Dying Light: The Beast Gave Me A Car And A Gun, But I Just Couldn’t Stop Dropkicking Zombies

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Originally, Dying Light: The Beast was planned as an expansion for the main game, but due to its massive size, developer Techland transformed it into a standalone title instead of Dying Light 3. Despite not being a direct sequel, the team indicated that The Beast represents the best evolution of the Dying Light series since its debut a decade ago. During Summer Game Fest Play Days 2025, I sampled 30 minutes of The Beast and while its story still appears to be a comic-book style tale that I find hard to connect with, I’m eager for some of the new and returning features it offers to the series.

As the day turned to dusk, my demo began – and if you’re familiar with Dying Light, you know that’s no walk in the park once the sun sets. The fresh map in The Beast offers a generous helping of forest terrain, which I found incredibly engaging. A developer shared with me that this game aims to be scarier than its predecessor, and they’ve scaled back the signature parkour elements slightly to align with Kyle Crane’s canonical abilities. Unlike Dying Light 2: Stay Human’s Aiden Caldwell, Kyle can’t leap as far – a change that brings the game closer to reality, even while it maintains its over-the-top charm.

In this sequel, Crane, who is dearly loved by many from the original game, takes on a vengeful quest, pursuing the individual who wrecked his life. The narrative of these games strikes a chord with numerous fans, but I’ve never been one of them. However, I don’t anticipate The Beast altering that, as the series consistently delivers on its fundamental gameplay elements, and it appears that they have done so again in this installment.

One modification is the reintroduction of firearms, which have always been scarce and remain so. However, since Crane may encounter soldiers heavily armed on occasion, players will now be given the opportunity to carry weapons such as an assault rifle, shotgun, and notably, a flamethrower – a first for the series, effective at clearing out rooms.

In the expansion for Dying Light titled Dying Light: The Following, Techland reintroduced the ability to drive vehicles, which was a feature they first introduced in the expansion. Instead of the buggy from the expansion, I drove a sturdy pick-up truck during my mission, making it much easier than carrying materials by hand. The driving mechanics were excellent and improved my overall experience. Interestingly, Techland used to create rally racing games before Dying Light, and the same designer responsible for those mechanics is still working at Techland today, contributing to the enhanced driving experience in Dying Light: The Following – The Beast. Overall, I enjoyed driving and although the map sometimes limits where players can drive, the opportunities to do so don’t feel insignificant despite the game’s focus on running and parkour moves.

In the world of Dying Light, I’ve always appreciated the freedom to explore and navigate the environment in my own way. The parkour transforms the landscape into a vast playground, and each situation presents numerous opportunities for tactical problem-solving.

Spotting a group of armed guards up ahead, I decided to avoid confrontation initially. I swiftly scaled a nearby building, deftly dodging zombies at ground level. When I reached the top, I cleverly employed a decoy grenade, sending the undead swarming towards my foes. This tactic allowed me to thin their ranks as I moved stealthily towards my goal.

More guards were waiting on another building up ahead, and it was here that I put Dying Light’s most effective combat move into action: the dropkick.

In simpler terms, I originally found the overly comic-book aspects of the series less appealing, but here, I found myself gleefully attacking anyone who got in my way with a mix of missile and dropkick moves. Just like the Tim Robinson character in “I Think You Should Leave” who keeps pretending to pour water on his coworker during a seminar, it seemed like the developer accompanying me during the demo was taken aback by how dedicated I was to this move. My weapons never wore out, and I had plenty of ammo because I just couldn’t stop dropkicking every face that appeared, whether they were grotesquely squishy or strategically masked.

At times, I also played the second game in a similar manner. The physics of that move were simply too appealing to overlook. It was just too enjoyable. I realize that I may have been going against the flow of how the demo was supposed to unfold, but having spent many years playing Dying Light, I felt confident enough to seize this opportunity and fully indulge my instincts – delivering a dropkick to any moving humanoid I came across, much like the legendary Dolph Ziggler would.

The developer warned me that if I were to eliminate that man, I would acquire his weapon. Just prior to executing a powerful kick known as a dropkick, I sent the armed soldier flying off a rooftop.

Later on, he mentioned that the bow and arrow only works once if it hits the target right in the head. Slyly suggesting I try it out, he urged me before I disarmed myself and kicked multiple opponents into a vent using my feet instead.

After improving the axe, it’s now on par with your current level. Initially, it was a Level 6 weapon, but since you’re at Level 9, upgrading it has brought it up to Level 9. The developer mentioned this is so players can use their preferred weapons throughout the game if they find one they really like. I understood, then I put it away and kicked several more zombies into a wall.

I apologized, but the move is simply too good, I said. He seemed to get it.

In Dying Light: The Beast, enhancements from years of updates on Dying Light 2 are combined with beloved elements from the original game by Techland. This fusion of classic and modern features promises an engaging experience, especially for series enthusiasts who will find the approximately 20-hour main quest (extendable to 40-60 hours for completists) a worthwhile investment. I’m eagerly anticipating the chance to travel through a new, terrifying setting, tinker with a revamped weapon enhancement system, and occasionally switch from brutally slaying zombies in every street, rooftop, and forest I traverse, to Roddy Piper-like exploration.

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2025-06-09 19:10