The Beast — I’m excited for its rural setting and the return of guns

I really enjoyed Dying Light 2, but there is no doubt that the first game is the franchise’s crown jewel, which is why Dying Light: The Beast’s rural setting has me excited to dive headfirst into Techland’s post-apocalyptic world again. Okay, sure, I don’t need much convincing; show me zombies, blood, and explosions, and you have my attention, but I can’t help but feel like Dying Light: The Beast could be a return to form for Techland’s Xbox horror game.

Dying Light was an awesome treat in 2015. It saw Techland take the lessons learned from developing Dead Island and Dead Island Riptide and sprinkle in some fantastic parkour magic and a day/night cycle to create one of my favorite zombie games ever. Set in the fictional Middle Eastern city of Haran, the first Dying Light game is a must-play for any players who enjoys first-person zombie survival games.

You play as Kyle Crane, an undercover GRE agent sent into the now zombie-infested city to retrieve a stolen file related to the viral outbreak. Crane is a pretty decent character, who slowly changes his perspective of the outbreak and the many survivors within Haran’s city limits as he uncovers the truth behind the outbreak and the impending doom everyone is facing. It’s great to see Techland bringing Crane back, but for me, it’s the return to a more modern setting that has me the most excited.

I enjoyed Dying Light 2, but its modern dark ages theme left me longing for the return of firearms. Ammo was scarce in the original game and guns were nonexistent in the sequel, so it’s great to see Dying Light: The Beast’s latest trailer promising more action and filling the screen with explosions.

Having the option to whack out an assault rifle when things get rough with melee weaponry is a joy, and it looks like Techland is treating us to quite the arsenal. Just looking at the new trailer, we’ll have crossbows, flamethrowers, handguns, grenade launchers using UV and explosive rounds, as well as a plethora of melee weapons (which are a staple for the franchise).

Drivable vehicles are also returning. We’ve only been able to play with these via The Following DLC for the first Dying Light, so this could be a big deal.

It’s also worth mentioning that in this new game, Crane will have special powers due to the experiments he’s been subject to in the 13 in-game years between the Dying Light and The Beast. I’m intrigued to see how they fit in with the gameplay we’re used to. Dambuster did a fantastic job getting infected mutations to work as a special ability in last year’s brilliant Dead Island 2, so it’ll be interesting to see if Techland adopts a similar style.

Finally, to round out this spew of thoughts: the Castor Woods setting is a yes from me. Both previous games have heavily leaned on urban environments, which complemented the parkour system and added a ton of verticality to the world, enhancing the terror when attempting to outrun Volatiles during the night.

It’ll be great to get out into the woods. The Following DLC gave us plenty of open spaces, but I’m looking forward to exploring a woodland filled with undead creatures — forests always make for great horror settings!

We got a look at the latest Dying Light: The Beast trailer during The Game Awards last week, as well as tons of other great announcements. Check out our Game Awards 2024 roundup for a look at everything shown for Xbox.