of Villedor is split between several factions, including the militaristic Peacekeepers, the independent Survivors, and the violent Renegades.

As Aiden, you set out to make your way to Villedor to search for your lost sister, Mia. Overall, the story has a very familiar tone and doesn’t deviate too far from the expected norm.

Explore the world with parkour mechanics

Dying Light 2’s gameplay is based on parkour mechanics that allows you to explore the open world and master tactical combat. However, often at times, gameplay feels unnatural and jumping has a “floaty” feel to it almost as if you have no real control over it. I found that quite often I would miss jumps because I wasn’t able to accurately judge where my feet were.

This quickly became frustrating and oftentimes resulted in death. Dying Light 2’s world is huge and at at times can be overwhelming. For example, in Old Vilador, running around the area felt like a chore compared to other areas that you visit later in the game. Getting to the bigger city areas takes a long time though, especially if you are going off of the game’s guidance.

Sometimes the game’s story objective markers aren’t clear. For instance, there was a particular mission where I spent a good 30 minutes or so talking with everyone at the bazaar. I searched high and low and still the story objective marker wasn’t moving. Finally, on a whim, I decided to leave the bazaar and explore outside its barriers. Sure enough, that’s what I needed to do to progress.

Dying Light 2

RPG like elements

Dying Light 2 is a deep Game with a very clear tie into RPG structure. Blueprints are the bread and butter of Dying Light 2. Crafting consumables, weapons mods, and accessories are key during exploration. Techland did a great job with crafting, it’s streamlined and doesn’t feel tedious at all. Players can easily click what they want and the game will combine for them.

While this game does have survival horror elements to it, it also has horde fighting and creative zombie slaying superhero-like combat. UV lights guarantee safety at night too and this is a great time to play around with load outs. You aren’t just waiting for morning though. The resting place in the safe zone allows players to change the day and night cycle and provides a Stash for Aiden to leave extras he won’t need on his journey. There’s also Windmills, Faction Structures, and Facilities to activate.

There are two factions you can assign Facility’s to—Peacekeepers or Survivors. This then spawns different quests based on who is assigned to what. It’s a neat idea and gives players more to customize their adventures with.

Infected and unforgiving world

Dying Light 2 presents itself very well. Enemies are very unique and never just feel like another random zombie. There are three classes for enemies: virals, biters and degenerates. Virals are the first stage of infection, they are quick, dangerous animalistic humanoids that are filled with primal rage.

Next, biters are slow in the day time and the second stage of infection. And, some even come with power attacks. Dodging and judging their vantage points are key. Finally, there are degenerates, which are the last stage and are essentially decaying body bags. They aren’t a threat at all and are fun to mash around.

The game’s dialogue is cheesy at times and some characters feel static. Furthermore, there are points where attention to detail seems lost. However, for the most part, Dying Light 2 does a great job immersing you in its world. Shrills from the infected are constant while playing and the game’s soundtrack perfectly compliments the onscreen action.

Dying Light 2

Dying Light 2 has a lot to see and do that some may want to fully explore

Overall, I feel that Dying Light 2 offers quantity over quality. There is definitely a lot to see and do, hordes of enemies to attack, factions, choices that shape the world around you and loot to craft and dress up in. And, if you are looking for a game to sink over 500 hours into, then Dying Light 2 is perfect for you.

However, if you are looking for a game with a story to sink your teeth into and purposeful objectives; there might be better choices out there for you.

+ Massive world
+ Impossible to get bored with the amount of things to see and do in this game
+ Unlocking more areas and and finding new weapons, modding, crafting, is satisfying

– Story is subpar and the dialogue is cheesy for the most part.
– Floaty jumping and off putting controls.