Initially set to release in spring 2020, Techland’s survival RPG Dying Light 2 has been delayed indefinitely. This isn’t the first Square Enix-published title to be delayed this year. As a matter of fact, it’s one of many games to be delayed this month alone. Marvel’s Avengers, Final Fantasy VII Remake, and Cyberpunk 2077 are some of many games that have also been pushed back.
It’s not very often we see so many video games delayed in such a short period, but unlike the other games, there’s no release window for Dying Light 2.
“We were initially aiming for a Spring 2020 release with Dying Light 2,” the development update reads. “But unfortunately, we need more development time to fulfill our vision.”
As far as we can tell, Dying Light 2 seems to be an extremely complex and ambitious title with a huge emphasis on player choice. As mentioned by the developers, player choice is said to change both the narrative and the world around you. As to be expected, this will take much more time and effort to implement than previously expected.
Now that 2020 is finally here, we’ve decided to bring together everything we know about Dying Light 2 so far. Once we finally get an official release date for Dying Light 2, we will update this article so that you’re up-to-date with the latest information.
Dying Light 2 Story
As society attempts to rebuild itself 15-years after the events of the original game, new gangs are formed as survivors begin to compete for power. Infected with the very same virus that has turned countless people into senseless monsters, Aiden, the lead protagonist, constantly finds himself caught up in conflict.
In order to distinguish those who are infected and those who aren’t, Aiden, along with other survivors, must wear a biomarker: a bracelet that conveniently tells you your infection level. As to be expected, if the biomarker turns red, prepare for danger. But for now, Aiden’s main focus is not his own body, but rather to keep peace in a society full of madmen and the infected.
Dying Light 2: E3 2019 Gameplay Demo
The E3 2019 gameplay demo begins in The Fish Eye, a grubby yet lively tavern owned by Frank. As explained in the 26-minute gameplay trailer with developer commentary, the global drinking water supply is about to run out. Frank, your guide and friend in the game, believes that the only person who can solve the water problem is the notorious Colonel.
His gang, the Renegades, controls the main source of drinking water, so it only makes sense to confront him about the situation. Given Frank’s status, he sensibly decides to call a meeting between the Renegades and the Officers from the two primary factions of the city.
As to be expected, things go south before the meeting even takes place, causing Frank to get shot. This is where decision making comes into play: Do you stay to help Frank who’s currently bleeding out? Or do you leave him in order to chase the Renegades’ truck?
No matter what option you choose, it will have drastic consequences in terms of who lives and who dies. As a matter of fact, player choice plays a massive part in Dying Light 2. On many occasions, the developers of Dying Light 2 have expressed how they want to make a game with genuine consequences, one that’s more reactive to the player’s choice.
PC Gamer asked Techland’s producer Kornel Jaskula about the challenges for Techland in bringing these player choices to life:
“This is the first step: to imagine this complex city, and how to build the game on top of this complex city. So to do that, we have to change the technology, because the previous one didn’t support choices and consequences in-game. So we developed a new engine, which is called C Engine right now, and we changed everything”.
“One of those is the support for choices and consequences. The second one is the size of the city itself—it’s four times bigger than the original maps from Dying Light combined, so not only in 2D size, but vertically. It’s higher. There’s a lot of gameplay inside, and a lot of assets. To support that, we have to change the technology. The main change for our company is the mindset and the technology,” he added
Dying Light 2 Gameplay
The gameplay demo shown at E3 2019 displays just how different Dying Light 2 is going to be compared with the original game. First of all, the metropolis is four times larger than all of the maps in the first game combined. More specifically, the city itself is made up of 7 different regions, each with an individual environment that introduces new parkour moves, enemies and gameplay mechanics.
As this is the case, it only makes sense to double the number of parkour options, which is exactly what Techland has done. You can see some examples of these new moves in both the E3 2018 and 2019 gameplay demo’s.
In the E3 2019 gameplay trailer, we can also see that weapon modding makes a comeback in Dying Light 2—a feature we’re all excited to test out. In addition to combat and the impressive parkour system, the gameplay demo showcases the complex choice-driven story.
But how long will the main story be? The lead game designer mentioned to Prankster101 that Dying Light 2’s main story will take around “15- to 20-hours” to complete.
He continues: “It is very hard to measure in an open-world game. How long it actually takes to complete the game because of the things that happen between point A and point B of a quest, so basically it’s up to you how you play it.”
Dying Light 2 Release Date
Needless to say, player choice and genuine consequences require a dedicated team and a whole lot of time, which is likely why Dying Light 2 has been delayed indefinitely. In an official development update posted on the Dying Light Twitter account, Techland mentions how Dying Light 2 is one of their biggest projects to date.
As a result, developers require more time to fulfill their vision and so we’re hoping to hear more details in regards to a release date in the coming months. Considering it won’t release in spring, we expect a winter release for Dying Light 2.
How Much Will Dying Light 2 Cost?
Despite the fact that Dying Light 2 has been delayed indefinitely, you can currently secure your copy by pre-ordering the standard edition of Dying Light 2 for PS4 at Amazon for $60. At this very moment, there’s no word of a collector’s edition.
You can also purchase the standard edition of the game for Xbox One for the exact same price. On the other hand, if you fancy playing Dying Light 2 on a badass gaming PC, then we advise you to add Dying Light 2 to your Steam wishlist immediately.
After all, who wouldn’t want to play this upcoming open-world action RPG across an ultrawide gaming monitor?
*Note that prices may vary depending on the retailer.
Dying Light 2 Trailers
Ever since its announcement at E3 2018, Techland and Square Enix has been giving us a closer look at Dying Light 2 through a range of immersive gameplay trailers and developer commentaries. That being said, we don’t have many trailers for the second part in the series since it was teased just two years ago.
Nevertheless, the more recent gameplay demos for Dying Light 2 are fairly long. Here’s all of them in order of their release date:
Dying Light 2 – Gameplay Trailer | PS4
The most recent demo revealed at E3 2019 shows us 26-minutes of gameplay in Dying Light 2. As we have already touched base on this trailer, we won’t go into much detail in this section.
With that being said, we recommend that you go and watch the 26-minutes of gameplay with developer commentary trailer for more in-depth information from lead game designer, Tymon Smektala. You can watch the official gameplay trailer without developer commentary by clicking the link below:
Dying Light 2 – E3 2018 Announcement Trailer
Our first look at Dying Light 2 came after an announcement trailer was revealed at E3 2018 during the Microsoft Press Conference. In the trailer, we see a brand new protagonist known as Aiden Caldwell fighting against a group of masked bandits.
Even in the first-ever trailer for Dying Light 2, we got to see how player choice plays a massive part in the game. More specifically, how it shapes the whole world around you. We highly recommend watching the entire video below:
Dying Light 2 – E3 2018 Gameplay World Premiere
Alongside the announcement trailer, we also got to see a gameplay video for Dying Light 2. The trailer is very short in comparison to the most recent gameplay demo, although it was our first real look at Dying Light 2—so we can’t complain too much.
If you managed to complete the first game in the series, I bet you were just excited as we were when we first saw the gameplay trailer back in 2018. If you haven’t seen it, you can watch it for yourself down below:
Dying Light 2: News and Features
While we wait for an official release date for Dying Light 2, we’re hoping Techland is going to spill the beans and give us more information about this upcoming survival action RPG. In the meantime, here’s everything we know about this upcoming sequel so far:
Will There Be Multiplayer in Dying Light 2?
Much like the first game in the series, you will be able to play the entire Dying Light 2 campaign in up to four-player co-operative multiplayer. As with the original game, you can either host your own game or join your friends or even internet strangers from across the globe. At this very moment, there isn’t much in-depth information in regards to co-op in Dying Light 2.
Exclusive Dying Light 2 Concept Art
Aside from gameplay demos and stunning cinematics, one of the main things I look forward to when it comes to an upcoming game is the concept art. Prior to E3 2019, we got to see an impressive piece of concept art that shows Aiden overlooking the dusky city. “This panorama of The City shows the potential effects of player decisions that will have to be made in Dying Light 2,” said creative director Adrian Ciszewski when describing the artwork.
A more recent piece of concept art shows what appears to be a rooftop farm, demonstrating just how desperate the remaining survivors are for some fresh, nutritional food.
“You will be shaping the world around you using resources you collect and steps you choose to take,” Ciszewski told GameSpot.
“The path to achieving your goal will at times take unexpected turns, but you can always get back on track, at a certain cost. The thriving rooftops are visible proof of a path once taken by the protagonist—the more he helps the survivors, putting his own needs aside, the more life and hope can spread throughout the city. Players will have their own cities that entirely reflect them in Dying Light 2.”.
Here’s one of the breathtaking concept arts for Dying Light 2:
Conclusion
Dying Light 2 is an ambitious open-world game that requires much more time than developers initially expected. As a result, the sequel to 2015 survival horror game has been delayed indefinitely. As mentioned in the development update, Techlane “will have more details to share in the coming months,” so we’re hoping to hear more news regarding a release date as soon as possible. But until then, we’ll just have to sit back, relax and wait for Techlane to spill the beans.
As you wait for an official release date for Dying Light 2, why not take a quick look at our guide to the best horror games currently on the market? Fancy learning more about another upcoming survival video game? Then you may be interested in reading about the latest news on The Last of Us Part 2. After all, this upcoming game actually has an official release date (May 29, 2020), so you can look forward to The Last of Us Part 2 before playing Dying Light 2.