Why Gamers Can’t Stop Playing Dying Light: The Beast

It was an absolute blast to play through Dying Light: The Beast ahead of its release for my review of the game. So much so that I’m not surprised that the game was already at a million copies sold and is probably going to sustain healthy sales as the word spreads about how much fun you can have in the Castor Woods as Kyle Crane.

Everything that’s good about the franchise is on proud display, with the parkour being better than ever and the day-to-night cycle bringing a very engaging survival horror gameplay loop to the table. But all of that has already been a mainstay in past Dying Light titles. So what makes this one different?

Turns out, there’s quite a lot to set it apart. And I’m happy to elaborate on a well-implemented set of creative flourishes from Techland that make this one a title that I’m going to keep coming back to whenever I have an hour or two to spend on taking down zombies.

The Beast takes the best of Dying Light and blends it into an experience that brings bold new elements to its formula that have made it my favorite one on both the narrative and gameplay fronts.

What’s New With Kyle Crane?

I think it’s best to address the elephant or, uh, beast in the room. Kyle Crane’s return as the frontman of the game’s cast was bound to be a draw for many players, considering his ambiguous fate at the end of The Following. But things went from bad to worse for him in the intervening years.

However, he does have a cool new ability in his Beast Mode that lets him unleash some of the raw strength and brute force of a Volatile on any Infected in his way. While that might not be much of a win-win for him, it’s an amazing power trip for us, the players. Tearing through hordes of the Infected in what I can only describe as a Hulk-esque rampage was just sublime. I haven’t felt as powerful in a video game in a while.

But things get very interesting when your Beast meter runs out. The Beast brings a balance between its survival and horror elements that could have you spending a lot of time farming the Castor Woods for supplies, organically levelling up as you go about exploring every corner of the world for useful materials and perhaps an secret or two.

Doing so runs the risk of Kyle’s wristwatch sending out a chilling reminder that night is falling, and it’s then that the horror component of the game’s experience comes fully into play. The Volatiles are just terrifying. They hunt you with antagonizing accuracy, never giving up on the hope of making a snack out of you unless you’re quite handy with your parkour skills.

Speaking of parkour, Techland’s labors of love are so evident when you’re leaping between ledges and swinging off conveniently placed branches or poles as you race away to your next objective. I found myself glad that there was no fast-travel system in place, a rarity considering that I do like the convenience of quickly getting to locations I’ve already visited. It’s the first time I’ve felt this way since Marvel’s Spider-Man, another title in which traversing the world is so much fun that I completely forgot about the option to take the subway.

Moving On From Harran

Of course, it isn’t just Kyle’s refined parkour abilities and semi-Volatile moveset that make The Beast the game it is. Its combat system is brilliant once you find a weapon that fits your playstyle, while the Infected pose enough of a threat to warrant a bit of practice and grinding for skill points on my part.

But it’s the Chimeras that really brought the game’s combat experience together for me. They are vicious and unhinged, victims of The Baron’s machinations that made me work very hard for the valuable Beast Skills they rewarded me for defeating them. The other enemy types were also quite solid, with the Goons being particularly bothersome as it took me a while to fall into the pattern of dodging to the side when they attacked. It certainly didn’t help that they did quite a bit of damage on each hit.

The Castor Woods are an excellent staging ground for Techland’s ambitious attempt at a new Dying Light game that felt familiar yet fresh at every turn. It’s quite unusual for me to find myself staring at a game’s map, wondering what I would like to do next, as I’m usually quite decisive in the actions I’d like to take and the content I’m going to tackle.

For instance, I explored a dark zone, a region of the map infested with enemies, hoping to get my hands on the supplies I needed to craft a bow early on in the game. I’d originally planned to grab those supplies and make my way to a convoy that would hopefully yield some ammo for my guns. However, clearing the dark zone out took longer than I’d thought, and night soon fell as I was on my way to the convoy.

A Volatile happened to spot me, and with no ammo for my guns and my Beast meter running on fumes, I had to leg it and get the hell out of there. When the dawn eventually came, I was far away from both my next story objective and the convoy I’d planned to raid. I ended up spending the next couple of hours tackling an entirely new batch of content, a testament to how Techland has structured its world to encourage players to visit as much of it as they can during their time with The Beast.

At this point, I’ve only talked about the stuff we knew before the game was released, and there’s a reason for that. But it’s what I found post-release that truly sums up why The Beast is right up at the top of the Dying Light franchise, and among the genre’s finest titles. Let’s take a look at why I believe the Castor Woods will continue to be a brilliant tourist spot for players curious to see what they have to offer.

If you’re still playing through the game and don’t want to have its story spoiled for you, I’d suggest coming back to this next section once you’ve rolled the credits on it. There are major spoilers ahead!

Making Things Personal

We knew that Kyle was making a comeback to the game. But I’d also guessed that Aiden would be a part of it in some form, and man, it felt good to be right!

It isn’t ironic in the slightest that it was The Baron who brought the two protagonists together, and is the reason that they’re probably going to work together in the next title. The story is Dying Light at its finest, full of twists and turns while making things so much darker and personal for Kyle this time around.

It also works as the perfect vehicle for Techland’s new additions like Beast Mode, giving each mechanic a narrative framework that makes developing Crane’s newfound abilities make sense. The Baron served as the perfect antagonist, calm and collected in the face of a very vehement group opposed to him, always convinced he had the upper hand, and even choosing to take all the power he was harnessing for himself when Kyle finally confronts him.

Bringing Aiden back into the fold is a creative choice that works really well, considering just how enticing the road to discovering his identity was. I won’t forget tracking him in the dead of night, carefully retracing his path over the rooftops in a hurry after all. But memorable reveals aside, Kyle did need a kindred spirit, someone who suffered the same pain he did at the hands of The Baron. And Aiden’s own journey to get to the Castor Woods is something that could be further touched upon in the inevitable sequel.

If you noticed I said “inevitable” and wondered why I did so, you probably haven’t reached the game’s ending yet. I’d ask you to come back once you have! Kyle’s decision to finally turn his attention to the root cause of the THV catastrophe is nothing short of a masterstroke, and has me quite impatient for news of what Techland is planning next for the franchise!

Overall, the story in The Beast ties in very well with other elements to present players with an experience that makes a very compelling survival horror experience. It’s deliciously immersive, and despite the bleakness of the world, it’s a game that can be very hard to put down. It’s no wonder that The Beast has drawn so many gamers to the Castor Woods when you consider just how solid the experience it offers really is.

A Worthy Addition

While the third time’s the charm in the real world on many occasions, third instalments in the gaming world can be quite tricky to pull off, thanks to soaring expectations in successful franchises. But Techland has nailed its unique take on the genre, and I’m excited to see where the franchise goes next.

I will definitely be along for the ride as Crane finally takes on the GRE, and I’m certain that the studio is going to surpass itself once again. Maybe I’ll finally get to see both Crane and Aiden unleash their Volatile powers on an antagonist who’s going to deserve everything that’s coming to them.

But for now, the Castor Woods call to me, and I’m going to answer with a guttural roar.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.