Dying Light 2 Devs Reveal New Story Details
After what seems like an eternity of waiting, Dying Light 2 is finally crawling into our lives. As the highly anticipated sequel to Techland's 2015 horror hit, Dying Light 2 is a very different story that does more than just introduce a new protagonist into the mix. Now, the developer has opened up about some new story details during an in-depth AMA.
While the original Dying Light capitalised on the success of Techland's Dead Island, it took the basic premise of a zombie survival horror and (quite literally) ran with it. Introducing parkour elements to help evade brain-hungry munchers was a unique twist, however, that's nothing compared to what Dying Light 2 has planned. With many more open-world elements and a focus on a bigger narrative, Dying Light 2 sounds like it's anything but "dying".
What is the Dying Light 2 story?
In a new AMA with the team, Associate Producer Julia Szynkaruk told players what they can expect. "The story of Dying Light 2 takes place several years after the story of Dying Light 1", said Szynkaruk. "Kyle Crane was such an important person in all the events that happened in Dying Light 1, so he must have left at least an impact on what will happen in Dying Light 2". Lead Game Designer Tymon Smektala refused to confirm whether the next chapter is a direct follow-up to the first game's DLC (The Following), but explained, "The events in Dying Light 2 and the events that lead up to Dying Light 2 are very strongly connected with what happened in the first game".
Unfortunately, the sequel is set 15 years after the original, meaning none of the OG Dying Light characters are set to make an appearance. Still, with the city of Harran having made its stand and opening the gates to a much bigger apocalypse, the world is continuing to combat zombie and human foes alike. Similar to The Walking Dead or The Last of Us, Dying Light 2 has cleverly gone with the idea of making other survivors the biggest threat. With Dying Light being criticised for a rather thin story, there's a push toward a stronger narrative in the second game.
What else do we know about the Dying Light 2 story?
This time around, Dying Light 2 picks up the tale of a new protagonist called Aiden Caldwell. Similar to Crane, Caldwell has some handy parkour skills. That being said, Techland is playing coy on what Caldwell's position is and how he fits into this "Modern Dark Ages". Either way, he's tipped to be a more rounded hero than the sometimes one-dimensional Crane.
The AMA also touched on three warring factions. There are the militaristic Peacekeepers who want to kill all the infected they can find, the hardened Survivors who are trying to adapt to a new way of life, and the Renegades - who will be hostile to players no matter who they side with. Importantly, there are a lot of options for taking on factions, while there are more random events and dynamic encounters. All in all, it sounds like bigger is definitely better, with Techland learning from its (few) mistakes with the first game. Let's hope Dying Light 2 still has the bite it needs to turn this duo into a trilogy.
Images via Techland
