Techland is still hard at work on Dying Light 2, and the game is trudging along nicely toward its release next year. The new first-person action title marks some significant alterations for the franchise, but that doesn’t mean the developer is abandoning the old feel established by the first entry. Apparently the first Dying Light isn’t dead yet either.
According to the statement from Techland, the team “had a meeting right before E3 where we said we still wanted to add things to the first one,” and that’s exactly what that team is doing.
The company has actually been pumping out new content for the game at a breakneck speed. Last year, Techland released 10 DLC packs in 12 months as part of an ongoing support plan, and they are not done yet. As lead designer Tymon Smektala told the press, “supporting a game like Dying Light for such a long time allows us to be slightly more crazy, and slightly more creative with some things, and also test some ideas and gameplay elements that we’re not sure about.”
No details yet about what other content the team may add, but their focus is primarily on shippimg Dying Light 2, so it would be reasonable for the devs to get a little break for a while.
And speaking of the second game in the franchise, it’s taking the series in a bold new direction. Zombie games, though very fun, have often been rather linear in their storytelling and gameplay. Dying Light 2 is looking to change that by putting a lot more effort into developing the story in a meaningful way. The game will push the player to make certain choices, ones which will have a definite impact on the way the story progresses and how other characters react to the player.
In one playthrough, a crucial faction might turn against you, locking out rewarding missions. In another playthrough, a series of good decisions could reward you with some ultra-powerful gear or new missions that weren’t previously available. Techland has said that player decisions could mean we’ll only ever see 30% of the game in our first playthrough; monsters may never appear and areas of the map might never be uncovered. You’ll have to play around to see what secrets you can unover.
Dying Light 2 is out on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One on 2020.
