After this year’s conclusion, let’s look at the games that have stood out in a full year. Next up: the very belated, very good Dying Light 2.
It is not unfair to assert that Dying Light 2 was not as universally popular as its predecessor. Whether it’s because Elden Ring is shedding a sizable chunk of its luster or maybe its world isn’t as vibrant and reactive as first hoped, it’s a sequel that remarkably has less than half as many active players as the original on Steam at this point of writing.
That’s not what Techland expected. But considering how Techland supported the original game, they’re just getting started with Dying Light 2 — and what’s already here is still one of the most entertaining experiences of 2022.
The most obvious improvement is on the narrative side. Yes, the main villain may be the most video-game villain you could ever come across, anime villain monologues and all, but the supporting characters interest you. Lawan and Hakon are two of the best-supporting characters of 2022, while there are also a lot of interesting, sometimes devastating, stories around Villedor.
There’s also Barney, who you’ll look forward to abusing at the earliest opportunity with the game’s more robust melee options.
Parkour also has taken up several stages of Dying Light 2, with the best traversal system seen in video games without a web crawler. It is gratifying to use a zombie’s head as a starting block for a huge dive from a skyscraper before gliding along at the last minute and then gliding along with the grappling hook even longer. All this is supported by Olivier Deriviere, whose music here often gives the feeling of being able to bring Atlantis back to the surface.
It’s also a gigantic world, packed with a lot to see and do, and aesthetically being a winner. Although not for everyone, especially those who loved Harran, the bleak, deteriorating landscape of Villedor has something that unsettles me. Trying to find my way around the mostly undead central loop left me with a cold shiver, especially at night, when howling could be heard everywhere. The zombie designs – oozing and decaying, as if they could fall apart before they even arrive — also feel like a considerable step up from what came before.
Dying Light 2 has its scary moments, with crawling through caves being particularly annoying, although it’s fair to say that the volatiles never feels quite as dangerous here. Techland has pulled back the overt horror a bit to make a game that more people can play for longer periods, while the original might have been too intense for some. Your mileage may vary, whether this was a wise decision or not.
In the end, for most people, Dying Light 2 could have reached a different height than before or one of the fifty AAA open-world games that hit the market at the beginning of the year. However, if you’ve ever wanted to skydive with Rosario Dawson, you might be pleasantly surprised at how good it is — and it could get even better.
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