Dying Light: My Review

Hello readers! today I am doing something a little different with this post. I will be giving you guys my first video game review of the first person zombie game Dying Light. Now Dying Light has already been out since January of this year, but it had been put on sale recently and I took advantage of the opportunity to pick it up and see what the game had to offer, and honestly the game left me pretty impressed. Here’s my review.

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Dying Light is an open world, first person hack and slack/shooter, that has some RPG elements and a heavy focus on movement and maneuverability to traverse through environments and waves of zombies. The game is easy to pick up once you get used to the controls, but it is difficult to survive for long periods of time if you are not careful. You play as a double agent named Kyle Crane who winds up getting caught in a moral dilemma of choosing to help the survivors of this apocalyptic area or to help the group who sent him called the GRE (global relief effort).  After learning the true nature of the GRE, Kyle changes his mind and aims to support the survivors of the city. The storyline is pretty linear for an open world game and a big part of it is running around doing favors and helping out NPC’s with their struggles. This can get repetitive throughout the game but at times it really feels like you are contributing to a dying society. The story may be my least favorite part of the game since the objectives are similar and the main character just follows orders for most of the game. There is nothing wrong with this type of storytelling, but for me I would have appreciated some dialogue options that would allow me to make the decisions when Kyle was faced with difficult choices, and see how the results play out.

The Video below is from: IGN.

The video explains weapon customization and fighting options.

In Dying Light the freedom in fighting the undead is where the game truly shines. Once you’re done watching the slow cutscenes of the game, you are free to roam around the city, and search for all kinds of loot, such as health, money, weapons, weapon components, blueprints ( for new combination weapons) and other components for booster items. This freedom to approach the game any way you like gives you an unparalleled sense of control. As an example, you can choose to pick up an old pipe and bash your way through the streets or you can choose to upgrade it with a blueprint called “Ben Franklins Key” and make it an electrical attack weapon that causes the zombies to get electrocuted and shock one another when they’re close by, making it easier to deal with zombie crowds. This kind of “try it for yourself” mechanic makes combining weapons so refreshing and satisfying to use. Each weapon feels responsive based on its weight and they each have a level of durability. This provides a sense of realism because just as in real life, repeated use of an object would eventually ware it down, the weapons have a life span, and when the durability reaches zero, the weapon can no longer be used.

The Video below is from: GamesHQMedia.

This video shows campaign gameplay at nighttime.

On top of all the creative freedom you have to make your favorite weapon combinations, you also have the freedom to use parkour and basically turn the whole map into your playground. You are able to scale buildings, climb over zombies, and vault over fences with ease, and later in the game you can basically zoom to different areas across the map once you unlock the grappling hook. As you continue to level up your character you are able to unlock abilities that can help you gain and edge against the zombie hordes. One of my absolute favorites was the drop kick ability, in which your character throws his full force into a massive jump kick with both feet, that can completely knock back a group of zombies or stun the more armored ones. The game itself has a very balanced set of enemies ranging from the normal zombies, to some that can spit, explode, throw off a green poisonous gas, chase you intensely, and some that have super strength and can obliterate you in a few hits. There is also an amazing day and night cycle implemented into the game which creates this insane amount of tension, most especially when it is night time, since the more vicious zombies come out and always seem to have the jump on you, most especially in the first 4-5 hours of the game. The sense of darkness and the intensity of the “volatile” zombies chasing you is absolutely exhilarating, and by far some of my most favorite moments. Together all these elements add up to a fantastic open world game that feels fun, fluid, and exciting. There is always a new weapon to make, or a new consumable item to create which always gives you something to do, besides following the main quest or any side quests available. It is a blast finding new strategies that will enhance your character or your chances for survival. The game is a great addition for action fans and zombie fans alike, there is a ton of content here to enjoy, and as a suggestion, bring along three other friends for some intense 4 player drop in co op.

In my opinion the game has earned a very solid 8.5 out of 10.

If you enjoyed reading this post, and are interested in purchasing the game Dying Light, you can click the shopping link tab up top and click the direct link to purchase the game on Amazon.com.