Dying Light 2 comes out tomorrow and the least we can say is that it has divided the critics. The zombie sauce survival game has many qualities and also many flaws and everyone will probably know what interests them the most and the “forgivable flaws”. Our test of the PS5 version has already been available since yesterday if you ever want to take a look.
For those still hesitating to acquire it on the old generation of consoles, here a quick review of the PS4 version.
The performance of the PS4 version
In addition to this mini-review, we captured some footage on PS4 Pro to illustrate what we say. First of all, let’s remember that in terms of content, nothing has changed. If you want to have a complete opinion on the whole title, we refer you once again to our test. We still take the opportunity to add that the cooperation mode works rather well according to our first tests. Players can thus join your game (friend or strangers depending on your choices in the options) and accompany you in the story mode. When you leave the session, you keep everything you picked up (even collectibles like notes or audio tapes).
On PS4, Dying Light 2 does pretty well compared to the PS5 version. The Downgrade is not as violent as we imagined and visually we have a fairly close rendering. Whether indoors with horrific atmospheres, and especially outdoors, the visual immersion remains intact. The depth of field is dazzling and the level of detail is decent overall.
Difficult to pass after parkour sensations in 60 FPS (in performance mode on PS5) as Dying Light 2 is one of those games that benefits the most. Whether for movement or combat, it moves a lot and this lack of fluidity can be quite frustrating. The PS4 version thus does the bare minimum by holding 30 FPS during the vast majority of the adventure.. On the other hand, we cannot escape some slowdowns during sequences with a lot of screen elements like in a night pursuit. Fortunately the fights are spared and nothing really interferes with the action even with the few possible acrobatics.
The big concerns of the PS4 version
Concretely, this PS4 version is not unplayable but it poses 2 major problems. First, the loading times. For example, just to start your game from the main menu, count about 2 minutes. We also notice that some elements of the decor and some textures take time to appear.
The technical concessions to maintain an acceptable experience have unfortunately been made at the level of crowd management in the environments. For a title where the stress and fear of the infected are important, the immersion takes a hit. On the ground, the streets lack life (or rather death) if we exclude strategic places (such as points giving access to resources), an observation which is particularly felt during the night phases which are supposed to be the pinnacle of anxiety given that during the day, most of the infected are hidden in dark areas.
In conclusion
If you are itching to try the adventure Dying Light 2 and you can’t afford to enjoy it on PC or a next-gen console, the PS4 version may do the trick if you’re not too careful. If you’re planning on picking up a PS5 or Xbox Series in the future, be aware that Xbox One and PS4 versions can get upgraded versions for free. Keep in mind, however, that our tests were carried out on PS4 Pro. In view of these observations, we will remain cautious in not recommending the game on PS4 Fat. Even if the parkour and the fights offer a correct rendering and it remains visually pleasing to the eye, the low number of zombies outside makes the immersion much less credible.