Written by Zylory Team | Zylory.com
The Bottom Line
Dying Light: The Beast sticks to the series’ signature formula — parkour, melee combat, and relentless zombie hordes — but this time the movement system and combat feel have both been noticeably refined. If you’ve played the previous entries, you’ll immediately notice the free-running now feels smoother than ever.
Core Gameplay: Why Parkour Zombie Survival Still Works
The appeal of Dying Light has never really been about killing zombies — it’s about using your body’s freedom of movement to outmaneuver fear itself, scrambling over walls, leaping across gaps, vaulting with a makeshift pole through the ruins of a city. That system responds faster and connects more fluidly in this entry, and the landing-and-roll animation after a high fall feels noticeably more polished than in previous games.
Combat System: Weapon Modding Is Still the Heart of the Game
The weapon modification system now supports more elemental combinations — electric, fire, and poison effects can all be layered onto melee weapons. Combined with the series’ classic day/night cycle (nighttime brings out much stronger zombies), the rhythm of gathering resources by day and surviving by night is more tense than in previous entries.
The nighttime system deserves special mention: once the sun goes down, Volatile-type zombies become genuinely threatening, forcing players to plan routes carefully and stockpile resources in advance. This “two games in one” day/night structure effectively splits the experience into two entirely different play styles.
Open World and Map Design
The map is larger than in previous entries, and the vertical design shows more care — it’s not just horizontal streets, but a layered structure of rooftop pathways, underground tunnels, and abandoned construction sites that gives the parkour system more room to shine. Unfortunately, some areas suffer from repetitive side content, which can wear thin as you push further into the game.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Parkour feel is the best the series has ever had, with fluid movement chaining
- The day/night cycle delivers two genuinely distinct gameplay experiences
- High freedom in weapon modding makes melee combat satisfying
- Excellent vertical map design
Cons:
- Side quests are fairly repetitive and can cause fatigue in the late game
- Some boss fights feel conventional and lack innovation
- Some platforms still report occasional performance stutters
Final Verdict
Dying Light: The Beast doesn’t reinvent the series’ formula, but it polishes the core “parkour + survival” experience to a level of maturity the series hasn’t hit before. For returning fans, this is a solid step forward. For newcomers, it might be the most accessible and complete entry point into the series so far.
Rating: 4/5
Recommended for: Fans of open-world exploration and action-survival games
Not recommended for: Players with low tolerance for repetitive side content or those seeking a strongly narrative-driven experience
Reviewed by Zylory Team at Zylory.com, based on hands-on gameplay. Game screenshots are copyrighted by Techland and are used here for review purposes only.
About the Author
