Dying Light proved to be one of the best games of 2015. It basically did what Dead Island was trying to do, offering an interesting open world filled with zombies and some brutal melee combat. It contained a ton of unique gameplay mechanics, including the broken weapons system, the day-night cycle (where zombies grew more hostile in the dark), and of course the parkour mechanic that allowed you to quickly traverse the city at will.
And Dying Light 2 looks to be just as, if not more, interesting than its predecessor. This is everything we know about Dying Light 2 so far.
10 New Protagonist
Sorry Dying Light fans, but those of you who liked Kyle Crane will have to let him go and get used to a new protagonist. We don't know much about this new guy, but we do know that his name is Aiden Caldwell. Luckily, Aiden, much like Kyle before him, is extremely adept at parkour and will absolutely be able to traverse the city with skill and speed. We can't wait to see how Aiden will turn out in regards to his personality, background, motivations, and development. Maybe he will be the next great video game protagonist. We doubt it, but you never know!
9 It Takes Place 15 Years Later
We don't know much about the game's story, but we do know that it takes place a whole fifteen years after the original Dying Light. Now that is no small amount of time, so you can expect to see wildly different environments from the first game. After all, the entire city is overrun and populated with the undead, so it's not like there are people around to maintain the structures and beauty. You may see a city literally crumbling into itself, and it's certainly not going to be pretty.
8 The Map Is Four Times Larger
It's been four years since Dying Light was released, and games have only gotten bigger and more complex in that time. Coincidentally, the map is also four times bigger than the one found in the original Dying Light.
And those of you who played the original know that that was not a small map! This could veer into dangerous Ubisoft territory, presenting a map that is simply too big and filled with too much stuff to do. That said, we have faith that Techland can make the massive world intriguing, even if it is unbelievably massive.
7 Factions And Settlements
Just like a real city, the game's map is populated with a ton of different areas and cultures. Not only will the game contain a bunch of different landmarks and unique areas, but they are also filled with unique factions and settlements. These of course will be populated by unique characters, each of whom will have their own personalities, stories, motivations, and quests. This will further reward exploration, it will help you feel connected to the game's world, and of course, it will provide a ton of content. We can't wait to see the different personalities and stories these factions and settlements have to offer.
6 Consequences
Like a lot of RPGs, Dying Light 2 will be employing a consequences system. As we've established, Aiden will be interacting with a ton of different factions and settlements, and each will have their own distinct wants and needs. The game is allowing players the freedom to make their own decisions, but these decisions will have far-reaching consequences. Various factions will hate you, others will love you, and it's reported that entire areas of the map can be blocked off depending on your relationships with various factions. Now that's what we call a lot of pressure.
5 You Will Lose 25% Of The Game's Content
In fact, the consequences are so robust that you will lose a large chunk of the game's content thanks to dropped storylines, relationships, and areas. The game's director, Adrian Ciszewski, claims that players will lose roughly 25% of the game's content each playthrough due to their unique interactions, decisions, and resulting consequences. While this seems like a bit of a piss off, it does guarantee some fantastic replay value if you're into replaying video games and experiencing different outcomes.
4 Four Player Co-Op
One of the greatest elements of Dying Light was its four-player cooperative mode. It helped differentiate the game from its numerous predecessors, influences, and competitors, and it resulted in a ton of fun, and often hilarious, moments with your friends. Luckily, Techland realized that they were sitting on an absolute goldmine and implemented the four player cooperative mode in the sequel. With a map four times as large, this multiplayer experience promises to be even more fun, complex, and rewarding than the first game's. Get your friends ready, because it's going to be an absolute ball.
3 Different Zombie Types
Techland isn't simply rehashing all the same stuff from the first game. Like any great sequel, Dying Light 2 promises to contain all the things that made it a success in the first place, but it will also expand on its concept in many interesting ways.
The sequel will be implementing different zombie types, including the speedy Virals, the traditional shambling Biters, and the weak and decaying Degenerates. Like Left 4 Dead, each type will require a different approach and strategy to combat, and each will provide their own unique dangers.
2 Larger Emphasis On Narrative
The first Dying Light was a lot of fun, but its story was admittedly nothing great. That looks to change with Dying Light 2. As we've already covered, player agency and decisions will play a major role in how the story and character relationships play out. Techland hired writer Chris Avellone and various writers from The Witcher III to help pen the script, which promises to be far darker and more complicated than its predecessor's. We're all for that, especially considering the quality writing that was on display in The Witcher III. We can't wait to experience it.
1 More Hostile Human Enemies
Not only will the game contain a bunch of different zombie types, but it will also contain more hostile human enemies. In the first game, a large part of your time was spent dealing with the zombies. But now, especially when you consider the faction mechanic, you will be dealing with more humans. The writers were allegedly influenced by The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones, as both of those stories put just as much of an emphasis on their human villains than their supernatural ones. Sometimes, we are our own worst enemies.