Zombie killing with a twist

One of the numerous games delayed from 2014 to 2015 was the first-person, zombie parkour game from Techland, Dying Light. I had played Dying Light previously at PAX Prime 2013, where the developer had emphasized the difference between their day and night cycles. With this E3 demo, they wanted to show off how players would progress in the game, from someone afraid of taking zombies head-on to an undead-killing master.

The demo started very similar to my previous experience. I was guided into a small arena where I could familiarize myself with the game’s controls. Dying Light is highlighted by its parkour nature; the game revolves around running, jumping, and climbing. By performing these acts players will earn agility points which can be used to level up the character. Techland wanted people to improve their character through their actions. The more you practice something, the better you will become at it.

After reacquainting myself with the layout of the controls, I head into the world of Dying Light. The first section of the game begins in rundown slums, something which looks Middle-Eastern or African by its architecture. It’s dusty, brown, the sunlight bathes the entire city with its golden rays. Dying Light is set in a fictional city, but its look is definitely exotic.

I have barely left my little safety ground and instantly I am confronted by zombies, meandering slowly towards me. In this narrow alley there appears to be no immediate escape, one of the Dying Light’s strengths. While there’s no escape on the ground level, I hop onto a car and climb up a nearby building. Looking for the high ground and plotting your traversal are some of the most important strategies in Dying Light.

Although I am told the section I am playing is relatively early in the game, the world is already swarming with zombies. They aren’t all on the ground, some have made their way to rooftops, others are lurking in windows, ready to reach out and grab you when you think you’re safe. When the road isn’t clear and there’s no way through, you can use distractions such as firecrackers to lure zombies away from the trail and create a way through.

As I jump, climb, and plot my way through the city, my experience allows me to level up, and so I can choose a skill from the agility skill tree. This first level up allows me to pick between a slide move or a dodge I can use to evade zombies. I opt for the slide. There are also strength points which are acquired when in combat. You can use these strength points to upgrade your stamina or improve your combat skills.

After giving some zombies the slip, I climb a series of stairs and reach my objective. Some survivors are trapped without electricity and bandits have surrounded them. I attempt to take the bandits head on, but my weak fighting skills prevent me from being able to take them out. Instead I am forced to run. I find a safehouse, get an hour of sleep, and wait for the cover of night.

While the majority of zombies in Dying Light are the stumbling, bumbling buffoons who can only get you when you’re close, there is a special breed of zombies who can climb, jump, and run the same as you. At night these predators come out in force and caution is your best ally. Instead of breathlessly running through the world of Dying Light you are forced to take it slow, hide from plain sight, and pray you aren’t detected. Survival sense is the one special ability you have at your disposal. Using this skill you can detect these special zombies, and avoid them. It creates a stealth element to Dying Light, dynamically changing the nature of the game.

I reach the safe zone which has now been cleared of bandits thanks to increased population of zombies which come out at night. A few of these undead are prowling the area, but I take them out slowly, one on one, the only way I can fight these creatures at this early stage of the game. After killing the zombies, I return power to the hiding survivors and make the area secure for inhabitants again.

We fast forward to a new section of Dying Light’s fictional city. The more you progress through the story, the more the city opens up for exploration. This new section is filled with canals and market squares, more developed than the Slums section we started at - at least it was until the zombies came around.

I’m perched on a balcony overlooking the new playground where I must fight the undead. Below me is the aforementioned canal and I recklessly leap into the air and plunge into the water. I swim through the canal and scamper up a wall, pulling myself into a market square. My character climbs faster now, their agility clearly improved from earlier.

My parkour skills are not the only thing that is improved. As opposed to the wimpy baseball bat I started with, I now have a veritable arsenal of weapons. I start with a spiked aluminum baseball bat, then whip out an electric hammer, after that I wield a flaming machete. All of these weapons are designed for gory kills and nasty power attacks. Heads roll, blood flies, and bones break, rendering zombies helpless. Each weapon carries different weight and attack speed; with slower weapons you have to kick zombies away with the left bumper button before you can deliver some punishing damage. It’s not as over the top as Dead Rising and when you see a horde of zombies the best strategy is still to run.

Another skill my character has gained is the ability to use a grappling hook. This hook allows me to reach places I could not get to on my own and could also be used to pull enemies toward me. As I traverse the rooftops, familiarizing myself with my new toy, I come across another bandit. Instead of engaging him head on, I can use zombies to do my dirty work. I pull out a handgun and blow up some explosive barrels nearby, attracting the zombies to this bandit. They get to work quickly and soon he is lunch.

My objective is to reach a friend hiding out in a nearby tower. I jump, climb, and grapple my way up to him. The zombie killing is great, but simply jumping rooftop to rooftop is exhilarating all on its own. When I do have to fight zombies, I can use my power attacks to knock them from the high ground, making quick work of them. When I finally throw open the doors to my friend’s hideout, I find he has been turned himself. He tackles me out the window and we go for a long fall. That’s where my time with Dying Light ends.

Dying Light continues to show off how much faster it is than previous zombie games. The parkour aspect of the title makes for an adrenaline pumping experience. I held my breath during dicey jumps, fretted over chase sequences, and winced as I dismembered my foes. Dying Light is due in February 2015 and will be available on PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.