You can run, but you can’t hide in Dying Light. What you can do, is outrun the un-lifed bastards who are hungry for your flesh, using parkour to vault over obstacles and obstructions. And sweet Savini, it’s a system that makes yet another zombie game actually stand out.
Going for a proper hands-on, the Techland experience gave me two distinct flavours of Dying Light. In my first go, I was near the start of the game, a fresh-faced survivor with few wits and even fewer skills.
This is where the game takes off, as players are given the chance to with be a coward and haul arse whenever trouble beckons, or go full Shaun of the Dead and start kicking some rigor mortis right in its face. Either side of those approaches can be levelled up, with your actions constantly building up experience on a meter.
Peak that level up, and you’ll get a skill point which can unlock further perks in your preferred play style. But back to the controls. Dying Light has a fluid system of control, with the right bumper being used to clamber and jump over obstacles. It’s a simple system, but combined with the design of the abandoned cities and infected homes around you, makes for some interesting locomotion with no limits.
Throw in so,e investing weapons, such as an axe that has been Jerry-rigged with electricity or flaming machetes, and you’ve got a surprisingly fun game. Well, at least during the daytime segments.
Once the sun sets, the undead become right bastards. They’re tougher, faster and they’ll climb after you one they catch your scent. And that’s just the regular hordes. A deadlier strain of the infected will hound you down, as they possess even more tenacious skills for hunting.
And that white-knuckle ride helps divide Dying Light into a game that is just superb on multiple fronts. It looks great, the controls are solid and the threats are constant. It’s a zombie apocalypse where you can do more than just survive.
You can thrive.
Last Updated: June 12, 2014
Rinceinantici
June 12, 2014 at 11:32
I need this game! Wonder whether coop…
Sith JJ
June 12, 2014 at 11:38
Zombie co-op is always a winner.
Rinceinantici
June 12, 2014 at 12:06
Unless you are playing with OVG. In which case you have to run from more than just the Zombies…
Sith JJ
June 12, 2014 at 12:07
Hahaha. That reminds me of a guy that used to LAN with us. I died from head-shots all the time….in Left for Dead co-op.
Admiral Chief Cyber Commando
June 12, 2014 at 13:09
XD
So, you up for some L4D2 this weekend?
Sith JJ
June 12, 2014 at 13:15
Haha. I can do some L4D2.
You should seriously get PayDay2 though
Some of the maps are actually recycled L4D2 maps
Admiral Chief Cyber Commando
June 12, 2014 at 13:21
What about some BF3 co-op?
Sith JJ
June 12, 2014 at 13:22
Haven’t put Origin or its games back onto my pc yet since the format. Trying to live disease free for a few months, though I know I’ll HAVE to put it on sometime.
oVgeeeeee Comet Drop
June 12, 2014 at 11:33
After this E3 I think a Female Protagonist is in order from all game devs out there. As for Ubisoft…
Rinceinantici
June 12, 2014 at 11:38
Agreed. Bring on Lara!
oVgeeeeee Comet Drop
June 12, 2014 at 11:40
Lara and Faith from Mirrors Edge are the only ones that I can remember. All the other games have the usual MEAT HEADS,
TIME FOR SOME BAT WOMAN and a kick ass Female in Far Cry.
Rinceinantici
June 12, 2014 at 11:43
yeah, and I am boycotting ME2…
Kromas
June 12, 2014 at 11:50
Nothing wrong with Mass Effectc2!!! … oh wait … nvm 😛
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 12, 2014 at 11:50
why?
Rinceinantici
June 12, 2014 at 11:53
Because my future wife was wrongly kicked off the project and won’t sleep with me if I buy it 0-O
Sith JJ
June 12, 2014 at 11:55
Paying for it is never worth it Master Rince.
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 12, 2014 at 11:56
Exactly. Don’t get married. Wait… that’s not what you meant is it?
Sith JJ
June 12, 2014 at 11:57
I think marriage is more like a down-payment than a once-off lump sum.
oVgeeeeee Comet Drop
June 12, 2014 at 11:59
More like a hurricane with a female name. When they come in they are all wet and wild… once they leave they have taken the house, car and dog.
Sith JJ
June 12, 2014 at 12:00
LOL.
They can take anything, just leave my car and my dog. And of course my PC (but that goes without saying).
Rinceinantici
June 12, 2014 at 11:59
Well…
oVgeeeeee Comet Drop
June 12, 2014 at 11:54
because they fired the writer and decided to do their own thing with Faith.
For example each tattoo had its own backstory in the Dark Horse comic books. Now thay want to make a new canon so they can milk the on-line play AKA Titan Fall style.
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 12, 2014 at 11:59
It’s an EA game. What did you expect? 😛
I’m curious to see what they do with DLC Age:Inquisition.
oVgeeeeee Comet Drop
June 12, 2014 at 12:00
make it fist and release it before the game and patches to make the share holders happy?
Sith JJ
June 12, 2014 at 12:01
Just when you think EA might be starting to learn
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 12, 2014 at 12:06
They have learnt. The spreadsheets all say gamers love what they’re doing. Numbers don’t lie.
Sith JJ
June 12, 2014 at 12:06
“gamers”
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 12, 2014 at 12:07
Now now, we’re talking about EA, not Activision. 😉
oVgeeeeee Comet Drop
June 12, 2014 at 12:14
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/conferences/e32014/11659-Editorial-Stop-Treating-Us-Like-Idiots-Microsoft-and-EA
Sith JJ
June 12, 2014 at 12:17
*(^*%^%!!!!!!
Sorry. Had to get that out. Damn company blocks just about everything but Lazygamer and News24 (which isn’t worth a tab in my browser)
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 12, 2014 at 11:50
Or in the case of GOW – meat necks.
Sith JJ
June 12, 2014 at 11:38
I really struggle to get excited about zombie games these days. Just too many.
But this looks like the best offering at the moment to me.
oVgeeeeee Comet Drop
June 12, 2014 at 11:41
Far Cry with Zombies
Sith JJ
June 12, 2014 at 11:42
When you put it like that, I can really dig this game.
oVgeeeeee Comet Drop
June 12, 2014 at 11:42
I prefer elephants 😛
Admiral Chief Cyber Commando
June 12, 2014 at 11:44
In games or when going out to a club/pub?
Sith JJ
June 12, 2014 at 11:46
Oh snap
oVgeeeeee Comet Drop
June 12, 2014 at 12:01
Strip club GTAV HD 😉 More polygons for the booooobies
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 12, 2014 at 12:02
SOLD DAY ONE
Rinceinantici
June 12, 2014 at 12:04
LOL
Sith JJ
June 12, 2014 at 11:47
Goes without saying. I still feel they had a really good thing going with the whole Africa destination in FC2, hopefully they’ll revisit that again one day.
Admiral Chief Cyber Commando
June 12, 2014 at 11:50
I didn’t mind FC2. Just the camp respawns and failed stealth that kinda was kak for me
Sith JJ
June 12, 2014 at 11:51
The failed stealth broke the game for me, and then the fact that you can’t go within 1km of an enemy camp without them going aapkak and shooting at you.
Admiral Chief Cyber Commando
June 12, 2014 at 11:57
The only thing that worked for that was the Dart Gun, at night, and kak far away
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 12, 2014 at 12:01
This is Africa boet, we klap it with a shotgun. Darts are for wussies.
Admiral Chief Cyber Commando
June 12, 2014 at 13:08
I know right, but for some reason there was no bullet drop and it was silent and killed instantly. Would have loved me a silenced sniper rifle though
oVgeeeeee Comet Drop
June 12, 2014 at 12:05
Clearing out a camp with a Mortter from the other side of a river 🙂 Shit I had so much fun with my own inventive gameplay. I can still remember what time of day it was. Just a pity about the re-spawning camps. But most open world games have to stream a certain radius. That why they are so low on the gigs. I think Skyrim was 4.2 gigs.
Admiral Chief Cyber Commando
June 12, 2014 at 11:41
Can you level up both fields?
Kensei Seraph
June 12, 2014 at 12:18
Probably but you’d become a ‘Jack-of-all-trades, Master-of-none’.
JustAnotherGamer
June 12, 2014 at 11:43
Im tired of zombie games. tired tired tired tired
Sith JJ
June 12, 2014 at 12:09
Seconded
oVgeeeeee Comet Drop
June 12, 2014 at 12:09
Tell me about it. But most gamers are a bunch of Zombies and lap it up.
Nazi Zombies… no wonder the laymen still think our hobby is childish.
Sith JJ
June 12, 2014 at 12:10
Sniper Elite NZA is quite a bit of fun co-op. I must admit.
oVgeeeeee Comet Drop
June 12, 2014 at 12:11
Its still an 18 game for “mature” adults. I got over zombies when I was 8 and twisted my ankle trying to do the moonwalk from Thriller.
Sith JJ
June 12, 2014 at 12:13
LOL
That moonwalk sure is a killer.
Hammersteyn
June 12, 2014 at 12:05
I’m not sold yet so will wait and see first.
oVgeeeeee Comet Drop
June 12, 2014 at 12:17
Why does Darryn bother with this Nominee shit? ?
We all know what he is going to choose 🙂
Admiral Chief Cyber Commando
June 12, 2014 at 13:08
After yesterday’s Batmobile vid, I tend to agree
Kensei Seraph
June 12, 2014 at 12:21
I really want to give this a try.
Viking Of Science
June 12, 2014 at 14:09
It seems that Darryn has the ability to spell and use grammar from his pants explosion yesterday….
😛