The upcoming Dying Light 2 will feature tons of zombie slaying and first-person parkour action, but the living dead take a back seat in the newly revealed gameplay footage. Developer Techland has now shown off this before-promised gameplay in beautiful 4K, which focuses an extensive section of the game's open world and some of the story components.
Despite the first-person action and the horror elements, Dying Light 2 seems to take more of an RPG-immersive sim approach. The world looks like a grittier, more realistic take on the apocalypse that will focus heavily on the inter-political relationships of a group of warring factions.
The demo begins with a set-up for the world, calling attention to the fact that Dying Light 2 will feature an ambitious approach to factions. The city at the center of the game has run out of water and a rival gang called The Renegades has taken control of the water pumps. A faction leader calls a meeting between all of the factions, but the meeting goes poorly and someone gets shot. The protagonist, Aiden Caldwell, must chase down a truck and infiltrate a base while making choices along the way.
According to the developer narrating the demo, the choices players make will have a lasting impact on not only the story, but on a dynamically changing open-world. Some choices will result in physical changes to the game's city, and those changes will open newly available quests or release new enemy types. This coincides with the previous revelation that players will only see 50% of Dying Light 2 in their first playthrough.
It also briefly gives a look at the combat, the weapons, the upgrade system, and more in Dying Light 2. Specifically, the demo highlights how blocking, running, and opening tough doors are all tied to the stamina bar, which can be upgraded over the course of the game.
The demo makes a big deal out of the player's ability to change the world and the story of Dying Light 2 based on their actions. If Aiden chooses to pursue a truck full of enemies over sticking by the side of his dying friend, it might mean the death of a character who would otherwise remain in the game. On top of dialogue choices, it seems the player has an immersive sim-like level of variability in the ways they can approach any situation.
Dying Light 2 releases in 2020 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.