Dying Light 2 was announced during Microsoft’s press conference at E3, promising a lot of Improvement over the original. One of the biggest appears to be in the day/night cycle.
Creative Director Adrian Ciszewski told DualShockers during an interview at E3 2018 that he can’t reveal much about the cycle yet because it’s involved in a “massive change” and it could be a “topic for an entire conference.”
That being said, he did provide some hints. The night isn’t a constriction anymore, but it becomes an opportunity pretty much in everything, including combat, completion of quests, and traversal.
As the day is for humans and the night is for zombies, during the night there are more occasions to fight. While there is still the dreadful experience of being chased in the dark, it isn’t just a matter of running away and finding shelter.
On the other hand, during the day there are the degenerates, some of which are bigger and tougher enemies. Yet, in the fifteen years since the outbreak in the first game, people have learned how to live with them and overcome the issue of their presence. You mostly need to be aware of them and make sure not to get surrounded.
Since the map is four times bigger than that of Dying Light and the expansion The Following combined, there are certain parts of the city where there are more enemies. Other parts of the city are settled by human factions, so some of the streets and neighborhoods are clear. This creates a varied experience for exploration and discovery.
The fact that are areas with more people, and others with more infected, makes exploration less tedious.
The infected live in their own shelters, and there you can find items that are very difficult to find during the day. The night is a great opportunity to hunt for those rewards as the infected leave their lairs. Since those buildings are often damaged, you’ll need to use your parkour skills in order to reach the top and explore them.
There are more examples of things that can be done during the night but Techland isn’t ready to talk about them yet.
The goal of this change is for the night to stop being just a moment in which the player is scared, but to become part of the game in which you feel the opportunity of jumping in and do things you can’t during the day.
If you want to see more about the game, you can enjoy the original reveal and first gameplay.
Dying Light 2 will release for PC, PS4, and Xbox One
[Original interview by Michael Ruiz]