We review Techland's latest work on Xbox One and PS4, Dying Light, and look forward to see how the sequel comes.
The echo of his first cinematic trailer still resonates. At the end of the Xbox 360 and PS3 generation, we saw the emergence of open worlds, which would take center stage throughout the present. Techland was one of the first companies to bet on this aspect with a Dead Island that made noise since its introduction.
Those years of effort and confidence resulted in his first work on Xbox One and PS4. Dying Light arrived on January 26, 2015 to improve the present and bet on a much more dynamic gameplay, open to the general public. Despite his first doubting steps, little by little he earned a reputation that led him to receive an edition with playable and visual improvements.
On the occasion of its fifth anniversary in the market, we review the keys for which Dying Light is still so special today. Whether alone, in company or enjoying the action offered by its expansion.
From Dead Island to Dying Light, the evolution of the pandemic
As we said at the beginning of the text, Dead Island arrived at a time when his proposal called acquaintances and strangers. Take a look back: in the middle of 2011, mixing zombies, open world and cooperative functionalities was a cocktail that called itself. Despite its performance problems, especially the bugs that affected the gameplay, it went ahead for many of its followers.
After the success a game was hidden with problems in its playable base. Both the design of the missions and the control scheme were too simple, which made the passing of the hours weigh among those most skeptical. In essence, Dead Island weighed a clumsy, slow control, in which the stage was an obstacle that had to be overcome, instead of being a character in this odyssey.
This problem, continued in Riptide, its sequel, caused the new development of the study to change records. Dying Light was committed to achieving the same goal, although in a different way. From the first moment he thought about how the player could explode around him. That this obstacle seen in its original formula became something that allowed experimentation.
Hence the inclusion of parkour. Pressing the RB button (R1 on the Sony remote) we could climb walls, climb buildings and ultimately play with the stage as if it were a platform. This agility multiplied once we unlocked the retractable hook, with which we can move quickly without even touching the ground. The possibilities are wide, and Techland was able to take advantage of its tools.
Post-launch support, from less to more
The launch featured a season pass that included different downloadable content. Beyond the horde of Bozak, which put us before tests of agility and waves of enemies, highlighted the inclusion of an expansion, called The Following. His arrival caused the impact of a traditional expansion, that is, we were introduced to a new area, of more than acceptable size and around new game mechanics.
Mechanics at the height of being able to control a buggy, something unthinkable in the two original zones, or the approach towards rudimentary weapons, such as bows and arrows. In short, That bunch of aesthetic and equipment dlc hid other contents that were worth trying.
The most important point of his career was the inclusion of the enhanced edition. A free patch for game owners that included news of all kinds, such as new animations, a new difficulty mode and various adjustments in the game's artificial intelligence. In comparison, Dying Light felt a much more formed game with its introduction.
What did happen without sorrow or glory was Bad Blood, a small-scale battle royale that last January was offered at no additional cost to those who had the basic in their library. Exclusive to Steam, its highest peak of simultaneous users barely exceeded a thousand.
Dying Light 2, delayed indefinitely
The recent delay of Dying Light 2 left us with a surprising fact, and it was that it did it without having any new date. Its developers have already confirmed that the game would have a version for PS5 and Xbox Series X, but we don't know if the reason has been for it. “Unfortunately, we need more development time to fulfill our vision. We will share more details in the coming months, ”they commented in the note attached to the announcement.
And is that the sequel points high. The size of the map will be four times as seen in its predecessor, and will be supported for four years after landing in the market. Techland has put all the meat on the grill, a development that features personalities like Chris Avellone.
