The original Dying Light brought a fresh take on the zombie survival genre. Its parkour-based gameplay proved to be a significant enough innovation to draw fans in, and Dying Light 2: Stay Human looks to be interested in bringing further innovation this December. Recent gameplay trailers for Dying Light 2 have shown off how terrifying and impressive the upcoming sequel might be, but fans have yet to receive a lot of information on the game's main protagonist.
Aiden Caldwell, Dying Light 2's protagonist, is still very much a mystery to Dying Light fans. While small drops of information have emerged over the course of Dying Light 2's development, developer Techland seems to want to keep its cards close to its chest and avoid spoilers. With that being said, the information fans do have on Aiden Caldwell is enough to uncover some of that mystery and establish a solid motivation for the story of Dying Light 2.
Who Is Aiden Caldwell?
What fans know about Aiden Caldwell's past is that he is an outsider. He arrives in Villedor early in the game with a couple of motivations. Aiden is on the hunt for a city untouched by the dreaded infection to find a cure, but when he arrives he soon discovers the city is in a state of disarray. While his mission to find a cure may be placed on the back burner for a while, there exists some small hope that he may be able to find his estranged sister. Judging from developer interviews and early trailers, this appears to be the key goal in Dying Light 2's story.
What seems important to understanding Aiden's character is his early childhood. At one point, he was saved by his father and told to never forget who he was, and sometime later fell victim to brutal medical research and tells a story of being locked up along with his sister and a group of other kids. Ultimately, he becomes separated from his sister due to a fire at the facility, and he has been unable to find her. Dying Light 2 fans are told that Aiden's sister is key to him uncovering his past and who he is, which could make finding Aiden's sister crucial to fulfilling his father's request too. Dying Light 2's July showcase was scant on details about Aiden Caldwell's sister, but it did explain a bit more about his failed pursuit of a cure.
Dying Light 2's Superhuman Abilities
Fans are told that Aiden was previously a part of a group named the Pilgrims, a modern-day equivalent of the Japanese Ronin. The end of Dying Light 2's monsters trailer sees Aiden become a citizen of Villedor, possibly surrendering his status as a Pilgrim to find his sister. The speed with which Aiden is welcomed as a citizen may raise some eyebrows, but developer Techland has been quick to point out that Aiden's abilities make him a valuable asset. Exactly how he possesses this superhuman strength, however, could explain why he has been an outcast.
Aiden has enhanced parkour abilities and strength, and these abilities may become even more potent depending on the player's approach. Everyone in Villedor wears a biomarker tracking their infection. Aiden's can be seen beeping furiously toward the end of one gameplay trailer, suggesting Aiden is fighting the infection. This can be easily managed by exposing the character to sunlight, however the player may choose to avoid this as much as possible. Strength and parkour in Dying Light 2 are increased the closer Aiden gets to full-on infection, giving them solid motivation to risk the dangers of the dark.
While Aiden Caldwell seems to have been kept alive by sticking with his group of outcasts and honing his abilities, much of his valuable strength could be due to the infection. Aiden is clearly a highly motivated mercenary with the abilities and motivation to match, but he's in an uphill battle with his infection, which could prove key to him finding his sister and discovering who he really is. There are many holes in Aiden Caldwell's past, but these look set to be revealed along with the release of Dying Light 2 on December 7.
Dying Light 2: Stay Human is set to release December 7, 2021 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.