Dying Light is a first person zombie survival game created by Techland. Techland was the creators behind Dead Island and Dead Island Riptide. In the early stages of development Dying Light was originally planned as a direct sequel to Dead Island, but Techland decided to build from the ground up and create a new IP. Dying Light takes place in Harran, a vast city that fate plagued with a zombie outbreak. The city calls their zombie inhabitants, “eaters” and you are also seeking to find the reported cure in the game called Antizin.
Story & Features
The story follows undercover operative Kyle Crane who is given the task to assess the situation on the ground. Not much else is known at this time about the story. Dying Light features free running and parkour elements allowing the player freedom to move smoothly, unlike Dead Island’s blocky, and sometimes irritating movement. Gun play is also greatly improved.
Dying Light features a day and night cycle that shows zombies to sometimes be stupid and even afraid of you during the day, but at night they go full on 28 Days Later on you. Which is where survivor sense really comes into play, as you can use the sense to find nearby zombies. Survivor sense can also be used to find items and objects that you can interact with in the vast land of Harran. Dying Light also has RPG elements into the game as you can slowly upgrade your character from noob to complete badass.
With preordering the game, you get the “Be the zombie” mode. “Be the zombie” works similar to Ubisoft’s Watch_Dogs in the fact that you can seamlessly invade someone else’s game when they get into the night-time gameplay. Four player co-op becomes a vital feature during this mode, because facing this certain player-controlled zombie is stronger than the NPC’s you will meet.
The website for the game allows you to register your preorder to receive weapon dockets which can be exchanged for unique weapons in-game, but be fast, because the sooner you register your preorder, the more dockets you will receive before the game releases. You need the date you preordered, the receipt/order number, your full name, where you preordered and the location’s address as well as the platform you preordered the game for.
Preorder Bonuses
If you preorder Dying Light from GameStop you will receive the “Be the zombie” pack along with exclusive weapons such as:
- Buzz Killer – “A Sledgehammer with reinforced handle and working buzz saw attached on its end. Especially effective against big, armored enemies as it cuts easily through their plating. If you had trouble fighting the Demolishers, the Buzz Killer will now make short work of them.”
- Lacerator – “An improvised weapon resembling a rake but definitely much more lethal. Its long sturdy shaft is crowned with a head of six shredded blades that cut deep into enemy flesh. With the Lacerator, you can make broad swings that will painfully wound multiple targets at once!”
- Night Club – “A steel pipe coupled with a glow tube protected by a metal casing. At night the tube flickers giving scant illumination. But every time you land a critical hit, the tube produces a short but painfully bright flash that blinds all enemies in range, making their execution a mere formality.”
Those who preorder Dying Light from Wal-Mart will receive a special urban uniform to use in customizing your character in-game. With a pre-purchase for Steam members, you get the “Be the zombie” mode and an exclusive weapon called, “The Punk Queen.”
Season Pass
Techland has released information about the season pass for Dying Light. The pass will contain the following:
- Cuisine & Cargo – Available first for Season Pass holders, these two hardcore missions let players put their skills to the greatest test. Investigate buildings sealed off in the very first days of the outbreak – with the infected inside. Explore ominous corridors of once the most famous restaurant in Harran, and use both stealth and combat to ransack a zombie-filled loading bay at an abandoned railroad yard.
- Ultimate Survivor Bundle – Players will receive seven unique in-game items that will bring fighting zombies to a whole new level. Grab three special outfits and four blueprints for over-the-top weapons to make your survival in the quarantine zone a good bit easier.
- The Bozak Horde – The last Season Pass drop will deliver a new map and gameplay, playable in either single-player or co-op. Go inside the Harran Stadium, the most famous landmark in the city, and test your combat know-how against relentless hordes of the Infected. Fight increasingly stronger and larger enemy waves as you oppose a mysterious psychopath called Bozak.
The cost of the season pass is set at a low $19.99. The first content pack will arrive February 25th and will be included the ultimate edition.
Additional Information
Dying Light releases in the United States on January 27th, 2015 for North America, January 28th in Asia, Australia and New Zealand, and January 30th in Europe. Dying Light is going to drop for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. Dying Light will reportedly run at 30 frames per second on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
**Update**
On January 17th Techland announced that there would be a short delay of physical copies of the game in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and the Middle East. These affected areas will still be able to obtain a digital copy. North America will have no worries of any delay.
