The popular zombie game, Dying Light, mixes parkour akin to that of Mirrors Edge and Assassassin's Creed with zombie killing action. The result, in the end, is a high octane, suspense-driven survival game. Being considered one of the scariest games of this current generation, it makes sense to make a sequel.
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Although the sequel was announced a few years back, it has been faced with delay after delay. Hopefully, in the new year, with new anticipation, we will get more news on its release date, but until then it's never a bad idea to have a wishlist of things we don't and do want.
10 Want: A Longer Story
In the first game, assuming players are playing on the enhanced edition, the game has a run time of 20 hours, if it's just the story. 20 hours may seem long, but for open-world games, that number is relatively low. In the first game, players fill the time playing by running around the map completing side objectives, and the story would get lost in translation. To combat that, the missions could be closer to each other so that running around doesn't make players lose important story information. Plus, a longer story keeps the player base in.
9 Don't Want: Emphasis On Action
An issue surrounding the first installment is that it's centered around the action. Being a zombie-horror game, players would expect the game to, instead, lean heavily into its horror aspects. It does offer the night and day cycle where zombies turn more aggressive after dark, however.
The sequel could really define itself by focusing on its horror elements, significantly improving the experience. Although the action in the first game helped balance things out, it just became more prominent by the end. The horror section of the first game is proof the developers know how to do that genre.
8 Want: Bigger Map
The first game's map was set in the city of Harran, which is pretty average size comparing it to other open-world games. The map is bigger now than it was, thanks to Techland's post-launch dedication with a bunch of DLC that takes players to the outskirts.
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In the sequel, having a bigger map can help out every aspect of the game, from increasing the average playtime to having more things to do in the city. It feels better knowing that the map size gives more time to explore. Players have been asking about making the city itself more engaging, and that can be done with a large map.
7 Don't Want: Clunky Crafting System
Complaints about the first game revolve around its clunky crafting system and weapons mods. Streamlining these features would bend the learning curve for players. The reason being is that it takes players out of the game. Going from menu to menu makes it seem like a chore.
By making it all one action or centralizing crafting to one place, and allowing players to switch back and forth, players will spend more time in-game and less time navigating the menu. Most games in the genre have crafting mechanics because it works for them. Dying Light doesn't need a compressive system.
6 Want: More Weapons To Collect And Customize
There are many reasons why Dying Light is still one of the best zombie games to date. One of them is its range of flavors of weapons. Even still, it can be capitalized on in the sequel.
From modding to crafting, the game gives players a wide array of customization on everything offensive wise. To build on top of that, and to answer players' wishes, the game should have more options and a much wider arsenal. Giving players more options to defend themselves opens up more possibilities.
5 Don't Want: Quick Time Events
Even though they're not used a lot in the game, there are moments when it's employed and not needed. Players complain that certain boss fights use it and that it becomes very frustrating. When a game uses this mechanic, it often makes the situation more cinematic. However, in recent times, it's more looked down upon. There are more creative ways to add intensity to gameplay.
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Dying Light is cinematic in other ways and doesn't need the mechanic and it slows down the game. The QTE itself is slow and laggy, which many players have been complaining about. These mechanics don't work in this game because, much like several features, it doesn't need those mechanics.
4 Want: More Freedom Of Choice
The first game is pretty linear, and it doesn't give much freedom outside the main story. One of the features that are confirmed in the sequel is how open it will be. Freedom of choice also means consequences, giving players added replay value to explore every outcome.
This ability would change the world around them with every choice impacting the overarching narrative. This can change over time as well, making the story flow how players want. The main thing is how drastic these consequences will impact the story. However, with more choices and more consequences comes different endings. It'll be interesting to see how many they are.
3 Don't Want: Ranged Weapons
Even though they can make life easier, melee weapons have something about them that guns can't match, especially in a world all about survival. During the events of The Following DLC, players use dune buggies to mow down hordes of zombies. Things like that make the DLC way more fun than the base game.
Having a gun or rifle takes away from the challenging survival aspect, even if it gives players breathing room. Having a diverse range of weapon types makes for fun zombie killing, especially if that's all certain players care about. Not that ranged weapons are bad or anything, as having other options or tools gives more options.
2 Want: Better Mission Types
What makes Dying Light stand out in this genre is how much it offers and all the features that make it unique. There all sorts of mission types in this game, with many ideas borrowed from other games as well. Having more mission types on top of the amazing ones already there can make the game even more unique. With the game constantly changing because of the players' choice, it could make some missions inaccessible, creating a much different world.
1 Don't Want: Fetch Quests
Open world games, in general, are notorious for overusing the dreaded fetch quests. Basically, these quests make players go out to collect an item (or large number of items) and return them to the mission giver. The issue with these quests is that, most of the time, they don't affect anything, nor do they challenge players.
Fetch quests become mundane, repetitive, and ultimately boring as players become more like personal assistants rather than zombie apocalypse survivors. In the sequel, the game should offer more mission types to reflect individual playstyle. That alone will make the game stand out even more, simply because it gives the players a different experience than other zombie games.