Running Scared

WE JOIN TECHLAND TO TAKE A LEAP OF FAITH WITH THE STUDIO AND ITS LATEST OPEN -WORLD ZOMBIE GAME, DYING LIGHT 2

- Adam Bryant

We actually designed the initial part of the game so you could feel lost,” game designer Tymon SmektaÅ‚a tells us when talking about how the dev team at Techland is trying to put you in the same shoes as the protagonist of its latest open-world action RPG.

Dying Light 2 begins 15 years after the events of the first game and takes place in ‘The City’ which is believed to be the last human settlement on Earth after a zombie virus has ravaged the planet. You play as Aiden Caldwell, an infected survivor looking for a cure. After arriving in The City you notice things aren’t quite right, with different factions fighting for control. Even though its citizens are oppressed, they’re afraid to leave, believing there to be nothing for them on the outside. Within these walls, Aiden soon finds himself as a key character within The City, with opportunities to both help or hinder its people.

You don’t stay lost for long. Right from the outset you’re making choices that, initially, are just for your benefit but begin affect everything around you. Before long, everyone understands you’re the one making all these changes. “This alters some of the rules of the game because now you’re not just an anonymous person in The City anymore,” says SmektaÅ‚a. “Now you are the person that everyone knows, and with that some people want to kill you, some people want to help you and some people expect you to help them.”

Risky business