Be Afraid of the Dark: Dying Light Returns with The Beast

In its ten years of existence, Techland’s Dying Light franchise has given us many things—adrenalin-pumping action, nerve-shredding gameplay, extraordinary design, a meaty storyline, UV light as a weapon… oh, and the split-jaw zombie—the Volatile. Which, if we’re being honest, has been known to haunt the collective dreams of Intel Gaming Access. Dying Light: The Beast releases on August 22 and we’ll be napping plenty in advance to stock up on the z’s because ol’ split-jaw—one of the most terrifying horror creations of the past decade—is back, and hungry as ever, along with a few undead friends. Charge your UV-flashlights as well, just to be safe. If safe were a thing in the Castor Woods…

Techland debuted the gameplay trailer for Dying Light: The Beast at Summer Game Fest, on June 6th, to the delight of franchise and horror fans. If you haven’t caught it yet, then get your appetite whetted—and/or your pants scared off—here. In Dying Light: The Beast, you play as Kyle Crane, the victim of brutal experiments administered by The Baron, a cruel and remorseless scientist. Crane was last seen in the first Dying Light, a human infected with the zombie virus whose DNA was spliced again and again by The Baron. In The Beast, Crane is out for revenge. After enduring years and years of torture, Crane comes to Castor Woods to seek out the pharma dynasty The Baron descends from, and to put a stop to The Baron’s increasingly reckless and barbaric experiments. Castor Woods is home not only to The Baron and his clan, but a handful of human survivors, and the inevitable zombie hordes. But they are not the only inhuman things in the woods. The beast within is perhaps Crane’s greatest foe; the invasive zombie DNA gives him incredible strength and endurance, not to mention parkour skills, but also threatens to overwhelm his humanity. As night falls, will the beast win?

The plot and action of Dying Light has always turned on the countdown to darkness, the richly cinematic design plunges the player from a vivid daylight fraught with crawling menace to a claustrophobic night packed with increasingly mobile threat. During the day you can scavenge and explore the world as it’s a relatively safe time to roam around, but darkness switches the zombies from shuffling Night of the Living Dead mode to 28 Days Later zippiness. And your cortisol levels respond in kind. Dying Light has always been about tension between states, the light and the dark, the slow and the fast, and now—revenge and survival. This instalment ups the ante as you fight not only to survive, but to control what is inside you. Will Crane’s mission to avenge his years of torture come at too high a cost, or is anything worth the satisfaction? You’ll be immersed not only in zombie-killing action but in this moral dilemma.

Castor Woods, the former beauty spot where decaying traces of a lost world of leisure form the haunting backdrop to a battle for existence, is also explored further and in incredible detail. The Beast’s new open-world map takes us to unexplored corners, concealed depths, and unfamiliar interiors—such as the chamber of horrors where The Baron conducts his gruesome experiments—and has a brilliant, textured reality. Series director Tymon Smektala has spoken of the dedication of the artists responsible, and their passion for turning every inch of the map into a work of art. Dynamic weather changes add another layer of challenge and immersiveness; the rain and wind lash the landscape, you can almost feel them against your face. It seems possible to be swallowed whole by this world. Or crushed to pieces in it (that would probably be thanks to the Behemoth, a gargantuan creature that can hurl cars like they’re footballs).

Sunset is never a safe time in the Dying Light universe, and the night and day system introduces new threats here. It’s not difficult to be caught out by the fading day and find yourself alone in the woods as night closes in. Some welcome additions to your toolkit expand your options to fight back, which is handy given the fact that The Baron’s experiments have produced a new breed of zombies—the Chimeras; freaks of nature and some of the toughest bosses in the history of the series. Crane’s mission may be clear-cut in the beginning, but as we journey deeper into unknown territory, nothing stays unchallenged.

Pre-order the standard version now to bag the exclusive Hero of Harran bundle, which contains the Ultimate Survivor Outfit, Harran Combat Knife, The Follower Crossbow, and In Jade’s Memory Pistol. Players who secure the Deluxe Edition with a pre-order also receive the official soundtrack, Wallpaper Pack, Castor Woods Tourist Map, Castor Woods Prepper Bundle, Castor Woods Prepper Outfit, Survivalist SMG and Roadhog. Whatever bundle you choose, just remember: if you go down to Castor Woods today, you’d better not be surprised. Your life depends on it.

Pre-order Dying Light: The Beast on Steam