Summary
Techland’sDying Lightfranchise has established itself as one of the most engaging open-world survival games in recent years for many reasons. As far as parkour systems go,Dying Light 2is among the pioneers in the industry, encouraging players to get creative when moving around, and its dynamic combat system in battling zombies has also earned it plenty of praise. One of the main attractions the franchise has enjoyed, particularly in its first installment, is the use of crossovers, borrowing elements from other popular games and films to give it a leg up against the competition.
Putting together an engaging post-launch campaign can be just as difficult as developing the base game itself, and crossovers provided an exciting solution forDying Lightto lean on. Techland used the mechanic as a way to release content and buff its Easter Egg collection, keeping the game relevant long after the hype train of its initial release died down. WhileDying Light 2has also had a few crossovers of its own, they have all but disappeared in the past year. In the face of a growing appetite for content variety, the developer might want to consider giving its old crossover strategy another look if it wants to recapture a wider audience.
Dying Light 2 Needs an Injection of Personality to Keep Up With Competition
Like other games in recent years,Dying Light 2didn’t have the best of launches, plagued by a series of performance bugs and a perceived lack of depth to its characters and storyline. To rebound from such a tumultuous follow-up to the original’s legacy, Techland had to get creative, orchestrating a handful of crossover events to incentivize fans of other franchises to giveDying Light 2a go. There have been six such events, with the latest one, aFor Honorcollaboration, releasing in November 2023. While the title has come a long way from its embattled launch program, there’s still room for improvement, and newer crossover events might be the way forward.
Coming up with new content that suits a game’s overarching storyline can be a tall order, butDying Light 2’s roadmapalready contains a solution to this head-scratcher. Rather than undergoing the mammoth task of developing massive DLCs from scratch, Techland can integrate popular and relevant elements from other franchises into the existing framework - and such an approach typically generates interest from fans outside theDying Lightbubble. These crossovers have come in the form of weapons, accessories, and easter eggs in some cases, like the widely knownLast of Us"Clicker" item.
Dying Light 2 Should Revisit Crossover Events
Given the popularity and success ofspecial post-launch events like those inPayday 2, where players looted abandoned stores, it’s surprisingDying Light 2hasn’t released any similar content in almost a year. The problemDying Light 2is facing, like any other modern game, is maintaining a sizable concurrent player base for extended periods post-launch. That phenomenon essentially birthed the need for DLCs, and in Techland’s case, the crossover functionality that once ensured a consistent stream of players.
Beyond that, fresh content is simply an expectation in the current gaming industry, a problem that not even asecondDying Light 2DLCmay overcome. Collaborating with other popular franchises for special-themed events creates buzz and free publicity for both brands, so there’s a mutual benefit to going down this route once again. To this point, Tymon Smektala (director of theDying Lightfranchise) mentioned in an interview last year that there are still a few collaborations he would love to explore, possibly hinting the approach is alive and kicking. Naming aMortal KombatandDying Light 2crossover “a personal dream”, he went on to listAssassin’s Creedand Faith -Mirror’s Edge’s main character - as ideal collaboration partners.
Stylistically, suchparkour-heavy games line up withDying Light 2’s premise, so it’s not far-fetched to see fans of said franchises lining up to try out the crossover events if they ever materialize. Although there’s no information about solid plans to make more collaborations happen, Techland would do well to exploit these opportunities to bolster its player count in the future.
Dying Light 2 Stay Human
WHERE TO PLAY
It’s been 20 years since the events of the original game. The virus won, and humanity is slowly dying. You play as Aiden Caldwell, a wandering Pilgrim who delivers goods, brings news, and connects the few remaining survivor settlements in barren lands devastated by the zombie virus. However, your true goal is to find your little sister Mia, who you left behind as a kid to escape Dr. Waltz’s torturous experiments. Haunted by the past, you eventually make the decision to confront it when you learn that Mia may still be alive in Villedor — the last city standing on Earth.You quickly find yourself in a settlement torn by conflict. You’ll need to engage in creative and gory combat, so hone your skills to defeat hordes of zombies and make allies. Roam the city, free run across Villedor’s buildings and rooftops in search of loot in remote areas, and be wary of the night. With every sunset, monsters take control of the streets.
