At Summer Game Fest this weekend, I had the opportunity to sit with the developers at Techland for a forty-five-minute hands-on demo of their upcoming action horror game, Dying Light: The Beast. This is the third game in the series, and it brings the first Dying Light’s protagonist, Kyle Crane, back into the action. If you don’t want to be spoiled for any previous Dying Light games, you have been warned. Crane was held captive by a mysterious scientist known as The Baron for over a decade, and now that he has escaped, he plans to use his newfound powers to exact revenge on his tormentor.
Dying Light: The Beast, a standalone third entry in the series, is flawed but fun
Dying Light: The Beast is a complete, standalone game. I talked to a few people at Summer Game Fest who were surprised to learn that it wasn’t an expansion or DLC. Apparently, the concept was initially planned as DLC, but now Techland is treating it as the third installment in the Dying Light series. After playing some of it myself, I can see why. While perhaps not reaching the same ambitious systems that Dying Light 2 promised, Dying Light: The Beast has nailed the parkour, action, and survival horror that have made the franchise what it is today.
First of all, I want to appreciate the brilliance of putting “Jump” on the right bumper for controllers. For a game that aims for fluid movement through an urban environment with plenty of vaulting and climbing, having control of both sticks to aim and jump simultaneously makes movement significantly smoother and more natural. This goes a long way when the core gameplay revolves around exploring an open world, and this is just one of the great elements that stay consistent from the previous games. But there are plenty of new features to keep you guessing, too.
As a result of Kyle Crane’s imprisonment at the hands of the Baron, he now has the potential to unleash devastating strength and power. This ability transforms you into a beast, able to punch through crowds of zombies in a moment, pick up and hurl rocks at enemies, and more. There’s an entire skill tree to explore and unlock that will make this ability even more fun.
While you are powerful, that’s not to say that there’s no danger. You can’t activate this newfound strength on a whim, and it’s easy for enemies to overwhelm you. A swarm of zombies, a group of humans with guns, or the more powerful enemies that appear at night can easily take you down. During my demo, I died once, and came close to it a second time, even with the developer sitting next to me to give me tips and advice. And, now that I think about it, I think they also gave me plenty of healing items to use, too.
Running past enemies and dashing up onto a building and out of reach is always a good move. But you can also use stealth, throw a distracting item, or, my least favorite personally, cover yourself in gore from a corpse to blend in with the zombies for a brief amount of time.
On a more technical level, Dying Light: The Beast uses a new lighting system that makes this game visually stunning. I was already impressed by how the game looked, but what sent me over the top was when I first used the flamethrower. Not only does the controller rumble and sound design give it a devastating feel, but the bright flash of flame makes this the most realistic-looking flamethrower I’ve ever seen in a video game. Shortly after, I also tossed a hand grenade, which created a fiery explosion unlike anything I’ve seen.
Safehouse.Dying Light: The Beast, Developer: Techland
Dying Light: The Beast also introduces dynamic weather. During my demo, it randomly started to rain, and my guide explained that the rain has several effects. Driving vehicles will feel more “slippery” when it’s raining, and electricity will be much more effective. I didn’t get to try driving in the rain, but later on in the demo, I was very impressed with how the driving felt. While not an exact simulation, you can run out of gas, damage the car by hitting zombies, and leave yourself stranded if you’re not careful.
The one thing that didn’t impress me about Dying Light: The Beast was the story elements. Ultimately, I didn’t expect to be wowed, and it’s not distracting enough to detract from the fun of the gameplay. At the end of the day, Kyle Crane wants revenge, and that’s enough of a plot to keep you moving from action scene to action scene. Plus, if you genuinely don’t care, it is an open world that you can explore at your own pace.
Boss fight.Dying Light: The Beast, Developer: Techland
The last ten minutes of my demo presented me with a boss battle. After following a lead on The Baron, I came upon a facility that was keeping a massive, mutated creature locked up. Eventually, I confronted the creature in a junkyard, the perfect place for it to start throwing cars at me. Maybe it was just the demo or that it’s a boss meant for earlier in the game, but it didn’t seem particularly challenging. A well-timed sidestep dodge would avoid damage most of the time, and even when zombie allies showed up, it would swat some of them out of the way for me.
Castor Woods.Dying Light: The Beast, Developer: Techland
Overall, I had a great time with Dying Light: The Beast. Even though my demo was pretty linear, I can already see myself spending hours exploring this open world and navigating tense situations. It may not be perfect, the story is simple, and the follow-the-wire puzzles aren’t exactly challenging, but there is a lot of fun to be found here.
Dying Light: The Beast is planned to launch on August 22nd, 2025, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. It’s available for pre-order now. Owners of Dying Light 2: Ultimate Edition will also receive the game for free as the promised DLC. Thanks to Techland for the opportunity to get an early look at their next Dying Light game.
August 22, 2025
