Well, they finally did it.
Remember when Dead Island came out and disappointed everyone? How you saw so many good ideas and concepts in this world and just wish that Techland had figured out what to do with them, besides craft some incredible trailers that had nothing to do with it?
Dying Light has done just that. Just from a few hours with the campaign the single (and four-player co-op) campaign is more fun and compelling than the entire Dead Island series, but that’s not all there is to it.
Originally planned as an exclusive pre-order bonus but later rescinded after they ran into some launch day issues in Europe, the Be The Zombie multiplayer mode lets you do what it says on the tin. You don’t play any old zombie, either, this is the Night Hunter, a super-zombie that has all sorts of nifty powers. Most amusing is that it seems as if all of the powers are taken from Left 4 Dead. You’ve got the spit of the Spitter, the horde bile from the Boomer, the pounce from the Hunter, the charge from the Charger. By themselves they're nothing new, but allowing you to use all these powers together makes you feel like one truly powerful undead villain.
But the most exciting part of playing as a zombie is the way it gets around. This isn’t some boring shuffling zombie, or even one of the runners that attack people during the day. This guy hustles around the world throwing out tendrils like he’s Spider-man- scratch that- Venom, shooting faraway buildings and zooming towards them with ease.
Flying through the city really does feel like the best parts of a Spider-man game, as you flawlessly travel around leaping over buildings, looking for high ground- the better to pounce on unwary humans.
Pounce on one and it’s pretty much a wrap for the poor sucker. Humans have a UV flashlight they can click on with the left trigger (L2 on PS4) that can sap the zombie’s strength, and is incredibly dangerous. As the zombie you can be taken down with a swipe or two of a simple melee weapon- you’re really weak- so you’ll soon find that it’s the best to keep your distance and strike when the time’s right.
The humans can win the match by destroying five nests that are pumping out zombies, contending with regular zombies as they do so. The zombie has to kill the humans ten times to win, which is much harder than it sounds, especially when the humans work as a group.
It makes for some really tense battles where you have to bide your time and play to your opponent's fears, but it does get easier as you earn skill points that allow you to upgrade the zombie, offering speed bonuses, spit that attracts a horde of zombies on the enemies, or even shrug off the UV light for a few seconds.
Playing as a human is a much different experience. Nighttime in Dying Light is dark- darker than you can ever imagine, being that you’re in a city that doesn’t have electricity anymore. The zombie has nightvision but you won't be able to see anything. It’s bad enough during the game but knowing there’s some super-zombie who is stalking you is really unnerving, and even more so when it lets out a shriek that lets it hone in on your position. While moving around the city is fast thanks to your parkour skills it still feels like you're crawling compared to the zombie. But you'll want to move together as a group because if you stray, you will die, simple as that.
Our review code only came in a day before release and we haven't been able to get as much time in with the game as we would have liked but one thing is immediately certain- this is an incredibly fun mode that’s going to get a lot of play in the months to come.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to be the zombie.
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For more read our intial impressions of the campaign and stay tuned for a full review as soon as possible.