Dying Light: The Beast review

Ripping the face off of zombies while planning your next parkour jaunt is bloody fabulous. Though the core mechanics for Dying Light: The Beast feel familiar, the beefy protagonist and excellent combat overcome the sense of deja vu. Furthermore, the open world is a joy to explore. The 28 Days Later vibe is uncomfortable, and a clear path to your objective will never be found.

This sense of death, destruction, and doom is often depressing. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel as you batter every brain-munching arse hat you encounter. Looting, crafting, and exploration are key elements to this zombie survival game. Techland has again proven to be a champion in its horrendous field of choice.

Dying Light: The Beast has a paper-thin plot.

Where Dying Light: The Beast falls short is its paper-thin plot. Though this was a little disappointing, it doesn’t impact the gruesome action. Instead, you enjoy hours of fighting and parkour moments. Additionally, there are loads of side quests and interesting NPCs to interact with. These encounters are enjoyable enough to paper over the cracks in the plot.

You control Kyle Crane, a human who is somehow immune to the zombie infection. Though this sounds like a golden ticket, it isn’t. The Baron takes this mind-blowing trait and attempts to benefit from it. The unlucky protagonist is the unfortunate recipient of endless experiments. However, once he breaks free of his shackles, he seeks revenge as a half-man, half-beast hybrid.

Familiar action.

Dying Light: The Beast treads familiar ground. Fighting, exploration, and crafting are all commonplace and well-trodden. Now, this isn’t a complaint, but think of it like putting on a comfy pair of slippers. You know exactly where you are with the core action, even though there are some minor changes.

As you explore the world and tick off the central quests, you must take down hulking zombie beasts called Chimeras. These disgusting animals contain special DNA that improves your skills and abilities. Consequently, hunting down each one improves your chances of victory and survival.

Alongside this, you must tackle the night/day cycle. Exploring the world once the sun goes down is bloody deadly. Moreover, the sense of danger is amplified as you navigate each area in darkness. Volatiles will swarm you, and having your face, arms, and legs ripped off is all too common.

Plenty of bosses.

A zombie game wouldn’t be a zombie game without a smattering of cruel bosses to overcome. Each of these hideous creatures pushes you to test your skills and combat prowess. The brutal nature of each creature puts their peasant lowly street walkers to shame.

Dying Light: The Beast is a stomach-churning game.

I tried to play this with a house full of people. Unfortunately, due to the varied age ranges, I wasn’t able to proceed. The gruesome nature of each boss battle and zombie encounter is enough to turn your stomach. Blood, guts, and half-smashed in faces are all too familiar. If you then add the daunting and never-ending shuffle of each brain muncher, it makes for rather uncomfortable viewing.

Though I loved how it looked, it was the audio that shone through. The daunting soundtrack is absolutely insane. The developers have got this element spot on. Minor-toned music adds suspense and tension to every expedition. On top of this, the groans and moans of each zombie make your skin crawl.

Minor bugs.

Dying Light: The Beast is so big that a few bugs are to be expected. None of these glitches ruined the game, and I can’t complain about the frame rate or performance. I tested it on PC and Xbox, and I was impressed with both. Yes, there were some silly moments, but these were few and far between. Consequently, the developer has worked hard to remove any extreme issues.

Playing on either PC or console was easy. The layout for your controller or mouse and keyboard was intuitive. Furthermore, a solid tutorial gets you up to speed. Though some of the parkour elements were tricky, a little practice goes a long way.

Due to the open-world nature of the action, you can lose yourself for hours. Additionally, there are plenty of side quests and loads of bosses to tackle. This variety keeps things interesting, and I’d happily tackle this repeatedly without getting bored.

Dying Light: The Beast gets Techland back to their best.

I’m a huge fan of the franchise, and I expected big things from this game. Luckily, Dying Light: The Beast didn’t disappoint. The gameplay is hardcore, gruesome, and gory. Moreover, the bosses are fantastic, and there is always a sense of death and despair as you undertake every journey. As such, though it is familiar, I loved it and recommend grabbing a copy from the Xbox store.