Post-apocalyptic parkour is the name of the game in Techland’s Dying Light series. With two mainline entries to its name, the series capitalizes on the zombie genre, even if it can fall into some tired tropes and clichés. Still, the iconic nighttime chases, gory combat, and realistic tone have made it more than just a survivor horror franchise. Dying Light: The Beast serves as the developer’s third entry in the series, and, fortunately, it’s as effective as a zombie bite: quick, efficient, and leaves a mark.
Returning as Kyle Crane, the protagonist of the first Dying Light, you embark on a vengeful quest against The Baron, who experimented on him for 13 years. The series’ narrative track record has left plenty to be desired thus far, and, while The Beast is an improvement, it still falls short of its undead contemporaries. The stakes play it safe, and it struggles to maintain the realism the story is aiming for, despite the zombies.
This time around, Crane is a more personable character than in his debut outing. Instead of the rookie from Dying Light, we get a weathered and slightly more capable version in The Beast. Furthermore, his personality shines, and he carves out a more distinct identity within the genre. Helping out with that is voice actor Roger Craig Smith, who delivers a well-rounded performance, balancing his sarcasm with charm.
It’s important to note that The Beast does assume you’ve played past titles and doesn’t do much to catch you up, both in story and gameplay. It may prove challenging for newcomers, but once you get the hang of things, like Crane in his new environment, it becomes like clockwork. Past features, such as safe houses and Dark Zones, return and still reach the heights of their predecessors, especially during the intense night segments.
The city of Castor Woods, filled with foliage and Swiss Alps-inspired architecture, isn’t as parkour-forward as Dying Light 2 Stay Human’s Villedor, but it still captures the thrill of traversal quite well, especially in the townscapes. Dying Light is a beacon for free-running, and The Beast does an excellent job of capturing the feeling of the unreal adrenaline high with your life on the line. Jumping from rooftop to rooftop and finding safe houses in the dark before the supercharged zombies catch up to you is exhilarating. Techland has nailed the aspect of maps being essentially large playgrounds for Crane to slaughter zombies and freestyle his way around. Unfortunately, story missions do it a disservice, as you end up going back and forth to the same places repeatedly; getting there ends up being the fun part.
While Dying Light 2 improved upon Dying Light’s combat, The Beast combines both to make one of the most responsive systems in the series. You can feel each swing of a weapon and every shot of a gun like it is actually in your hands. Even more so, you’re never at an advantage against foes, fitting for an apocalyptic setting. The new Beast mode, which makes Crane a hulking powerhouse, does help thin crowds and score some gory kills. Its addition adds more variety to combat and traversal, and I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t fun to just wreck house from time to time.
One of the highlights of Dying Light: The Beast, aside from stellar parkour, is how good it looks in action. The series has always delivered impressive visuals, and that’s only become truer as technology and fidelity have improved over the last decade. The autumnal Castor Woods sometimes lack color, but it feels ripped straight from a photograph. Characters, zombies, and gore are rendered with precision, showcasing some of Techland’s best-looking work.
Dying Light: The Beast can feel a touch safe at times with a serviceable story, but the high-flying parkour and gorgeous graphics are top-notch. Castor Woods makes for the perfect zombie-slaying playground for you to enjoy. It’s pure adrenaline packed into its 20 hours, continuing to carve out its own corner of the crowded zombie space.