Dying Light Preview – PAX Prime 2013

By now, you would think that the whole zombie craze would be close to done. Between The Walking Dead, The Last of Us, State of Decay, and Dead Island: Riptide we have been up to our necks in flesh eating undead and yet there’s more to come with a second season of The Walking Dead and Dead Rising 3. So when someone tells you that Techland is cooking up a new zombie game, something different compared to Dead Island, it is hard to imagine how different it could really be, or how good it could be.

Against all odds, Dying Light feels really different. It is hard to tell what the narrative of the game will be and exactly how Dying Light will build its world, but from a gameplay standpoint, Dying Light gives players a roller coaster ride that differs from its zombie apocalypse counterparts. Even while State of Decay and other recent zombie titles have tried to stress using one’s brain over using weapons, there always comes a point and time where you have to lock and load. Dying Light breaks this formula, making a game about running, climbing, and jumping instead of shooting, slashing, and bashing.

As I sit down with Dying Light, I am told that I should not try to fight zombies. I might be able to take down one, two if I am lucky, but no more than that, I internally roll my eyes. The demo starts in a caged practice field, a place for me to acquaint myself with the controls. What is instantly interesting is how the controls convey the flavor of the game. Triggers and bumpers are used for sprinting and climbing as much as shooting and attacking. I scramble through what appears to be a modified junkyard/shelter, climbing over barrels, sliding through the dirt, and jumping over everything I can find. My starting weapon is a wrench but there are some other options, including an axe which demonstrates the scale of weapons in Dying Light. While the wrench is quick with limited range and damage, the axe is slow with a long reach.

After I am done practicing, I talk to the commander of my camp. It is not entirely clear, but I get the feeling that there are multiple camps throughout the city I am currently in. My commander lets me know that there are traps that need to be set to protect our camp. I am encouraged to make it back before night, in my heart–like any smart player–I know that means I won’t.

A large metal door is raised and it strikes me how well this camp is fortified with thick concrete walls and steel doors. Dying Light seems to take its zombie threat very seriously, no houses or chain link fences will protect you here. I see my first zombie and lackadaisically attempt to avoid him. I know I’ve been warned, but I want to see how mean these zombies really are. Suddenly I am wrapped in undead arms, trying to keep the rotted, brown teeth from sinking into my neck. After a smashing a button-prompt, I grab the zombie’s head and give it a nasty twist, narrowly escaping death. More zombies start to wander toward me as I rush toward my first objective, a piece of chain link fence is electrified by a nearby light pole. I open up the power source, flip a few switches, and start to run in panic.

Zombies are everywhere, I am surrounded with nowhere to run. This is where Dying Light gets to be a good bit of fun. Instead of going around zombies, it is often best to go over them. I climb onto a trash can and then pull myself onto the roof of a house. Scampering across rooftops, I can see hordes of zombies wandering the streets. I realize there is no way to traverse Dying Light on the ground level, the game is designed to get players in the air, hopping from building to building.

I reach the second trap, and this one is located in the hood of a car that has stalled in the middle of the road, surrounded by the undead. Fight my way through? Not likely. Instead, I pull out some firecrackers and throw them to the far left and right, leaving some breathing room between myself and the car. Most of the horde is distracted by the noise and drawn away, but a few pesky ones linger about, making sure I don’t feel too safe. I hop down from the roof and zig-zag my way to the car. I throw open the hood and set the trap, then look for a way to get back into the air.

Hopefully Dying Light can keep creating moments like this, where players are forced to leave the safety of the air and go to where the danger is. I get back on the rooftops and find the third trap. I’m now settling into a rhythm that threatens to numb my reactions and make me easy prey. I come across a house where a man is hold up, screaming for help while zombies claw at his front door. I toss a firecracker into a nearby oil spill, lighting a fire which attracts the brain-dead monsters and this sees them wander into the flames and catch fire.

The survivor thanks me and gives me a gift. I also earn a little experience which can contribute to leveling up, something that was not shown in-depth in this demo. I find the fourth trap and activate it, the sun is still above the horizon. Maybe, I’ll make it home before dark after all. That is when I am informed via radio that the power is out and I am the one who has to turn it on.

Things get dicier now, I start to work my way through parking lots and warehouses, losing most of my prior height advantage. I still try to use walls, cars, anything I can find to keep myself on the high ground, but it’s not as easy as it was before. As I reach the power generator and flip the switch, I alert an entire horde to my presence. Time to start running.

It is a mad dash toward safety with an entire horde running behind me. In my peripheral vision I can see the slower, plodding zombies morph into faster and meaner ones. I don’t stop to investigate, I just keep pushing myself forward. The game is a maze of back alleys, dead ends, fences that slow you down, and alternate routes that make you take the long way to your objective. There’s no time to investigate options, no time to come up with a strategy, you can only put your head down and hustle. I take a wrong turn and try to scramble over the hood of an ambulance. I feel it should be an easy jump, but I’m not making it. The zombies are getting closer now, I move to the side of the vehicle and finally the jump mechanics kicks in as I pull myself to safety. It is a moment where the controls betray me, but only briefly.

I start my mad dash again, feeling the horde still on my tail. I turn around, which slows the game into bullet-time, and toss a flare to distract some of my pursuers. I dodge into an alley and set off an electrified trap to buy myself even more time. Finally I see another survivor, urging me into a concrete building, perfect for hiding out. I don’t ask questions, I follow. The door shuts behind him and the game goes dark. Demo over.

Dying Light feels like a rush. It plays off of the chase mechanic, like Mirror’s Edge meeting Dead Island. Techland has a strong grip on how taking away combat and adding traversal mechanics can make for a refreshing and tense zombie experience. It is not hard to imagine white-knuckled sequences in which players scramble over different terrain in creative settings. It is still early for Dying Light, so there are questions to be answer about the upgrade system, about the narrative, and the pacing. However, as someone who has felt recent zombie fatigue, Dying Light offers one hell of a ride that has made me interested in another go-round with the undead.