About half the side-quests - typically those found in major settlements - are time-sensitive optional but fleshed out, with links to current events and secondary characters. There are minor variations based on your current alliances but only a handful of faction-specific missions at the midpoint and before the finale. These choices allow you to shape the state of the city in the ending and provide gameplay benefits, but you still play through most of the same story missions. For story quests, this often means supporting one of the factions or not getting involved at all.įor side-quests resolutions, it might simply change how characters greet you in passing. Adding weight to your actions - and providing an incentive to replay the story - Dying Light 2 introduces branching outcomes to both its story- and side-quests. Narrative progression operates as you’d expect from an open-world game: a series of shorter investigation or preparation-focused missions, before a lengthy and multi-phase mission that’ll take you through unique locations and advance the story significantly. I sent hundreds of infected and bandits hurtling to their doom over 40-hours - each and every kick providing a sadistic thrill. It’s an important narrative element but also a gameplay consideration when out at night or exploring indoors.ĭamnable motion-blur makes it hard to capture what is probably the single most satisfying element of the game - flying kicks. Complicating matters is that everyone in The City - including Aiden - are infected with the latest strain of the Harran virus and need to stay near UV lights at night to avoid turning. Aiden discovers the former head scientist has emerged in The City, acquires a rare Global Relief Effort (GRE) electronic key that everyone would kill for, and needs to work with several factions and free agents to get close to Waltz’ stronghold. The pair were kidnapped, along with hundreds of other children, for dubious vaccine research and separated during the lab fire that allowed them to escape. You take control of Aiden, a mistrusted “pilgrim” - think post-apocalyptic courier of messages, goods, and people - arriving in “The City” (nee Villador) on the hunt for his sister. Techland has never been big on complex or well-told stories, but Dying Light 2 tries to break that trend with variable success. There are some spoiler-ish examples I’ll avoid, but they’ll have you rolling your eyes when it happens. Nefarious scientists, weaponized viruses, experimentation on children, suppressed memories, ruthless leaders, allies with a dark past - you name it, you’ll find it somewhere in Dying Light 2’s narrative. The writers must have access to a whole encyclopaedia of cliches, from which they cobbled together background events, faction ideologies, and character archetypes. As a result, Dying Light 2 is a far more playable game than its predecessor, but also one that no longer feels as unique. With the shift to a larger, more conventional open-world structure - with all the repetition and pacing issues that brings - it loses some of its identity. Unfortunately, it’s a case of two steps forward and one step back. I’m even more surprised it includes most of the promised features and (mostly) runs well out the gate. I’m honestly amazed Dying Light 2 emerged from development hell intact.
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