Dying Light 2 Stay Human is a 2022 open-world survival horror game developed and published by Techland. The sequel to Dying Light (2015), the game was released on February 4, 2022 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. A Nintendo Switch version for the cloud is currently in development. The game received generally favorable reviews, with praise directed at the combat, parkour system, and open world, but criticism for the story. It sold 5 million units in its first month of release.
Can you turn into a zombie in Dying Light 2?
In Dying Light 2 Stay Human, players take the role of a new protagonist, Aiden Caldwell, trying to find his sister. Along the way, the player will parkour through The City, battle other survivors and zombies, and, unfortunately for Aiden, get infected. This may leave players wondering if they can become zombies in the game.
The answer is no—you can not turn into a zombie in the game. While Aiden does get infected, players can manage this by watching their Bio Marker and staying in the light. Remaining in the dark for long periods enhances the infection, making Aiden stronger and faster, but eventually, he will die, and players will reset to the previous checkpoint.
Dying Light 2 is early into its life compared to the original game series, which received updates and support for years. The developers have stated that they want to explore Aiden as a zombie, so future DLC may let players play as a zombie in Dying Light 2.
For now, Aiden and the player fight on the side of the living. While it can be fun to stay in the dark and take advantage of your infection, players should be ready to jump back into the light before too long.
Is there any romance in Dying Light 2?
Unfortunately, there are no romance options in the game. While there are some quests that will lean a bit towards Aiden forming strong bonds with other characters, there is no real lovers in the City. You can not form a romantic relationship with anyone in the game. However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t strong dialogue choices and romantic tinges on specific moments.
Aiden might not be the lover boy that characters like Commander Shepard are, but he does get to know a lot of people in the City. You will perform quests for people all the time, and that may lead to him becoming buddy-buddy with them. However, no matter where your choices lead you to, there are no traditional “romance” choices in the game. Aiden’s character development will encounter no significant hurdles over the course of the campaign.
This is a bit unfortunate, but not altogether odd. The Dying Light 2 story isn’t particularly focused on Aiden’s development into a loving member of society. While you will form “families,” they will remain just that throughout the course of the game. You might get closer to some than to others, but that’s kind of it.
Don’t worry, there are plenty of narrative beats that you will encounter over time. Whether it’s aiding Lawan during her time of need or helping Hakon escape the city, you’ll make some great friends from your experiences.
That being said, you’ll need to get through the City first! If you’re still working through the story, we can help by getting you the grappling hook or introducing you to wall running.
Is Dying Light 2 an open-world game?
The game is open-world thankfully isn’t just fun, it’s sometimes hypnotic. The details of Villedor fade away as you focus on what path you’ll take to get to your next objective. Its fluid movement systems pair nicely with an environment that keeps the player progressing (and also punishes them for their mistakes. Sometimes that hypnotic fluidity gives way to the *splat* of dropping three stories to the ground).
What were Techland’s level designers thinking about when designing the city of Villedor? Lead level designer Piotr Pawlaczyk was willing to chat with us and share some insight on the company’s design process.
We wanted to make a large open-world game, but the ambition was not to race with other developers to see who could make the biggest map in the history of video games, but to build “deep exploration.” Each of the activities in the game support these pillars and raise their importance in the Dying Light 2 Stay Human world: you can find windmills which are a parkour challenge, but they are also connected to the Choices & Consequences pillar.
You will find places rich in valuable loot, but require you use either the right strategy (going out at night, focusing on stealth, proper preparation) or preparing an appropriate arsenal and summoning friends in co-op to deal with the infected force. It’s hard to get bored in our game’s world, and we think that what we did should satisfy every type of player, from brawlers to ninjas and quiet explorers.
Dying Light 2 gameplay in action
As the game nears release, we got a lengthy, four-hour hands-on look at the game. Below, you can watch a 15-minute gameplay video showing off one of the game’s missions, which demonstrates some of the game’s narrative, including Aiden’s interactions with Lawan, another character played by actress Rosario Dawson. It also provides a pretty in-depth look at open-world traversal, parkour, and combat, as well as giving you a look at Aiden’s paraglider, which you can use to quickly get around the City.
Editor Mark Delaney played Dying Light 2 for GameSpot’s preview and lauded the fluidity and freedom of movement the game presented in our hands-on session. He also wrote that, while the characters can feel a bit flat and story choices are often binary, the narrative feels like a step forward for the game in general, and has potential.
“Dying Light 2 feels familiar, but not in a bad way,” he wrote. “The additions, be they original or derivative, tend to feel like good fits for this world, and because the game’s most special aspect, the parkour movement abilities, are clearly improved, it feels like the game is both a bigger and better sequel. Blatantly inspired by juggernauts such as The Witcher, Zelda, and Assassin’s Creed in different parts, Dying Light 2 still feels like it will manage to leave its mark on the sandbox formula. With the fluidity of a fountain, the exciting parkour should prove to be its signature when the game launches next February.”
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