If you’re one of the thousands of players who are still wondering what happened to Kyle Crane, the protagonist from the first Dying Light installment, believe me when I say you’re not alone. Techland has finally given us some light on what to expect, but there’s more to it, and we won’t be sure until Dying Light: The Beast finally gets released.
I’ve been a big fan of the Dying Light series. The first title was simply “perfect”, in almost any way, while the second one was full of bugs, weird glitches, and lots, lots of new updates. As most fans already know, we were waiting for a new update for Dying Light 2 Stay Human, but instead, we got a new standalone expansion, which will feature Kyle Crane in Castor Woods, a new open-world region that I simply can’t wait to play.
What is Dying Light: The Beast?
The new standalone expansion will take place in Castor Woods, a new area that was once a popular tourist destination, now overrun by zombies, abandoned, yet full of [dead] life. But it’s not just about the place, it’s about Kyle Crane, who escaped his captors, discovers that there’s more at stake than just seeking revenge, and now has zombie DNA that boosts his abilities.
From the trailer, we can see many common features that we’ve already seen in Dying Light 2, and what bothers me is that I don’t see a big difference when it comes to graphics and new innovations. For example, if Dying Light: The Beast is simply a Dying Light 2 expansion promoted as a standalone game, that would be a nightmare for me. We need something new, without the bugs and glitches that we got with the second installment, and not just a simple expansion.
I want the same big differences that we’ve seen between the first and second titles, which were pretty huge. Have you played Dying Light recently? From the graphics to the moves to the options that we get, the differences between the first and second titles are extremely big. If Dying Light: The Beast ends up being a simple Dying Light 2 expansion with a newer map, I think I’ll skip buying it and I’ll end up watching some walkthroughs just to get an idea.
Techland is focusing on the story though, and that’s what will make most fans purchase the game, as everyone wants to know what actually happened to Kyle Crane – and they’re giving it for free for players who brought the Ultimate Edition of the second installment (which unfortunately I didn’t, and you can’t either, now).
Everything we know about Dying Light: The Beast
As of this moment of writing, Techland has only told us that much about the upcoming Dying Light: The Beast. What we mostly know is what we’ve seen from the trailer, but I’ll keep the article updated whenever we know something new.
Setting and Story
When it comes to the setting and story of the game, this time around, our good ol’ buddy Kyle Crane is back (yes, despite that whole “I’m definitely dead” thing from The Following DLC). The story takes place in Castor Woods, which used to be a cute little tourist spot until, you know, the apocalypse happened.
Kyle’s on a personal revenge mission after being experimented on for 13 years, apparently, though, there’s more at stake than just getting even.
Gameplay
Think about it; Kyle has been experimented on for 13 years, which means that he now probably possesses new powers, which if I am not mistaken, will help him explore the city more easily. New parkour moves, maybe? More intense survival instincts? Who knows, but we’re going to see a few new things and features added to the game, that’s for sure.
Kyle Crane has also gained beast-like powers from years of experimentation, and it seems that we will be able to use those powers to enhance our combat abilities in specific situations. And if you miss driving a car from Dying Light 1, as the trailer showed us, there will be driving!
Weapons
There’s not much to say for now, but we can only expect that as with previous games, Dying Light: The Beast will also feature many of the same and similar weapons, and I suspect that they will also be able to upgrade further. In the announcement trailer, we already see a few of the available weapons, including a rifle, pistol, shotgun, knives, throwing knives, and even a beautiful bow.
Voice Cast (Guess Who’s Back?)
Roger Craig Smith is reprising his role as Kyle Crane. No word on the rest of the cast yet, but Kyle’s back and that’s all that matters… for now.
Standalone Game
It may started as a humble DLC for Dying Light 2, but the developers thought that Dying Light: The Beast would be better as a standalone game. “It initially started during our work on DLC2, but a story leak made us rethink the narrative, the scope and the general approach,” Techland states through their official website.
A self contained zombie survival adventure offering a new setting, new set of gameplay features and new story, culminating in a standalone, 18+ hours adventure.
What’s interesting to me is the “18+ hours adventure” statement. In case you forgot about it, Dying Light 2 was about 20 to 24 hours of gameplay, so their new standalone title is not that small of a release, and it may get even bigger when Techland starts releasing new updates for it.
Pricing and Availability
If you already own the Ultimate Edition of Dying Light 2, you’re in luck because you’ll get this for free. The standard price has not yet been announced. Dying Light: The Beast will be released for PCs (Steam and Epic Games Store), Xbox, and PlayStation.
When is Dying Light: The Beast going to be released?
For the time being, there aren’t any official announcements when it comes to Dying Light: The Best release date, but I expect that they will release it pretty soon. Techland has also been busy promoting their new game, with new videos and pictures getting uploaded on their social media accounts every so often.
Now, although we’ve been told that the game is almost finished, I don’t believe we will see it getting released in 2024. Considering that Dying Light 1 was released back on January 27th, 2015, the company may release The Beast on its 10th anniversary.
And if Techland wants to avoid making the same mistakes they did with the launch of Dying Light 2, which was full of bugs and still is (especially in the multiplayer mode), they should take their time and make sure their new title is (the least) playable.
