20 February,2022 08:37 AM IST | Mumbai | Jaison Lewis
Dying Light 2 Stay Human
It is not wrong to say that the amount of zombie content is now at a saturation point. As fun as parkouring and killing zombies was in Dying Light, Stay Human would have to go beyond and be better than its predecessor in every way. Unfortunately, Dying Light 2 Stay Human is anything but perfect. The events in the game happen several years after the first zombie wave. After the cure was found, scientists continued to mess around with the virus, inadvertently creating a deadlier strain.
You play as Aiden, who is searching for his sister Mia. To do that he moves to the city of Villedor. The city, while populated with humans also has a fair share of zombies. This means the only way to get around is parkouring from one rooftop to another. The game has a lot of elements inspired by Assassins Creed games. That said, I like the city a lot and moving around like a parkour master is fun. Though I wish a fast travel option was included to speed things along. Villedor is also a city where everyone is infected. The infection is managed with a combination of UV light and inhibitors. The protagonist, Aiden, also gets infected in the initial arc of the game and has to survive while trying not to turn. It adds a great element of urgency to the game-play.
While in Villedor, you have to integrate yourself with one of the two factions to get ahead in the game and investigate the whereabouts of Mia. The side quests, activities and all the little small elements in the city are by far the most interesting part of Dying Light 2. Fortunately, the game is jam-packed with these distractions. What isn't interesting is the main story of the game. Following it through with the 40-plus hours of game-play is not satisfying. Aiden's story is not inspiring, his motivation is very vague and all those flashbacks through the entire game amount to nothing. The characters you encounter during the story are far more interesting but they seem underutilised.
The control system on the Xbox Series S took a little getting used to. The jump/parkouring button is one of the triggers. Once you get around that, it becomes fairly easy to manoeuvre. However, all the combat combos can get a little tedious with the triggers as you hit and parkour your way to the next foe. Combat, overall, is a little difficult initially, you have to level up before it gets easier. Getting to this point though, is a bit of a grind. The combination of a low-level character with a complicated control system is not the best at the start.
Other than the lacklustre story, Stay Human is also buggy. Even after a few patches, the game still occasionally does weird things. Fortunately, I haven't encountered any serious bugs, just small annoying ones. For instance, being unable to open a box hidden in grass no matter how much I tried and one of the side characters falling off the side while parkouring with you, only to appear in another location almost like magic, leaving me to figure out the path to him.
Dying Light 2 Stay Human would have had great potential if it wasn't for such an unenthusiastic main story. The side quests, the constant threat of turning and the joy of exploring the city keep the game entertaining. If you enjoyed the first Dying Light, especially the parkour bits, you will enjoy this as well. However, I would recommend waiting for a discounted price before picking it up.
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