Dying Light is a masterpiece of a game. Is it perfect? No! It has some minor gripes -nothing that subtracts from the total package though.

The atmosphere is what stands out the most. Everything from the day/night cycle, to the sounds, to the music and to the survivor chatter over radio create a believable world. An incredible world filled with personality and unique locations. Harran will become very familiar as you play.

The hack and slash gameplay is satisfyingly gory and fluid. There are plenty of weapons to craft and sever the limbs of enemies with. Parkour gameplay is a naturally fitting and fun way to explore the thoughtfully crafted environments. The minimal RPG skill trees unlock skills to better gameplay or unlock new gadgets/blueprints, without being overly obtrusive like some RPG games with giant skill trees. Once leveled up enough it becomes much easier to traverse and slash through Harran.

The difficulty can be as easy or as hard as you want it to be. Want to breeze through carelessly? Try easy. Want a moderate playthrough? Go with New Game + on Normal. Want to struggle? Fresh save/level 1 on Nightmare. Want to run less? Use the grapple hook.

Unlockables and rewards are plentiful. You get costumes for beating the game on various difficulties. There are items for the numerous Easter eggs. Developer items hidden about as well. No matter what you’re doing in game you’re being rewarded with something, whether it be a crafting item, weapon or costume.
Hell… there are even meaningless in-game collectibles in the form of Crane’s room. As you complete missions, side missions, encounter new zombies and find collectibles; Crane’s room will fill with items from his travels. If you’ve gone through and completed everything 100%, his room will be filled with photos, collectibles and other trinkets. It’s actually really cool to watch the room fill up when returning every so often.

The achievements are relatively easy to get for the most part. The only annoying ones are the co-op ones that require other players. Bozak Horde does require one other person as well for one achievement. I haven’t played much of Hellraid so I cannot speak on its achievements yet.

Much like Techland’s previous zombie titles, they have created unique zombie models. Common infected/virals, bolters, toads, screamers and demolishers all have a great look to them while being easily identifiable. The real star of the show however are the volatiles. They look absolutely menacing in the best(and worst) ways. If they existed IRL I would never be able to sleep again. The BTZ model also looks great! Being caught on the receiving end of his tentacle pull effect is terrifying.

The story is subjective. Take it as you will. That’s pretty much the minor gripe with the game.

The DLC is well worth a play as well. The Following being the best DLC for a game ever. No one expected a buggy to rip through the countryside in after all the parkour we had just been doing. The buggy is incredibly satisfying to drive and upgrade also. Kudos there Techland. Despite having mixed reception upon launch, Bozak Horde is an enjoyable trial/challenge style DLC and a change of pace for me. Hellraid is an unusual addition that I haven’t spent much time with yet.

Overall Dying Light is an incredible package that no gamer should sleep on. It is the best zombie game I’ve had the pleasure of playing and it is Techland’s best game(Call of Juarez: Gunslinger taking 2nd best).


TLDR: Masterpiece of a game that deserves, if not many, at least one playthrough. Incredible atmosphere, thoughtfully crafted world and excellent gameplay. Don’t sleep on it.

Dying Light is a masterpiece of a game. Is it perfect? No! It has some minor gripes -nothing that subtracts from the total package though. The atmosphere is what stands out the most. Everything from the day/night cycle, to the sounds, to the music and to the survivor chatter over radio create a believable world. An incredible world filled with personality and unique locations. Harran will become very familiar as you play. The hack and slash gameplay is satisfyingly gory and fluid. There are plenty of weapons to craft and sever the limbs of enemies with. Parkour gameplay is a naturally fitting and fun way to explore the thoughtfully crafted environments. The minimal RPG skill trees unlock skills to better gameplay or unlock new gadgets/blueprints, without being overly obtrusive like some RPG games with giant skill trees. Once leveled up enough it becomes much easier to traverse and slash through Harran. The difficulty can be as easy or as hard as you want it to be. Want to breeze through carelessly? Try easy. Want a moderate playthrough? Go with New Game + on Normal. Want to struggle? Fresh save/level 1 on Nightmare. Want to run less? Use the grapple hook. Unlockables and rewards are plentiful. You get costumes for beating the game on various difficulties. There are items for the numerous Easter eggs. Developer items hidden about as well. No matter what you’re doing in game you’re being rewarded with something, whether it be a crafting item, weapon or costume. Hell… there are even meaningless in-game collectibles in the form of Crane’s room. As you complete missions, side missions, encounter new zombies and find collectibles; Crane’s room will fill with items from his travels. If you’ve gone through and completed everything 100%, his room will be filled with photos, collectibles and other trinkets. It’s actually really cool to watch the room fill up when returning every so often. The achievements are relatively easy to get for the most part. The only annoying ones are the co-op ones that require other players. Bozak Horde does require one other person as well for one achievement. I haven’t played much of Hellraid so I cannot speak on its achievements yet. Much like Techland’s previous zombie titles, they have created unique zombie models. Common infected/virals, bolters, toads, screamers and demolishers all have a great look to them while being easily identifiable. The real star of the show however are the volatiles. They look absolutely menacing in the best(and worst) ways. If they existed IRL I would never be able to sleep again. The BTZ model also looks great! Being caught on the receiving end of his tentacle pull effect is terrifying. The story is subjective. Take it as you will. That’s pretty much the minor gripe with the game. The DLC is well worth a play as well. The Following being the best DLC for a game ever. No one expected a buggy to rip through the countryside in after all the parkour we had just been doing. The buggy is incredibly satisfying to drive and upgrade also. Kudos there Techland. Despite having mixed reception upon launch, Bozak Horde is an enjoyable trial/challenge style DLC and a change of pace for me. Hellraid is an unusual addition that I haven’t spent much time with yet. Overall Dying Light is an incredible package that no gamer should sleep on. It is the best zombie game I’ve had the pleasure of playing and it is Techland’s best game(Call of Juarez: Gunslinger taking 2nd best). TLDR: Masterpiece of a game that deserves, if not many, at least one playthrough. Incredible atmosphere, thoughtfully crafted world and excellent gameplay. Don’t sleep on it.