Techland's Dying Light 2 has been in development since 2016, and fans of the first game have been waiting for new details about the sequel. Many praised Dying Light for its unique parkour mechanics and strong fear factor, as it dumped players into high-speed chases against zombie hordes. The sequel's production has not been without controversy, with reports of an allegedly hostile work environment and a lack of stable vision at the Dying Light 2 studio.
These problems reportedly complicated production considerably, and the emerging COVID-19 pandemic likely exacerbated them. Despite this, the development team has continued working to complete the game. New gameplay elements, a larger, more refined open world, and new world activities suggest Dying Light 2 could improve on the original significantly, if all works out in the end.
One of the most impressive features of the original Dying Light was the world's verticality and the freerunning that let players traverse it. Players often found themselves scaling and jumping from one rooftop to another while being chased by Volatiles. The map provided multiple paths, allowing players freedom and agency in how they approached different situations.
Recently, Techland revealed that, by using an architecture tool called CityBuilder, it created a map for Dying Light 2 that's four times larger than its predecessor. The tool rapidly populates large spaces with buildings and urban structures, and World Streaming technology enables players to explore the environment without loading screens. Speaking to Wccftech, Techland emphasized increased verticality and freedom of exploration in this new map, improving on those crucial aspects of the original game. This has been reflected in the footage Techland has shown of the game so far, as the world appears dense and intricate, with many pathways through its cityscape for players to explore.
The map's size isn't the only improvement coming to the world of Dying Light 2. When asked if dynamic events like Red Dead Redemption 2's will be featured in Dying Light 2, Techland told Wccftech, "Absolutely! There are a lot of stories in Dying Light 2’s world [...] and they’ve added a lot of life and vibrancy." This is all the more exciting because it's a first-time feature for the series and a potentially interesting addition to the open-world zombie genre. Dynamic events could display just how broken and desperate the world has become, allowing players to witness harsh realities or come across people in terrifying situations. The first game laid the groundwork in showing the first stages of a broken society, but Dying Light 2 could elevate that by showing how far humanity has stooped, considering the story is set 15 years later.
Combat seems to have been given a boost, as well, with the a new parrying system and interactive environmental objects seen in a recent Dying Light 2 teaser. Modded weapons are also making a comeback. Adding to the list of improvements is the promise of 4K and ray tracing modes on PS5 and Xbox Series X. Players can opt for a Performance Mode, instead, which lets the game run at 60fps. It's also important to note the scale of the world makes the implementation of ray tracing even more impressive, considering the amount of power needed to utilize the feature.
Granted, Dying Light 2 is still aiming for 2021, and relatively little has been seen of the game since 2019. If development has been as troubled as previous reporting suggests, it's possible it will end up nothing like either its 2019 gameplay demo or the game Techland has recently been describing it as. No confirmed release date has been revealed yet, however, and - with developers still facing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic - another delay to continue polishing the game remains a possibility.
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