Dying Light was great, but with the sequel studio „made some missteps.” Techland frankly about Dying Light 2
Dying Light: The Beast is expected to avoid the mistakes of Stay Human, preserving the DNA of the first installment of Techland's undead series.
The success of the first Dying Light was a surprise for the industry, but Techland admits that with the second installment, the studio may have made "a few missteps."
The Dying Light series isn't often mentioned as a contender for the title of "best video game," but it's still one of the more well-known and respected game series about zombies. Nonetheless, there were some issues, especially with some of the expansions to Stay Human.
Tymon Smektala, responsible for franchise development, admitted in an interview with GamesRadar that no one expected Techland to create "such a kickass game" with the release of the first installment. He doesn't hide that the project was not the "most high-budget and AAA game," but apparently the developer is proud of what was achieved in the first Dying Light.
Quality of DL2, DNA of DL1
Of course, with the unexpected success, a sequel was just a matter of time. However, Smetkala admits that although DL2 achieved "commercial success," the studio may have made a few mistakes. One of them was making the sequel "too accessible" for a larger number of players at the expense of "sacrificing some of the original's DNA." As a result, the project, which was significantly more "high-budget" than its predecessor, somewhat disappointed fans of the first installment.
Smektala's statement aligns with the popular criticism in recent years of "games for everyone," as Johan Pilestedt from Arrowhead Studio put it. In short: some players are fed up with productions based on the "popularity bars" of recent trends - "safe" investments that replicate hits, created in pursuit of hits, which ultimately don't excite anyone.
That's why the next Dying Light is supposed to be a return to the roots, with the creators focusing on perfecting the elements that are most important to the fans. Of course, this doesn't mean a return to "not the most high-budget" production values. The Beast is supposed to retain the features of the first installment, while also being a Triple-A title.
We want to deliver both. We want to deliver the AAA quality, but at the same time, we want to deliver proof that our mojo is not gone, that our mojo is not there, and we know what makes Dying Light, Dying Light. And if players say 'wow, this feels like Dying Light 1, and it looks so amazing, it's such a polished game', then I think we'll be very, very happy.
Dying Light: The Beast will be released on August 22, on PC, XSX/S, and PS5. Then we'll see if the creators manage to keep the best features of both installments of the series.
