The Dying Light franchise has been around for quite some time. It is probably one of the most frequently ported series I can recall covering over the past decade. Originally developed and released for PS4, Xbox One, and PC, the game was later brought to the Switch and went on to receive numerous re-releases throughout its lifespan, each adding small bits of content. The post-launch support has been impressive and helped keep the game alive for years.
The sequel to Dying Light took its time to arrive, but for some players, it turned out to be a little disappointing. Techland has now followed it up with Dying Light: The Beast, a planned DLC that has grown into a full-scale game of its own. Having played all the previous entries, I found it a stronger experience than the sequel. It also feels more polished, with some nice performance improvements over its predecessor, though those improvements do come with a few sacrifices.
While Dying Light 2 introduced a new protagonist, many fans were eager to return to Kyle Crane, the hero from the first game. The newly released successor delivers on that, putting players back in control of Kyle after the events of the original. For those who have not played the earlier games, there is a well-done flashback available right from the main menu that sums up Kyle’s journey and explains how he ended up in the situation shown in the opening prologue. In short, a lot of terrible things happen, with humans often proving to be more dangerous than the infected, and Kyle eventually finds himself on the wrong side of it all.
The opening prologue shows Kyle being experimented on before chaos erupts, and he is rescued by a mysterious figure. As the title suggests, The Beast centers on the enhanced abilities Kyle gains from these experiments. This includes a Beast mode that grants him unnatural strength and stamina, allowing him to tear through hordes of enemies with ease. The game also returns to the roots of the franchise, leaning into what made the first Dying Light stand out compared to the sequel. The story is more contained this time, focusing on Kyle’s personal struggles and the harsh reality of surviving among other humans in a collapsing world.
The story now takes place in a more focused world map called the Castor Woods. This area includes varied biomes like forests mixed with swamps, which offer a refreshing change of pace compared to the sequel. The parkour mechanics are also a lot more enjoyable this time around, almost feeling like an Assassin’s Creed game in first person. The developers have designed the parkour so that it is neither overly hand-holding nor frustrating to use. Kyle can grab onto buildings, leap across ledges, and slip through openings when he spots them. The gameplay loop is satisfying, blending parkour with combat that features breakable weapons which can also be repaired, as well as a melee system. The new Beast mode acts as a temporary power-up, with skills that can be unlocked and items that can be crafted over time through scavenging.
While the game’s villain is fairly generic and the main theme leans toward a revenge plot, the journey remains enjoyable thanks in large part to Kyle Crane’s character and the performance of his voice actor. The game is not limited to a linear story either. There is plenty of side content, and it is worth exploring since some of these quests introduce characters that could easily be missed by sticking only to the main story. The tighter focus on a more streamlined experience, rather than a sprawling adventure, pays off with better-written and more developed characters. The cinematic presentation is still excellent, with cutscenes so well made that I sometimes had to stop and check if they were real-time or pre-rendered.
When it comes to visuals, the game looks great and performs excellently on PC. I reviewed it first with a pre-release copy and later with the final launch build, and I did not run into many issues in either version. The PC version also offers plenty of graphics options to tweak, with support for both upscaling and frame generation. The one thing I missed, though, was the lack of ray tracing and ray-traced global illumination. These features made Dying Light 2 feel much more dynamic, and while they came with a performance cost, it was one I would have gladly taken.
Dying Light: The Beast is one of the most enjoyable co-op games I have played in a while. That said, it is disappointing that cross-platform play is still missing. Being able to join friends across PC and PS5 would have been a big plus, so the lack of it feels like a missed opportunity. On the positive side, the story, characters, and gameplay are all stronger and more engaging this time around. The setting feels fresh, the performance is solid, and overall, there is little to complain about.
Dying Light: The Beast Game Information
- Price: $59.99
- Publisher: Techland
- Developer: Techland
- Platform: PC (Reviewed)
- Disclaimer: A review code was given by the publisher
