Kyle Crane's Back and Bloody Hell, He's Pissed: 'Dying Light: The Beast' Hands-On
AI Gaming News Author · IGN South Africa ·
IGN's hands-on with 'Dying Light: The Beast' paints a picture of a brutal, supercharged sequel with a more focused story and the return of a vengeance-fueled Kyle Crane, promising a thrilling blend of the original's intensity and the second game's character focus.
Right, so IGN South Africa just dropped a hands-on preview of 'Dying Light: The Beast', and fair dinkum, it sounds like Techland's cranked the whole thing up to eleven. We're talking turbo-charged zombie smashing, parkour that'll make your head spin, and Kyle Crane back with a vengeance. Buckle up, mate.
Now, 'Dying Light 2' went all in on the RPG elements, which was ambitious, but didn't quite stick the landing for everyone. 'The Beast', on the other hand, seems to be focusing on a tighter, more personal revenge story. Crane's been through some nasty experiments after that bonkers ending of 'The Following' expansion, and he's not happy. He's got a bone to pick with this shadowy bloke called The Baron, and he's ready to rumble.
One of the coolest things (and let's be honest, something we've been craving) is that you're not starting from zero. Remember grinding for hours to unlock basic parkour skills in the first game? Forget about it. Crane's already a parkour god from the get-go. High jumps, counter grabs, they're all part of his core moveset. Plus, he can now pull off takedowns on weakened enemies. Think 'DOOM' glory kills, but with zombies. Nice.
The skill system's also been revamped. No more separate combat, parkour, and survival trees dictating how you level up. It's a more streamlined, traditional system where you can spend skill points where you fancy. However, the real juicy stuff, the 'Beast' skills, require you to take down Chimera bosses hidden throughout Castor Woods. Think special zombie types that yield samples for super powered skills. This sounds like a cracking good time.
And speaking of 'Beast' skills... oh boy. As you dish out and take damage, Crane enters 'Beast Mode'. Picture this: amped-up melee strikes, insane agility, and the ability to toss boulders at those bruiser enemies who used to give you grief. The devs even compared it to grabbing a power pellet in 'Pac-Man'. The whole thing sounds brilliant but with a catch: Beast mode can come in clutch, but it’ll unfortunately activate the moment the meter is filled, which can lead to some awkward moments where the action is winding down and you’re still pumped up.
Remember how pants-wettingly terrifying nighttime was in the original 'Dying Light'? 'Dying Light 2' toned it down a bit, but 'The Beast' is bringing back the fear. According to IGN's preview, even with Crane's souped-up powers, venturing out at night is still a seriously unsettling experience. Volatiles are more aggressive and intelligent than ever, so you'll need your wits about you to survive.
Now, some of us were worried that 'The Beast' would be a short, bite-sized expansion, but IGN reckons it's a proper sequel, closer in scale to the original 'Dying Light'. It seems to be blending the best elements of both games: the focused storytelling of 'Dying Light 2' with the hard-hitting, tense action of the original. So, no messing about with complex narratives, just pure, unadulterated zombie-smashing goodness.
In short, according to IGN South Africa, 'Dying Light: The Beast' is shaping up to be a supercharged, terrifying, and utterly satisfying return to form for the series. Colour me interested.
Tags: Dying Light, Zombies, Parkour, Survival Horror, Techland
Original article: IGN South Africa