Dying Light did a lot to modernise the zombie genre, introducing an open world, free-flowing parkour mechanics and a satisfying (largely melee-based) combat system. Now developer Techland is back with a follow-up, walking that fine line between sticking to the blueprint that made the original a fan favourite while offering something new to justify the sequel. Techland's solution has been to stick with the same core ingredients of movement, zombie-cleaving combat, and exploration while ratcheting up the complexity. First and foremost, that means that there's a lot more narrative to go around. The game picks up 15 years after the original, with Aiden travelling to the city of Villedor to find his missing sister Mia. This time, instead of plowing you through an on-rails plot, you have decisions to make. Some of them take the form of branching moments in the story - will you continue to trust the unreliable NPC you've been working with, or send them on their way? The others are part of Dying Light 2's 'city alignment' system - you take a disused city electrical substation and get it back online; which faction will you give control of it to? The result of all this is a much richer narrative experience than last time out, branching into a series of side missions that complement the depth and breadth of the game's exploration. The setting has evolved alongside the narrative style. Techland is calling it 'modern medieval'. As we're 15 years on from the original, infrastructure has basically collapsed and most technology is past its best. So, while crumbling 21st century buildings still make up the backdrop of Stay Human, everything else is a lot more primitive, with feuding factions ruling the roost and creative crafting a necessity. If Dying Light was about surviving the immediate disaster, Stay Human is about surviving the aftermath. Maybe that will feel timely to some players...
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