By Melissa Ann
Hi, my name is Melissa and I’m a Dying Light addict. Now that I have that out of the way, on to the review!
This first-person horror survival game takes place in the Turkish city of Harran. The city has been overrun by a zombie virus, but some uninfected still remain. Players take the role of Kyle Crane, an operative from an organization called Global Relief Effort (GRE) assigned to go undercover and search for mysterious files. However, things may not be what they seem at GRE and he must soon choose between helping survivors and completing his mission. Obviously, the storyline isn’t entirely original, but I still liked the way it played out.
Players venture out into Harran to find supplies, defeat gangs who are exploiting the crisis, complete timed challenges for rewards, and kill as many zombies as possible. I spent a lot of my time in the beginning securing safe houses around the map so I had shelter at night or when I got into trouble. There are tons of blueprints that let players craft weapons, modifications for weapons, and medkits. Multiplayer supports up to 4 players and offers a mode called “Be the Zombie” that allows players to invade another player’s game as a powerful zombie. I also have to give a shout out to the awesome Easter Eggs hidden throughout the map. I saw references to Psycho, Super Mario, Silence of the Lambs, Star Trek, Plants vs Zombies and lots more.
Dying Light is an open-world game that relies heavily on parkour. I had a great time running, jumping and climbing almost every building and landscape. Parkour is a great defense against the infected and allows for some excellent looting in buildings and on rooftops. The controls are smooth, especially as your character levels up. This was, by far, my favorite aspect of the entire game. In fact, switching between Dying Light and another game that doesn’t offer parkour (looking at you Evil Within) was downright frustrating. I wish I could take that feature with me to every horror survival game I play.
Another unique part of the game is the difference between day and night gameplay. During nighttime, the infected become much more agile and aggressive. You do have a few tools and tricks to help evade those hunting you for a few seconds, but navigating around in the dark can still be difficult. On top of that, the almighty Volatiles come out to play and hunt. Trust me; you do not want to encounter these bad boys.
While I enjoyed Dying Light a hell of a lot, every game has its issues. I encountered a couple of glitches that made me lose unsaved progress (NOOOOO!!!). Although getting stuck in a wall while jumping looked amusing, restarting without saving was frustrating. Thankfully, those issues were few and far between.
Overall, Dying Light is a fantastic addition to the zombie apocalypse genre. With smooth controls, beautiful graphics and over 50 hours of gameplay, I most definitely felt like I got my money’s worth. If Techland develops a sequel, I will be one happy gamer.
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive
Developer: Techland
Platforms: PS4 / Xbox One / PC / Linux
Platform Reviewed: Xbox One
Rating: 9/10
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