The end-time adventure “Dying Light” by Polish developer Techland, released in 2015, was never officially available in Germany. Both the uncut and the cut version landed on the index due to the brutally staged violence. The entertainment software self-control (USK) also got involved in the second part: “Dying Light 2” will be released on February 4, 2022 for PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S – but only in one for the German market customized version.
Dynamic game world: In between, you will meet troops of Peacekeepers who mess with hordes of zombies.
End time story with choices
In Dying Light 2 you control Aiden Caldwell. The pilgrim comes to the city of Villedor as a stranger and is looking for his sister Mia. He quickly gets caught between the rival groups of survivors living in the bazaar, the militant peacekeepers and the wild renegades. The villain, however, is the unscrupulous Waltz, with whom Aiden and Mia share a common past.
The German synchronization of “Dying Light 2” is convincing. In English, however, the game is even more authentic.
In “Dying Light 2” Techland not only stages the virtual struggle for survival, but also focuses more on memorable characters and story diversity. During the course of the game, you take positions several times and thereby change the story. This depth of decision suits “Dying Light 2” well and gives your own actions a certain scope.
Parkour is the star!
Set enemy groups on fire with Molotov cocktails and give yourself a short breather.
How you play in “Dying Light 2” depends heavily on the prevailing time of day: During the day, the zombies retreat more into the houses, so you can run through the streets without any problems and encounter more bandits there. At night, however, the passages are partly flooded with monsters and mutations. Accordingly, you should then switch to the roofs. At the same time, the day and night changes also affect exploration and the search for resources. Certain areas, such as subway stations, are better explored at night.
Similar to “Assassin’s Creed”, use tall grass and other cover options to sneak up on your next victims. Aiden’s sense of survival is used to help you find enemies and objects even through walls and make them visible.
Special mutations require a bit more skill and tactics: This colossus swings a mighty club and deals area damage with it.
“Assassin’s Creed” with zombies?
“Dying Light 2” gives you a comparatively large amount of freedom. The fights therefore meander between wild brawls and tactical skirmishes. The navigation through the city and the interspersed puzzles require skill and overview. This mix works – despite the overloaded controls and technical problems. Occasionally the character gets stuck on objects or unsightly graphic errors occur. Especially the transition between game graphics and cutscenes is sometimes too abrupt.
“Dying Light 2” downplays the open-world keyboard very confidently over long stretches and is noticeably based on the competition. The big surprises are therefore missing. Meanwhile, the progression is surprisingly sluggish: The zombie adventure requires a lot of time and only comes up with the big rewards later in the game. The first third, on the other hand, drags on noticeably and you have the feeling of treading water.
In the second half of the game you finally use the paraglider and fly through the city.
Only when you unlock the second district (in the test after around 15 hours of play) and thus also the fast travel and the paraglider, “Dying Light 2” noticeably gains momentum, since you can now bridge the sometimes long distances faster. The game certainly has lengths and quirks, such as the clearly simple enemy AI in the sneak passages. At the same time, however, it creates intense moments and in many moments offers exactly what made the first part a surprise success.
Release “Dying Light 2”: February 4, 2022 for PC, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and PlayStation 4/5.