Dying Light from Techland is similar to Dead Island in many ways, but improves on the original game’s formula with some key new features. For example, Dying Light introduces a new day/night cycle that is integral to the gameplay. At night, zombies are far more vicious and deadlier, forcing players to find shelter if they want the best chance at survival.

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Dying Light’s day/night cycle is a huge new addition that ratchets up the intensity quite a bit, but it’s also noticeable for its parkour movement system. Whereas Dead Island had fairly limited movement, Dying Light allows players to climb and jump around the game world in a manner that’s not unlike Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed games or Mirror’s Edge.

Dying Light also differs from its predecessor through its tone, which is considerably darker and more serious than Dead Island. Dying Light is a grim survival story, with shocking deaths, disturbing imagery, and horrific moments that are sure to stick with players long after the credits roll. The Following expansion builds on the base game’s story in meaningful ways and is also worth playing for any horror fans looking for a solid zombie game experience.

Horror fans don’t have to play through Dying Light’s twisted story alone. Dying Light supports up to four players for its co-op mode, which boosts its replay value significantly. Some horror purists may think that playing in a group hurts the scare factor, but Dying Light is still full of plenty of unnerving moments and jump scares that will keep players on their toes, whether they’re playing solo or not.

With Dying Light, Techland solidified itself as the top studio for open world zombie games. Both Dying Light and The Following expansion earned strong reviews from critics, and so it’s no surprise that expectations are high for Dying Light 2. Dying Light 2 is greatly expanding the parkour mechanics from the original Dying Light, and that combined with its presence on next-generation consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X makes it one of the most-exciting horror games currently in development.

Dying Light is out now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

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