Dying Light: The Beast

[h2][b]Dying Light: The Beast[/b] originally supposed to be just an expansion to Dying Light 2, but became so big in scope that it became a full standalone game. Briefly, we get to play as Kyle Crane again, who after the events of the Following DLC in the first game got captured and experimented on for years on end. After finally being able to escape, he thirsts for revenge.[/h2] [h3][b][u]Pros:[/u][/b][/h3] [list] [*] Visually the game is gorgeous and Castor Woods compliments it with all the dense forests, beautiful vistas and detailed towns. Ray Tracing helps to make some scenes pop, which was added in a later update after release! [*] The story was quite easy and fun to follow, without spoiling much, it’s about the concept of revenge, morals and retaining one’s humanity. [*] There are many side quests to do and some of them could be main story quests considering how memorable some of them are, especially for building Crane’s character. [*] Cutscenes now have third person scenes as well, making the whole experience that much more cinematic. You also get to see Kyle’s currently equipped armor! [*] Various armor can be found throughout Castor Woods with their own stats, and the best part is, there is a transmog system, meaning that you can equip anything you’d like stats-wise and customize it to the clothing of your choosing [*] The gameplay is nearly identical to that of Dying Light 2, but with a few improvements and extra mechanics here and there. If it ain’t broke… [*] Great variety in both melee and ranged weaponry! You get your first firearm quite early in the game too. [*] Tons of upgrades to be unlocked to your weapons and blueprints, making your arsenal stronger and better over time [*] Cars! You can find ranger cars scattered all around the map which all handle really well and are also satisfying to drive [*] Beast mode, after Crane was tortured and experimented upon for years, he got a new ability to bring out his inner beast and cause a bloody massacre. It also has its own progressive skill tree, so over time it gets crazier [*] The soundtrack pays homage to the previous two titles, having leitmotifs from both games made the experience that much more connected [*] New Game +, endgame content and regular events as you would expect from a Dying Light game including exclusive rewards and limited events [*] Restored Land Gamemode, which is basically making the whole world permanent [i](Every item you take and every zombie you kill will not respawn)[/i], that much more hardcore if you will, especially if you have “One Life” enabled as well, which I think is self-explanatory [*] Photo Mode [*] Steam Achievements [/list] [h3][b][u]Neutral:[/u][/b][/h3] [list] [*] I find the performance of the game pretty hit or miss, sometimes it runs buttery smooth, then moments later the FPS tanks seemingly for no reason. It’s not that bad after a while though. [*] Some scenes were really corny, but I also felt like it somehow fits. [*] Harder difficulties make enemies more spongy, making them somewhat artificial [*] There isn’t much variation to cars [/list] [h3][b][u]Cons:[/u][/b][/h3] [list] [*] Sometimes the game can be infuriatingly janky, some things never change it seems. [/list] [b]9/10[/b] Honestly it was absolutely amazing to finally be able to play as Kyle Crane again after so many years and having continuity in his story, while also connecting it with Dying Light 2. Hopefully we’ll get to see more in the future?