Dying Light is a series I’ve casually loved since the first game. While I’ve never played any of the DLC, I’ve never missed an entry. I know for some, Dying Light 2 seemed to come and go, but for me, I thought it was such a fun experience that deserved more love and respect for just how ambitious the team at Techland was. With that said, Dying Light: The Beast appears to be the franchise’s sneaky way to get me to play its DLC. No, The Beast isn’t DLC, but that’s what it started out as. It’s Silksong all over again! My understanding, though, is that The Beast’s story started in the DLC, Dying Light: The Following, from the original game. Hats off to Techland, because I would have never guessed we’d be playing as Kyle Crane ever again. It’s been a long time since anyone has controlled Mr. Crane, so the question has to be asked. Is this something I’ll be able to jump into without any confusion? Will an average Dying Light fan understand what’s going on, or will the fun of killing zombies overtake any possible confusion the story might bring? Well, thankfully, I’ve got some talented reviewers to help me figure out if this beast is worth a walk around the park, OR is this a DYING LIGHT bulb not worth replacing?

I’m really bad at these. I thought I was getting better, but I’ve just been lying to myself… am I gonna stop? Is it time for something new? NOPE! See you next time on Review Round Up!

Review Round-Up:

Dying Light is a bit like John Wick – people aren’t really here for the story; even though the world is cool, they just want some entertaining action, and The Beast delivers this in blood-soaked spades. Combat is just as brutal and visceral as it’s always been, but in The Beast it’s the best it’s ever felt. You can feel the juicy thwacks as your weapon connects with a zombie’s head, resulting in blood splattering everywhere, like when you try and put sauce on a meat pie at a footy match. It’s just so bloody satisfying. – Zach Jackson, Well Played

I’d forgive some of my gripes had I not encountered so many bugs. Frequently, I’d be asked to eliminate enemies already cleared from an area, forcing a game restart. In a more frustrating example, what should have been one of the more interesting missions in the game was spoiled for me and my co-op companion when a state that was meant to make us imperceptible to zombies wasn’t working correctly. Only by comparing my vision to recorded gameplay of another did I realise I was encountering a glitch, again corrected by a system reboot. Whilst I expect these bugs to be fixed soon, a lack of save management system, or even a reload checkpoint option, made these bugs more troublesome than they otherwise could have been. – Ewan Roxburgh, Press Start

There is a moment in Dying Light: The Beast where you climb to the top of a ruined hotel tower in the middle of Castor Woods. The sun is setting, the clouds are bleeding gold across the horizon, and the wind carries the distant sound of infected roaming below. You catch your breath, glance across the vast sprawl of rooftops and woodland, and then the score hits. It reminded me of the fantastic score in 28 Days Later and how it really helped elevate the loneliness. That’s when I knew that this was going to be something truly special. – Marcus Kenneth, CGM

Last but certainly not least, if you liked what you’ve read and watched, then, by all means, head on over to the PlayStation Store, Xbox Marketplace, or Steam to pick up Dying Light: The Beast. All you need to do is click the image below, and you will be taken to the store of your choosing. Also, I lied. One final, final thing, thank you for checking out the site. If you like this type of content, the Thinks of a Thoughter Games Release Radar will be doing this for every interesting game released this year.