Dying Light 2 is one of those sequels where the developers fumbled, resulting in negative feedback from the players. Despite being a thriller, the second installment in the franchise couldn’t manage to fill the shoes of its predecessor. The same was admitted by Tymon Smektała, the franchise director of Dying Light, at the Summer Game Fest 2025.
However, with the release of their upcoming standalone game called Dying Light: The Beast, it seems that the franchise is slowly getting back on track. In short, the developers accepting their mistake with the second game and wanting to fix that for the players might have saved the upcoming title.
What went wrong with Dying Light 2?
Unlike the first game in the series, the sequel couldn’t give the authentic Dying Light feel to the players. It simply failed to provide the players with a terrifying experience, including horror sequences, intense gameplay segments, or stages. This was a major turn-off for the players, and thankfully, Techland acknowledged this issue recently while giving a candid interview to PC Gamer.
During the interview, Tymon Smektała was humble enough to say that:
Dying Light 1 was a game for our core community. It was a hardcore survival horror, open-world, action-adventure with very strong survival aspects. For Dying Light 2, we forgot about it. The game was a commercial success, but the players who should be closest to our hearts said we kind of lost the edge, we lost the threat, we lost the horror, we lost the tension.
Taking this setback as a motivation, Techland created Dying Light: The Beast. Originally, this game was supposed to be DLC for the second game. However, Techland has made major improvements, which were enough to launch it as a standalone game in the franchise. Dying Light 2 is better than Dying Light 1 in some cases, however, it’s not the best game in the franchise overall.
Basically, Dying Light: The Beast carries the essence of Dying Light 1, making it a true follow-up of the predecessor. Even Smektała believes that The Beast is actually Dying Light 3 as it features content capable of keeping you engaged throughout.
Things we know about Dying Light: The Beast so far
Dying Light: The Beast marks the return of the franchise’s most beloved protagonist: Kyle Crane. After enduring the cruel tortures of Baron, you finally get the opportunity to give it back to him. With the superpowers you have received from Baron’s painful experiments, you can unleash your inner beast and take out the man who did you wrong.
It is an open-world experience set in the huge map of Castor Woods, a beautiful tourist spot now overrun by zombies. You can complete quests, side quests, or free roam while doing parkour on the rooftops. While the daytime is relatively safer, it’s the night that you must fear. You never know from where a horde of zombies will attack you.
Dying Light 2 will feature a four-player co-op so you can team up with your friends to take on the wildest adventures together. Dying Light 2 will be available for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC on August 22, 2025. If you are someone who already owns the Ultimate Edition of Dying Light 2 will receive Dying Light: The Beast with no additional charges. With that being said, fear finally has a new name!
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