Dying Light 2 – Worth a buy?

Hey guys, we’re back with a new episode of Worth a Buy! I’m Arihead from Electronic First and today we’re gonna be talking about Dying Light 2. In our last Dying Light 2 video, I covered the 10 things you should know before playing the game. If you haven’t seen it yet, I suggest you check it out. Now I know many of you have been dying to play this game, but the wait is finally over. Dying Light 2 Stay Human is out now and I’ve been frantically jumping around The City this entire time. It’s certainly a bold new step for Techland, who revolutionized the zombie genre back in 2015 with the first Dying Light.

In many ways, the sequel improves on the first game, with a much larger world, complicated characters and even more parkour elements. 

The game isn’t perfect though and has had a rather mixed reception, which I will get into later in the video. It’s been a bit of a roller-coaster for me, a rather bumpy one actually, but it’s a really fun experience if you look past the game’s many flaws. To me though, this is one of the best zombie games you can find on the market. But before I get into it, be sure to check out our website, where we provide the best games at the greatest prices.

You play as Aiden Caldwell, who is a member of the Pilgrims, a group of outcast survivors that wander the world to deliver information between settlements. With communications down due to the Harran Virus, it’s up to the pilgrims to carry out this all-important mission. 

However, when Aiden receives news about his lost sister’s whereabouts, he heads to Villedor, this post-apocalyptic city with rustling vehicles, ruined buildings and of course, hordes of infected. It’s like this mix of various European cultures, which in essence, serve to function as Aiden’s ultimate Parkour playground. And the rush never stops! You can run and jump around for hours on end and I think you will love every minute of it. 

These guys sure do a good job at making you want to smash their heads in, and Aiden is the perfect man for the job. The combat in this game is quite amazing actually. You can do stuff like parry human enemies at just the right moment to jump on them and perform a vault kick, you can use your grappling hook to pull enemies, you can nimbly evade attacks and whether you counter them with a swing of your mace, baton, axe, sword or the many other types of weapons Aiden can use, you’ll absolutely feel the impact. Now you won’t have these items and abilities early on. When you start the game, Aiden actually feels pretty subpar. There’s not a lot of parkour he can do, there aren’t many combat abilities he can use and he can’t glide or swing around buildings yet, like we’ve seen from the trailers. Dying Light 2 can be pretty overwhelming at this stage, especially when you’re playing on Hard mode. However, as you improve and get stronger, the game gets a lot easier. Techland has designed a very strong character progression system. There’s a skill tree divided into two sections: combat and parkour. Each skill has its own use and for better or worse, they can honestly be quite game changing, to the point where you’ll quickly become overpowered.

It might not be for everyone, but Dying Light 2 is gloriously violent, especially at night, when the infected emerge from their nests to do what they do best. When most of the infected leave their nests, you can explore these terrifying dwellings to obtain valuable inhibitors and other valuables. Every 3 inhibitors can be used to boost Aiden’s stats, so gathering a lot of them is incredibly valuable early on, since Aiden starts out with very lackluster health and stamina. Aiden, being the popular guy that he is, has to deal with the hordes of infected who will stop at nothing to get a good chunk at him, especially when the Howler, a new zombie type, uses its signature… howl… to call upon its friends. This is when it gets really dark and scary. I mean, these things come out of sewer grates, crawl out of windows and they basically spawn everywhere in the city! Should this happen, there’s not a lot that can be done to defend yourself, so you’ll need to run, jump and climb like your life depends on it. You’ll be doing all this under a time limit, as Aiden himself is infected and cannot survive for long without sunlight or the many places illuminated with UV-light, or he too will develop a taste for brains. 

Conveniently, UV-light is also very effective against these zombies, so you should flee to the nearest area with UV lamps, which are situated in select locations around The City when you are being chased or are low in immunity.

That’s how its less abominable residents survive. They live on the city’s rooftops across the many districts, under the protection of UV lamps to survive the night. Dying Light 2 is an open world game, so you can bet many people will be waiting for you to complete their requests. There are also vendors and all sorts of different and weird folk. Villedor is actually divided into three factions, The Survivors, who only just want to live in peace. The Peacekeepers, who likewise want to live in peace, but to this end, resort to using brutal methods. And then there’s The Renegades, crazy outlaws who just want to dominate the city. How Aiden interacts with these factions can have huge long term effects, which can influence the story, environment and even the background music when traversing faction-affiliated areas. Now of course, Dying Light 2 is an open world game, so you might get that all too familiar burnout. The side quests can be super tedious and uninteresting. buildings kind of look generic, there’s a lot of random challenges, you might get tired of holding x on every bag, closet and crate you come across, only to receive random crafting materials like bolts, tape, scraps, rags and other things. You know, this is a rather common issue with Open World games, but I feel it’s especially prevalent here.

They’ve also added many new zombie types, all of which make the game very interesting and truly unique. As for the multiplayer, Dying Light 2 is innovative in its approach. So much of the story can be played in co-op mode, not to mention all decisions, drops and experience move to your save file, whether you’re a guest or a host. It should also be mentioned that the music is honestly really good, as the tracks are excellently produced and several of them are quite memorable.

However, the game sure isn’t perfect and there are still a few other problems I need to get into, for example:

The characters ARE unique enough to get you emotionally invested, but as you progress into the game, you’ll notice how it tends to move from character to character, making the last individual almost feel like an afterthought. They’re generally quite interesting though and have that extra layer of depth you’d expect from any great game… except for Aiden Caldwell. It’s very surprising how they could make so many fascinating and different characters yet design the guy you’re playing as to essentially embody the most generic protagonist archetype you could ask for. And then there’s the bugs. No, not the insects. Actually, now that I think about it, there are a lot of bugs flying around this decaying city. Dying Light 2 is a zombie game, after all, but I mean game bugs, as in game breaking bugs; enough to compete with Bethesda’s greatest hits. 

The first one I encountered was early on in a story quest. As I watched Hakon psychotically move back and forth unendingly for a good 5 minutes, I was forced to reset the game to progress. Since then, I fortunately haven’t encountered a lot of bugs, but from what I’ve seen, they are numerous and some can even completely ruin the player’s experience of the game. This is a shame really, as Dying Light 2 is usually extremely fun, and I hope Techland patches these issues soon.

In summary, Dying Light 2: Stay Human is objectively a good game. It certainly isn’t perfect, but we can at least expect Techland to quickly patch out some of the major bugs plaguing this game. In spite of all this, I’ve been having tons of memorable moments, like drop-kicking zombies out of buildings, sneaking past countless infected, and… whatever this is. The story isn’t too great either, but I didn’t get into Dying Light for the story to begin with. I mean let’s face it, we’re all here to parkour around the city, kill bandits and cut heads off, whether they’re infected or not.

The game’s parkour system and crafting system offer new and exciting ways for players to navigate the game’s world and take on its challenges, while its co-op and multiplayer modes provide a social and competitive experience that is sure to be a hit among fans.

Overall, Dying Light 2 is a game that has been built upon the successes of its predecessor while also introducing new and innovative features that set it apart. Whether you’re a fan of the first game or a newcomer to the series, Dying Light 2 is a game that is well worth checking out.

Personally, I’ve played Skyrim for hundreds of hours. Bugs are nothing but a feature to me, so I may be a little biased here, but I think Dying Light 2: Stay Human is absolutely worth a buy if you’re a fan of the genre, or even just getting into open world games. The formula of fast-paced parkour movement and zombie gore is still as strong as ever, not to mention how satisfying it can be to take out your stress by smashing zombies.Techland is also known for treating its player base well; they’ve provided 7 years of regular updates and DLCs for the first installment in the series since its release at 2015. In fact, at least 5 years of post-launch support has been promised in their official Twitter account, including new stories, locations and in-game events to keep us all entertained for a long, long time. Yeah, it’s been a trend to release games incomplete, but I’m definitely gonna stick around to enjoy the upcoming updates and DLC.

What do you guys think about Dying Light 2? Do you agree with my points? Let us know in the comment section below, we definitely wanna hear from you. Oh, and if you liked this article, be sure to check out our other articles and videos, where we give you info on the latest and upcoming games. For everything gaming, stay with us at Electronic First!

So, if you’re ready to immerse yourself in a post-apocalyptic world full of danger and adventure, be sure to check out Dying Light 2 on electronicfirst.com, where you can purchase the game and stay up-to-date on the latest news and updates. And don’t forget to check out the electronic first blog for more game updates, worth a buy episodes, how-to guides, and news.This is Arihead, signing out. Hope to see you guys in the next one!

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
YouTube

Also if you’re interested in earning with Electronic First as soon as today, check out our affiliate program. You can share your link with friends, family or anyone. Sign up today to reap the rewards!