We are back with more of Dying Light to report on. With the Day 1 and Day 2 impressions of the game effectively out of the way, we took a sort of break from the reporting side of things, in order to get deeper into the game. Needless to say, that rubbed off well and we are back with a Day 3 and Day 4 combined report on Techland's newest title.
Until now, as it seems, Techland has left no stones unturned in making Dying Light one of the top zombie games released so far. And it should also be mentioned that this 'Dead Island meets Mirror's Edge' ideology has worked out well for both the developer and the players.
Stuck to the game for more than 30 hours (adding all the times we were eaten alive), it has definitely taken a toll on all of us, as far as regular everyday habits are concerned. Not only have we successfully cut ourselves off from the outside world, friends and family have effectively decided to stop caring any further.
But that being said, it's all justified, keeping in mind the kind of joy we have extracted from the game thus far. Sure a lot of other zombie games let you hack down zombies with a plethora of weapons, but this one adds to that with its excellent movement mechanics and the level of challenge once the sun goes down.
That being said, before anything else, if you haven't gone through the first two days' impression of the game, you can check both of them out for both Day 1 and Day 2 impression of the game. This helps you get a bit of a foreground into what we are currently dealing with.
Dying Light Review In-Progress: Day 3+4
As we mentioned earlier, it has been more than 30 hours since we first put on the game. And this time, we have come to understand the game and mechanics better than when we first hit it off. And interestingly, as you level up, it feels like the entire dynamic of the game is also on a change.
When you keep levelling up regularly, taking on zombies and hordes becomes a bit easier. As far as our character is concerned, he has levelled quite well to become faster, agile and well-equipped than he was at the starting of the game. But make no mistake when we tell you that your character will level well and take on the zombies. Things continue to be equally tough when night time sets in.
However, if you are a born-explorer, you should have no issues finding the loot that matters. If you can find the right set of tools (read: weapons) and upgrade them well, you can rule the streets at day time. Further upgradation of your gear means you are now at par with even the most dangerous Biters out there.
When you are levelling up well and at regular intervals, you might not really miss the fact that guns are hard to come by. And even if you actually had some single or multiple shots firepower, it would only attract more of the undead onto your location. What we feel is that you will be better off if you take a bit of time (aside your everyday routine to just stay alive) and craft your own stuff.
Once you get deep into the game, understanding its mechanics and gameplay will be like the back of your hand. You won't really have much difficulty either taking on single opponents or hordes that follow. That is, as long as you keep your weapons well crafted, upgrade them regularly, and know how to evade a busy block. Even the night-time Volatiles may now seem comparatively easier to handle.
Needless to say, even though we are now well immersed in the game and somewhat familiar with the controls, we still managed to come across a few lethal encounters in the dark alleys and the disintegrating apartments. But apart from that, it's safe to say that the initial thrill might be gone. But that doesn't mean it's grown repetitive and boring.
On the contrary, there's still a lot of joy to be extracted from mutilating zombies with your equally capable hardware. For instance, keeping the levelling side of things intact, we are now able to hack even the most powerful ones in the street with our carefully crafted arsenal. You can even play around with the traps set all over the world.
However, you will still face a mountain to climb when coming up against the bigger ones that are either swinging their huge hammers at you, or the Demolishers with their concrete-throwing tactics. Not to mention, the several other human threats that carry guns around and are more capable than you, as far as close-range combat is concerned.
Exploring Old Town
However, if you are bored with the regular shanty-infested part of the town, you might get a bit of that thrill back into your system when heading over to the Old Town part of the map. This part of the town is much quainter and is quite the refresh from the ever present slums from the first part of the game. This, of course, is the second half of the map that you should hit upon soon.
Unlike the ever-present slums and warehouses to run over from the first part of the game, this half of the map offers more visually enthralling building and structures that look like they are out of the medieval era. And if you have enough Survivor ranks under your belt by this time, climbing such high-rise structures shouldn't be tough.
For instance, if you have effectively collected the Survivor ranks, it opens you up to a grappling hook. The grappling hook is quite the useful piece of gear if you are looking to zip across rooftops as quickly as possible and cover more distance in less amount of time (reminds us of Batman). But make note that the grappling hook has to recharge from time to time.
An Engrossing Story Plot
Apart from the usual hacking and dismembering of zombies, what has really kept us still stuck to the game is its unexpectedly thrilling and long story-line. Keeping up pace with the undead that has infested the world, it's also notable to mention that the in-game friendly characters are quite lifelike and have their own presence.
Also, it's quite easy to be distracted from the main story line with so many side missions and quests popping up every now and then. Not only will you come across a host of characters related to the main story, but also the ones that are present for the side missions.
For instance, there's this old gunsmith guy who adorns a wizard hat to keep the orphans distracted from the horrors outside. Very realistic and fills you with a lot of sympathy for the orphans inside, trying to look away from the butchery that's happening outside.
Keeping aside one or two missions from the main storyline, there are a number of side missions as well that actually pushes you to explore areas that you wouldn't necessarily barge into. What's more, these missions come with their own multi-faceted storyline that make each of the related characters a persistent figure in the world.
Again, we really want you to check out the game for yourself, and won't be giving out the story as of yet. But as we close down on the game, we shall be discussing in detail about the multiplayer side of things and how 'Be a Zombie' mode fared for us. Stay tuned for more updates!
