Innovative Zombie Action Returns!
Techland has always had a knack for mechanics. Their games don’t just rely on atmosphere or spectacle, they genuinely feel good to play, going all the way back to the original Dead Island. Dying Light: The Beast is proof of that philosophy once again. It’s a brutal, grisly, adrenaline-fueled ride that doubles down on the strengths of the series while smoothing some of the rougher edges left by its predecessor.
Set once again in a world ravaged by infection and the collapse of society, returning protagonist Kyle Crane finds himself navigating a new European-inspired region on a path of vengeance. Featuring a mix of sprawling national parks and crumbling old towns that serve as both playground and death trap, Dying Light: The Beast delivers an over the top experience with some gripping results, mixing violence with beauty.
The result is a game that isn’t perfect, but often comes close. When you’re mid-sprint, vaulting over a fence, spinning with a dropkick, and sending a zombie’s arm spiralling into the dirt, it feels like Techland is operating at the top of its craft. Video games are so back!
Parkour and Physics – Techland at Their Best
What makes this entry shine is the fluidity. Parkour isn’t just back; it’s sharper, cleaner, and more responsive. Every wall run, every grapple, every rooftop leap carries weight. You’re not just gliding through an environment, you’re colliding with it, scraping against it, rebounding off it and falling off it. Each moment of fluidity combines into a larger cycle that just clicks with a smoothness present in no other game. It’s easy to forget that the Dying Light titles aren’t just zombie games, they’re incredibly impressive parkour games.
Then there’s the gore system which isn’t just brutal violence, it’s anatomical violence. Strike a leg and the creature stumbles. Crack an arm and it dangles uselessly. Land a machete in the chest and the body recoils with shocking realism. It’s sickening, but it’s also extraordinary design that’s as innovative as it comes. Techland have been building on this with every release and it feels like this is the final culmination from years of hard work. Few studios could pull off something so grotesque and still make it fun.
Forced Stealth Missions
Not everything clicks, however. There are some noticeably irritating flaws when the game forces you into stealth missions. Dying Light: The Beast doesn’t have the toolset for stealth. No proper cover system. No way to hide bodies. Even basic enemy awareness feels inconsistent. In a game this good at speed and violence, slowing things down for half-baked sneaking is frustrating and feels out of place.
It doesn’t happen constantly, but when it does, it halts momentum in the worst way. You’re left wishing Techland had doubled down on what they do best instead of stretching into genres they clearly don’t care about. Stealth missions could have been a great addition to Dying Light: The Beast, but the developers have failed to capitalise on it. The moments where stealth shows its most potential is when it comes to the dark zones filled with zombies. The half-baked attempt at stealth feels a lot better in these areas than the human ones, thanks to some decent area designs and lack of body detection. However, it’s still a far fetch from most stealth systems.
A World That Feels Alive (and Undead)
The setting this time around is rich and varied. European-inspired landscapes dominate here. Old towns feel alive yet vacant and the surrounding national park setting is one of the most memorable landscapes in recent years. Exploring the detailed environment is an absolute joy, and exploration takes a primary focus. Attention to detail is everywhere: an overturned police car surrounded by infected officers, graffiti hinting at survivor stories, subtle shifts in architecture between districts, day/night cycles that change the game completely.
It’s not flawless, however. Immersion takes a hit when you notice every drivable truck looks identical, but these are minor blemishes compared to the overall artistry. For every repeated asset, there’s a moment of surprise, like stumbling across a dilapidated hunting lodge filled with clues about its former occupants. The world feels alive and encourages the player to explore.
Something to note is that there’s no fast travel, which feels like a breath of fresh air in the current gaming climate. Players are encouraged to plan their routes and time them with the passing of day or night, choosing safer routes and avoiding longer journeys as the sun starts to set. There’s realistic intent here and it benefits the game massively.
Combat Is As Visceral As It Gets
Melee has always been the soul of Dying Light, and here it’s evolved into something close to perfection. Weapons crunch and slice with terrifying impact. Zombies collapse and react with visceral realism. Heads whip back, ribs collapse, limbs snap. It’s more than gore for gore’s sake, it’s a system that constantly reinforces the weight of your actions and feels brutally realistic.
It’s not just about brutality either. Combat feels tactical. Positioning matters, stamina matters, weapon choice matters. Whether you’re taking on a lone shambler in a tight hallway or a mob in the open streets, the mechanics demand attention. Your weapons won’t last forever, they’ll need repairing and even then you can only repair them a finite number of times, helping to keep things fresh and flowing. Experimentation with combat and gameplay is encouraged and this is where Dying Light: The Beast thrives.
Kyle’s new ability, beast mode, adds a further layer of depth to the already entertaining gameplay, allowing you to quite literally rip enemies to shreds. This is based on an RPG style skill tree, with more abilities being unlockable as Kyle kills more bosses throughout his journey. Whilst beast mode allows for some entertaining combat, its unlockable skills never feel fully formed or significant.
Storytelling: A Step Forward, But Still Flawed
Narrative has never been Techland’s strongest suit. Here, the story is enjoyable but nothing special. It moves you from place to place, gives context to your battles, and occasionally surprises, but it doesn’t tend to linger. There are brief moments of beauty like a mission where Kyle sips on vintage wine with a beautiful mountain view from a balcony, and there are equally beautiful moments of sorrow like Starchild’s reflection on life by a campfire. The side missions that focus on smaller things are often the more enjoyable ones.
Kyle Crane returns, and while it’s good to see him back, he still struggles to stand out as a truly memorable protagonist. Supporting characters fare a little better, and there are flashes of strong writing, but overall, the story remains secondary to the systems and setting. I never felt a true connection to Kyle’s desire for vengeance.
That’s not necessarily a deal-breaker. The real story is what happens between missions like your rooftop escapes, your desperate night runs, your improvisational fights in alleys. The narrative is good but the freeform exploration is better.
Night and Day: Still Tense, Still Terrifying
Speaking of nights: they’re as terrifying as ever. The day-night cycle keeps the rhythm unpredictable, and while some mechanics are familiar, the sense of danger is undiminished. When dusk falls and the atmosphere shifts, the tension ratchets up. Exploration transforms from confident scavenging to desperate survival.
Techland knows how to make you feel hunted, and in The Beast, those feelings are sharper thanks to improved AI and environmental design. Volatiles are still horrifyingly worthy foes, and players will have to come fully stocked to stand a chance against them.
The Elephant in the Room: Genre Bias
There’s an unfortunate truth with Dying Light: The Beast – no matter how refined it becomes, some people will dismiss it because it’s “just another zombie game.” That’s a shame. If this exact set of mechanics and innovations appeared in a different wrapper, it would probably be hailed as revolutionary and highly innovative. Unfortunately, the nature of Dying Light’s genre means it will never be in contention for GOTY, but Techland should be seriously admired for what they have accomplished here. Peel back that zombie stigma, and what you find is a developer pushing boundaries within their chosen theme.
Final Thoughts
Dying Light: The Beast is an exhilarating, grotesque, and technically impressive game that proves Techland still understands what makes this series special. The parkour is smoother than ever, the melee is unmatched, and the attention to detail in the world is astonishing.
It stumbles with stealth, the story remains functional rather than unforgettable, and some design choices feel limited, but these flaws don’t outweigh how consistently enjoyable it is to play.
This is a game that earns its place among the best survival-action experiences out there. It may not be Game of the Year, but it absolutely deserves to be in the conversation for most innovative mechanics and sheer fun factor.
Important Links
Unleash Your Inner Beast – Dying Light: The Beast is a Brutal New Chapter, OUT NOW! – https://www.thexboxhub.com/unleash-your-inner-beast-dying-light-the-beast-is-a-brutal-new-chapter-out-now/
Buy Dying Light: The Beast on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/dying-light-the-beast/9P7ZG9MQKKLN/0010
Dying Light: The Beast is in Deluxe Edition form too – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/dying-light-the-beast-deluxe-edition/9P7DBQ4GP5X0/0010
