Preview: Dying Light: The Beast May Be the Best the Series Has Ever Been

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Dying Light: The Beast is basically Dying Light refined, and we think that’s great news.

Lately, I visited Poland for a chance to try out Techland’s newest release on PC. Spending around four hours wandering through the fresh landscape of Castor Woods, uncovering its narrative, and acclimating myself to the amusingly named Beast Mode left me quite impressed and eagerly anticipating further playtime.

Dying Light: The Beast

Over a ten-year timespan following the initial game, our story finds Kyle Crane once more in the limelight. During this extended period, he’s been subjected to unsavory experiments by an ominous figure known as Baron. However, with his newly acquired bestial abilities and a burning thirst for retribution, Kyle breaks free from these tormentors.

The Beast isn’t comparable to a complete game such as Dying Light 2: Stay Human; instead, it originated as a downloadable content (DLC) for the second installment. Over time, its scope expanded and it was released independently. Techland estimates that you’ll encounter more than 18 hours of main storyline and additional content, and we can confirm that it never felt constrained by the typical size of DLCs.

As a gamer, I jumped right into the action once the game began, finding myself exploring Castor Woods for the first time. This digital landscape is a video game dream come true, with its marshy swamps, bustling cities, verdant forests, and iconic landmarks like the eerie Mental Asylum.

In some areas, the map was blocked off for us, but we had a wonderful time exploring wherever our curiosity led us. The Beast is jam-packed with delightful distractions, such as apartments and shops containing better loot, groups of zombies to slay, and intriguing designs. We appreciated the atmosphere of Villedor in Dying Light 2, but Castor Woods has a more playful charm about it.

A significant aspect of this is also attributed to the parkour, which will indeed be reintroduced. Techland has fashioned what they refer to as “Parkour Playground” within densely populated zones such as Old Town. These areas incorporate standard parkour elements like poles for jumping between buildings, trash cans for softening falls, and apartments for quick shortcuts.

Parkour continues to feel intuitive and enjoyable, especially in more congested zones. Yet, at times, it can be somewhat tricky when attempting to conquer its climbing challenges. Occasionally, we encountered instances where we had to redo monotonous ascents due to missing a foothold or the route ahead was not clearly defined.

In contrast to these sprawling parkour playgrounds, there are expansive, flatter terrains that significantly alter your gameplay experience. Since we were on the highest difficulty level, we needed to employ strategic use of parkour, equipment, and weapons. Even small clusters of zombies could pose a challenge if not handled with caution.

In larger, open areas, our search was either for explosive containers in close proximity or resorting to the classic dropkick technique to create some space. These expanses could prove quite unpredictable, particularly during the nighttime scenes.

The cycle of day and night remains a constant, but the ominous presence of “The Beast” is reverting back to its terrifying origins. During the night sequences, you’re incessantly evading the alpha Volatiles, which creates an excruciatingly tense atmosphere. A piercing sound effect is employed each time a Volatile comes into view, resulting in us playing these segments with bated breath, jumping at even the slightest hint of danger.

Despite initially not being frightened, we found relief in the amusingly named Beast Mode. Kyle’s fury would escalate during battle, leading to enhanced strength and aggressive assaults. These benefits could significantly alter combat dynamics, particularly during nighttime encounters when you can now engage directly with a previously mentioned Volatile.

As a gamer, I rack up Beast points by taking down these Chimeras, which are not just tough enemies but also quite diverse and full of surprises, based on the ones I’ve faced so far. The skill tree in this game offers some exciting options for enhancing my Beast abilities, such as a speedy sprint, a powerful ground-shaking attack, and even the temporary activation of a Beast Mode.

The storyline and gameplay complement each other, reinforcing the game’s strict and focused atmosphere. It refrains from adopting a humorous approach, which can enhance the overall enjoyment. Remarkably, the cutscenes are handled exceptionally well, with a fresh directed cinematography style replacing the first-person cutscenes from the previous two games. We were delighted by this alteration and enjoyed watching gruff Kyle in action.

The game is beautifully presented visually, though we’ll have to observe its performance on both PS5 and potential future versions like PS5 Pro. From what we’ve seen so far, it’s an exceptionally stunning game. One of the most captivating scenes for us was leaping from rooftop to rooftop in a race against time to reach our destination. A highlight was exiting an apartment to be greeted by a breathtaking, sun-soaked panorama of Old Town with rustling foliage swaying in the wind. The game is incredibly immersive in this regard.

After the debate about excess in Dying Light 2, we’re eagerly anticipating immersing ourselves in a more concentrated Dying Light game. The Beast seems reminiscent of the original game with hints of its popular DLC, The Following. It boasts an engaging setting, stunning graphics, and masterfully blends open-world exploration with linear content.

As a die-hard fan, I can’t help but feel exhilarated about the shape Dying Light: The Beast is taking. It’s not about re-inventing the wheel, but rather, it looks like an action-packed explosion of zombie excitement – and if things go as planned, it could very well be the finest addition to the series yet.

Hey there fellow gaming enthusiast! If you’re hyped for Dying Light like me, then get ready to unleash your excitement about The Beast! Let’s keep our inner beasts tamed when it comes to commenting though; after all, we don’t want to spoil the fun for others.

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2025-07-21 17:07